Anthony Albanese warns against losing federal election ‘in fourth quarter’

Anthony Albanese told Labor MPs to resist complacency despite division within the Coalition.

Scott Morrison, left, Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson and Anthony Albanese at the Last Post Ceremony for the Opening of Parliament in Canberra on Monday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Anthony Albanese has told Labor MPs “games have been lost in the fourth quarter” in a warning against complacency despite division within the Coalition.

The Opposition Leader used a caucus meeting ahead of parliament to declare the election was close, with just 10 sitting days left in the House of Representatives before the poll is due.

“We are in the fourth quarter; games have been lost in the fourth quarter before,” Mr Albanese told his MPs. “At worst, we are competitive.”

Mr Albanese said the government’s division was impacting its ability to deliver for Australians.

“The problem is not how much they hate each other,” he said.

“The problem is the way that they are not doing their job, and that it hurts people. This is an incompetent government, not worthy of another decade in office.”

At the Nationals party room meeting, party leader Barnaby Joyce avoided any challenge to his authority over leaked text messages showing he called Prime Minister Scott Morrison a liar and a hypocrite.

Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Australian understands the Nationals leader asked MPs if they wanted to air concerns over the issue, only to be met with silence.

Ahead of the meeting, former Nationals leader Michael McCormack questioned why Mr Joyce offered his resignation to the Prime Minister when the role was determined by the Nationals party room.

“He can’t resign as the leader of the Nationals, he can only do that in the party room. Or indeed he can do what he did last time and stand up on the hill up in Tamworth and resign,” Mr McCormack said.

Mr McCormack appeared to suggest Mr Joyce should resign on Saturday after tweeting that Australian cricket coach Justin Langer was not the person who should have stepped down after damaging text messages sent by Mr Joyce were leaked.

Also in the meeting, Northern Territory senator Sam McMahon was endorsed to remain in the Nationals party room despite quitting the Country Liberal Party.

Mr Joyce’s leaked message was sent last March, when he was still a backbencher, to a third party, who then sent it on to former Liberal Party staffer ­Brittany Higgins, who was allegedly raped in Parliament House in 2019.

“He is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time,” Mr Joyce wrote. “I have never trusted him and I dislike how he earnestly rearranges the truth to a lie.”

On Monday, Mr Joyce said he had changed his opinion of Mr Morrison since working with him closely as Deputy Prime Minister.

“I had not worked closely one-on-one with the Prime Minister, but I have now,” he told the Seven Network.

“Working one-on-one with him is a completely different scenario. I know him vastly better now.

“As I have said before, he has honoured every agreement I have heard him say to others and every agreement he has had with me.

“They are the actions of a person who is trustworthy. I’ve never heard him come to me with tactics about a deal or changing things around.”

Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud said the government needed to do better in “articulating the risks of Anthony Albanese to this country”.

“(The text) was written when Barnaby, his lot in life wasn’t all that great, and he was obviously in a darker space then he was now,” Mr Littleproud said.

“All I can work on is the observations I make of seeing Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce work together. They are close.”