Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese’s tag team of Labor premiers
Anthony Albanese is using Labor premiers to convince voters the combative relationship between state and federal governments will end if he becomes prime minister.
Anthony Albanese is using Labor premiers to help his campaign against Scott Morrison and convince voters the combative relationship between state and federal governments will end if he becomes prime minister.
The Opposition Leader on Tuesday campaigned in the marginal Melbourne seat of Chisholm with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews – the fourth Labor premier he has appeared with in 10 days.
The push by Mr Albanese for harmony between state and federal governments was juxtaposed with Mr Andrews accusing the Prime Minister of being “desperate” and achieving “precisely nothing” as leader of Australia.
“Every federal dollar that Victorians get from the miserable Morrison government, it’s as though … we ought to bow our head and treat it like it’s foreign aid,” Mr Andrews said. “When Victorians were at their darkest time, senior federal Liberals proved to be Liberals first and Victorian second. They thought they were bagging our government – they were bagging every Victorian who was following the rules and doing the right thing.
“That might be one of the reasons why they’re in a bit of trouble in their seats.”
Mr Albanese was with Mr Andrews to promise $2.2bn in federal funding for a proposed suburban rail loop if Labor wins the election.
On Monday, Mr Albanese visited the marginal Adelaide seat of Boothby with new South Australian Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas and promised to go 50-50 with the state on a $400m expansion of the Flinders Medical Centre. Mr Malinauskas used the visit to declare it would be a mistake for South Australians to re-elect Mr Morrison.
“It’s a crystal-clear choice for people in South Australia: Do they want to see a federal government committing to the ambitions and hopes amongst everybody in South Australia for a hospital system that works? Because if they do, they’ve got to vote Labor,” Mr Malinauskas said. “But if they want more of the same, they can choose to vote for Scott Morrison’s Coalition.”
Attempting to make a virtue of his uneasy relationship with the states, Mr Morrison opposed Labor’s big-spending commitments in South Australia and Victoria, and said Mr Albanese would not be able to stand up to the premiers.
“I’ve noticed in the last couple of days that Anthony Albanese has been throwing money around at the states,” Mr Morrison said.
“And I can tell you what you don’t want is a prime minister who is a pushover to state governments, particularly Labor ones, who are going to come and ask you to pay for all of their problems. We’re already starting to see that, whether it’s the Labor government in Queensland or indeed we’re seeing it with the Victorian government today.
“We saw it yesterday in South Australia. Federal taxpayers will pay for Anthony Albanese’s weakness when it comes to his ability to control the finances.”
Mr Albanese has also campaigned this month with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan, with Labor strategists saying the premiers were adding firepower to the federal campaign.
A senior Labor strategist said the party wanted to send a message to Australians that Mr Albanese was keen to work more collaboratively with state leaders.
“The background message … is that Anthony will be able to bring people together and work with people to tackle problems and deliver outcomes,” the strategist said. Mr Morrison on Tuesday also campaigned with a premier, Dominic Perrottet of NSW.
The pair were committing to an upgrade of a bridge in John Howard’s former seat of Bennelong, which Liberal MPs believe is at risk of being lost to Labor.
But the event was not much of a love-in, with Mr Perrottet distancing himself from Mr Morrison’s criticisms of ICAC and federal Labor’s housing policies. NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has been a consistent critic of the Morrison government, including during the election campaign.
Liberal strategists said there were “risks” for Mr Albanese appearing with premiers who were becoming increasingly unpopular, including Mr Andrews and Ms Palaszczuk.
“It can backfire in Victoria. Dan is toxic in the seats that are really in the balance there,” a Liberal source said.
Another source said it showed Mr Albanese was “hypersensitive” over allegations he was relying on shadow cabinet ministers to answer detailed questions.
“He can’t be accused of that when he is hiding behind his premiers,” the source said.
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