Anthony Albanese fails to rule out future Labor leadership run

Anthony Albanese has failed to rule out a future bid for Bill Shorten’s job after he pulled ahead of his former rival as preferred Labor leader.

Anthony Albanese says he’s determined to do the job that he has. Picture: AAP

Anthony Albanese has declared he is a “team player” but failed to rule out a future bid for Bill Shorten’s job after he pulled ahead of his former leadership rival as preferred Labor leader.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian revealed that Mr Shorten has now recorded his 66th successive poll with a personal net negative satisfaction rating, outdoing Tony Abbott and every other opposition leader since records began in 1985.

While 23 per cent of voters said Mr Shorten was their preferred Labor leader, 26 per cent favoured Mr Albanese.

Mr Albanese’s support was stronger among Coalition supporters (31 per cent compared with Mr Shorten’s 14 per cent), while Mr Shorten retains a lead over Mr Albanese among Labor faithful, 39 per cent to 22 per cent.

Asked whether the poll showed Labor would be better of with him as leader, Mr Albanese deflected, saying the 52-48 two-party-preferred result showed Labor remained ahead of the government.

Malcolm Turnbull has now lost 33 consecutive Newspolls.

“Malcolm Turnbull himself set the test when he rolled Tony Abbott as the leader of the Coalition and as prime minister — a first term elected Prime Minister.

“So we are determined to continue to campaign in the lead up to the election and once again we are ahead in the polls,” Mr Albanese said.

Newspoll edit tax labor leadership

The prominent member of Labor’s left faction said he was concerned about the Labor team, when asked how it felt to be more popular than Mr Shorten.

“I’m a team player and every member of Labor’s team is playing their role and we only have one priority, which is to get rid of this rotten government, this government that doesn’t have an agenda for the nation” Mr Albanese said.

“Part of the problem, I think, is that Malcolm Turnbull had a plan to get rid of Tony Abbott but he didn’t have a plan to govern. Once he got the job — he’s like the dog that caught the car, he doesn’t know what to do with it.”

Asked whether he would consider running for the Labor leadership again, having lost to Mr Shorten in 2013, Mr Albanese said he was “determined to do the job that I have”.

Pressed repeatedly, he said he was working so that Labor could win upcoming by-elections in Longman, Braddon, Fremantle and Perth, and referred again to Labor’s 52-48 two-party-preferred lead.

Challenged over having failed to rule out a bid for the Labor leadership, Mr Albanese said: “I absolutely have said that my priority is one and one only, which is to be a Minister in a Labor government and to see us elected. I expect that to happen.”