Blues and boos as Anthony Albanese faces tough crowd at Byron Bay

Anthony Albanese faced a mixed reception on the main stage at the Bluesfest on Sunday night, when the Opposition Leader was met by boos and cheers.

Anthony Albanese faced a mixed reception on the main stage at the Byron Bay Bluesfest on Sunday night when the Opposition Leader was met by boos and cheers.

The rowdy crowd made it clear it did not want to think about politics, with sections booing loudly as it was told a federal election was coming and Mr Albanese walked on to a very mixed reception.

The crowd remained raucous throughout his address. However, he received a cheer when he pledged more support for the arts.

Appearing ahead of headliner Jimmy Barnes, Mr Albanese also pledged to recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. The crowd finally erupted in cheers when he introduced Barnes and left the stage.

The rowdy reception came after Mr Albanese was again forced to clarify Labor’s position on border protection while campaigning in Cairns.

After originally saying he supported temporary protection visas, Mr Albanese later clarified that Labor opposed the visas and he had heard only part of a journalist’s question.

He had earlier been treated warmly on arrival at Bluesfest when he mixed with festival-goers.

Mr Albanese will put the restoration of integrity in government at the forefront of his campaign this week as he seeks to regain ­momentum after last week’s stumbles on the unemployment rate and border protection. He was also forced to clarify costings for his ­urgent care clinics after incorrectly stating his $135m health plan had been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Speaking to The Australian on Sunday, Mr Albanese said the Liberal Party had failed to grasp how much the establishment of a federal ICAC resonated with voters. He flagged he would ramp up his pursuit of the Prime Minister over his ­failure to deliver on the 2019 election promise to establish a federal anti-corruption body. “It is extraordinary Liberal MPs don’t think the national anti-corruption commission is an issue with the electorate,” Mr Albanese said. “It’s absolutely an issue with the electorate and one in which there is a very stark difference where the government are not even pretending they’ll do anything if they’re re-elected.”

Mr Albanese is also not making any strategic change to his travelling advisers and will focus on releasing policy geared around Labor’s major themes, including strengthening Medicare, the cost of living and creating secure work.

His travelling team on Sunday included his chief-of-staff, Tim Gartrell, speech writer James ­Jeffrey, his media unit head, Liz Fitch, and two other media liaison. Mr Albanese was joined in Cairns by Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers and was expected to be joined by frontbench colleague Tony Burke at the festival.

Nailing the first leaders debate in Brisbane on Wednesday – where Mr Albanese will go head-to-head with the Prime Minister for the first time ahead of the May 21 poll – will be the Labor leader’s primary aim this week after a rocky start.

Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon attend Bluesfest in Byron Bay. Picture: Toby Zerna

The Australian understands Labor’s campaign schedule had been mapped out until Anzac Day, but had to be shifted slightly to accommodate the timing of the Sky News debate. One Labor source lamented the party’s health messages, which were front and centre of campaigning during the first week, were “particularly hard to sell” from a photography per­spective.

Several Liberal MPs at the weekend expressed scepticism that a corruption watchdog was a top-order issue for voters, with ­Financial Services Minister Jane Hume saying on Sunday that most people were concerned about the economy, jobs and cost-of-living pressures.

“That is what a Coalition government is ­focused on,” she said.

Senator Hume told Sky News the government’s proposed federal integrity commission was a better model than Labor’s ­because it would “maintain the presumption of innocence” and would not allow for “show trials”.

“What the Labor Party have put forward is simply two pages of fluff,” she said. “With no detail. To get a commonwealth ­integrity commission wrong would not only cost taxpayers millions of wasted dollars, but it could also destroy lives. And that’s not something we intend to see.”

Anthony Albanese with Richmond MP Justine Elliot gives the thumbs up at Bluesfest on Sunday. Picture: Toby Zerna

Labor has now committed to legislating a national anti-corruption commission by the end of this year if elected, with Mr Albanese saying it would be one of his top priorities as prime minister.

Mr Morrison, who is ­renowned for being a strong campaigner, was photographed during the first week hitting the netball court, sewing straps at a factory and walking a cow at the Sydney Easter show.

Complaints were also raised by the press pack accompanying Mr Albanese about reporters being shut out from picture opportunities on Friday and Saturday.

The first was at a visit to an aged-care centre where the Labor leader was joined by his partner Jodie Heydon and Dr Chalmers. The second was at a skincare ­clinic in Cairns. A pool of journalists was eventually allowed.

The Australian understands Labor had planned to focus on ­climate change while in Cairns but shifted to integrity at the last minute after the party was unable to hire a boat to take Mr Albanese and the travelling media out to the Great Barrier Reef.

Despite the apparent difficulty of sourcing “good” photo opportunities for health announcements, Mr Albanese’s visit to a coalmine near the NSW town of Cessnock in the Labor-held marginal seat of Hunter suggests that they could be his strong point.

The leader was warm and at ease when speaking with miners and elicited a laugh when he stood back-to-back with Dan Repacholi – the towering Labor candidate for Hunter – and quipped: “I’m ­regretting dropping all that weight now.”

Jimmy Barnes takes to the stage at Bluesfest after being welcomed by Anthony Albanese. Picture: Toby Zerna