Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese’s day-one stumble to spook business, households

Anthony Albanese’s failure to name the unemployment and cash rates will spook millions of small business owners and households.

The Opposition Leader’s embarrassing slip-up on day one of the six-week campaign feeds into Scott Morrison’s claim that Albanese lacks the experience to lead the post-pandemic economic recovery and budget repair.

Albanese made the rookie campaign error of guessing the unemployment rate when he clearly didn’t know: “I think it’s 5.4 per cent, sorry.” He was 1.4 percentage points off and the figure he quoted was higher than the jobless rate before the pandemic struck in 2020.

Anthony Albanese made a ‘rookie campaign error’, writes Geoff Chambers. Picture: Toby Zerna

When new labour force figures are released on Thursday, the rate is expected to fall from 4 to 3.9 per cent – hitting its lowest level in 50 years.

Albanese didn’t even try to name the record low cash rate of 0.1 per cent – a figure imprinted in the minds of every small business owner and mortgage holder.

The mistakes show Albanese isn’t thinking about the economy.

The University of Sydney Bachelor of Economics holder, who handed down his budget reply speech less than two weeks ago, has exposed himself to 40 days of Coalition attacks over his “campaign amnesia”.

Earlier in the year, Morrison was attacked for not knowing the price of a bread and a litre of petrol. Albanese’s first day nerves plays into the narrative of Coalition strategists that he will crumble in the campaign.

Anthony Albanese struggles on his first stop of the federal election campaign. Picture: Sky News

Anthony Albanese with Labor candidate Ross Hart and Shadow Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Picture: Toby Zerna

After three years of personal attacks on Morrison and abandoning Bill Shorten’s policy agenda, and with polls expected to narrow ahead of the May 21 election, Albanese will face pressure like he’s never experienced in his 26-year parliamentary career.

If Labor gets off to a slow start, they’ll start playing catch-up and get desperate.

That’s exactly what Morrison wants.