Anthony Albanese kept vocal MP Joel Fitzgibbon out of loop

Anthony Albanese kicked Joel Fitzgibbon out of his inner circle amid anger the Hunter MP was leading a pro-coal ginger group.

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon. Picture: AAP

Anthony Albanese kicked Joel Fitzgibbon out of his inner circle amid anger that the Hunter MP was leading a pro-coal ginger group and freelancing on climate change policy.

The Opposition Leader told Mr Fitzgibbon in February he should no longer attend Labor’s parliamentary tactics committee after it emerged that the opposition resources spokesman was the co-leader of the Otis Group of about 20 right-wing MPs.

Labor’s House of Representatives tactics committee, which meets to decide question time and parliamentary strategy, includes Mr Albanese and senior frontbenchers Richard Marles, Tony Burke, Mark Butler, Terri Butler, Tanya Plibersek and Jim Chalmers.

Mr Albanese did an about-face on freezing out Mr Fitzgibbon a fortnight ago as he attempts to avoid being the first opposition leader to lose a by-election to the government for 100 years.

Some Labor MPs believe Mr Fitzgibbon was brought back into the fold to limit potential backlash against Mr Albanese’s leadership in the unlikely event the party loses the Eden-Monaro by-­election to be held on July 4.

Other Labor figures, who play down the link of the by-election to leadership security, say Mr Albanese made an apt decision to keep the outspoken MP engaged in the decision-making process rather than “outside the tent pissing in”.

A senior Labor source denied Mr Fitzgibbon had been removed from the tactics group but conceded: “He didn’t attend for a while.”

Mr Fitzgibbon, an early supporter of Mr Albanese’s leadership after threatening to run himself after the 2019 election, is a leading figure in the powerful NSW Right.

The Hunter MP and opposition agriculture spokesman is also close to South Australian senator and co-leader of the Otis Group Don Farrell, who is influential in the party’s Right.

Mr Burke, who holds a key tactical role as manager of opposition business, is a rival to Mr Fitzgibbon in the NSW Right and Labor sources say they often clash during internal debates.

Last year, Mr Fitzgibbon angered Mr Albanese by calling on the party to adopt the Coalition’s 2030 climate change targets, as revealed in The Australian.

Mr Albanese was also furious after it emerged Mr Fitzgibbon and Senator Farrell were leading the Otis ginger group that aimed to influence caucus to take a more supportive position on coal.

A source in Otis said on Monday the ginger group remained intact and was “going strong”.

Mr Fitzgibbon has broken ranks with Mr Albanese’s position on China over the past week, declaring the Morrison government should not have led the way in calling for an inquiry into the ­origins of COVID-19.

The Australian understands Mr Albanese has not rebuked Mr Fitzgibbon over the policy freelancing.

“All I’ve been doing is standing up for the national interest and Australian jobs,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Seven’s Sunrise program on Monday.

“If you’re going to have an inquiry anyway, and we were always going to do just that, why use such intemperate language against your largest trading partner?” he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon, who would not comment on his removal and reinstatement on the tactics committee, denied that he was under­mining Mr Albanese’s position through the policy freelancing.