Election 2022: Confusion over Labor policy costings

Labor is defending its policy costings after ­Anthony Albanese backtracked on claims a key $135m commitment had been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Labor is defending the costings for its full suite of policies after ­Anthony Albanese backtracked on claims his party’s $135m flagship health policy for urgent-care clinics had been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Leaving a Good Friday service in southwest Sydney at St Charbel’s Maronite Church, the Opposition Leader was quizzed about the costings confusion and clarified that the policy had only been “informed by” the PBO.

“It was informed by the work that was done by the PBO,” he said.

“They (our policies) are informed by the PBO work and all of our policies will be fully costed and fully released.”

But a cloud of uncertainty still hangs over who Labor has commissioned to cost the $135m program to trial the 50 medical centres or if the costings had ­already been done.

When asked by The Weekend Australian, opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers blamed the Coalition for making it an election issue.

“This is another desperate beat-up from the first government to take a trillion dollars of debt to an election,” he said.

“We are following the same process that Liberal oppositions have used in the past.

“The costings for our policies will be released in the usual way at the usual time, ­before election day.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt and Finance Minister Simon Birmingham seized on the confusion to attack Labor, declaring it an economic and leadership embarrassment.

“An embarrassing economic and health backflip by Anthony Albanese’s team,” Mr Hunt tweeted.

Health Minister Greg Hunttta. Picture: Christian Gilles

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham. Picture: Gary Ramage

Senator Birmingham told Sky News it was another “failure of leadership”.

“The one key policy he’s tried to sing and dance about all week has not in fact been costed by the PBO,” he said.

The mixed messaging over its costings followed a difficult few days for Labor.

The Opposition leader was forced to clarify on Thursday that a Labor government would not dismantle offshore processing if he was elected in his second major stumble after four days of campaigning.

The Australian Medical Association also criticised the ­urgent-care clinics as “far from ­coherent policy” and “unconvincing”, while the Royal Australian College of GPs said the announcement was welcome but it “needed to see the detail” and warned against care being fragmented.

Neither group was consulted about the policy.

The confusion over Labor’s costings was triggered by a tweet from opposition finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher posted on Thursday just before 6pm.

“The costing of Labor’s Urgent Care Centre policy is based on work done by the PBO, but for the avoidance of any confusion, has not been formally costed by the PBO,” Senator Gallagher tweeted.

Senator Katy Gallagher. Picture: Toby Zerna

“All of Labor’s policies and costings will be released before the election.”

During the Good Friday service, Mr Albanese sat in the front row, flanked by NSW Governor Margaret Beazley and Labor frontbencher Tony Burke.

They were joined under the shadecloth of St Charbel’s school playground, which had been transformed into a church, by a congregation of 5000 people that included former prime minister Tony Abbott.

But it was the arrival of the Prime Minister’s wife, Jenny ­Morrison, that had members of the congregation looking up.

Dressed in sombre black, Mrs Morrison rested a hand on the shoulders of her daughters, Abbey and Lily, as they lay flowers on the altar.

Mr Albanese and Ms Morrison both read passages.

Mr Albanese later offered his well wishes to members of the Prime Minister’s security detail who were involved in a non-fatal car accident in Tasmania on Thursday afternoon.

He then travelled north to the Queensland town of Bundaberg in the Liberal National stronghold of Hinkler where he visited an aged-care home with his girlfriend, Jodie Haydon, and Mr Chalmers. Both will travel with Mr Albanese over the next couple of days.