Labor’s captain Anthony Albanese has to step up in sprint to the end

Anthony Albanese fired up the Labor faithful, but Tom Minear explains why the pressure is now on for him to stay mistake free and lead from the front.

Opinion: Anthony Albanese likes to talk about this election like it’s a football match.

If that’s the case, and the six-week campaign is the final quarter, then the Labor leader has so far been spraying his shots on goal, turning the ball over and sitting on the bench.

Between embarrassing gaffes and a week in isolation, the last three weeks haven’t gone quite to plan for Albanese.

But his team is still in front. And with Sunday’s campaign launch, Albanese is hoping to swing the momentum in their favour for a three-week sprint to the final siren.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese welcomed by Penny Wong, Labor Party launch at Optus Stadium, Perth WA. Picture: Liam Kidston.

It was one thing to launch his campaign in Western Australia. It was quite another to hold the event inside the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium. And while the crowd didn’t rival West Coast’s Friday night clash with Richmond, Albanese gave them more to cheer about than the Eagles.

In an energetic speech, especially for someone still recovering from Covid, Albanese filled in the gaps in Labor’s promised “better future” with a series of new policy commitments.

His shared home ownership scheme isn’t a silver bullet for soaring property prices — especially when Australians may not want the government to own 40 per cent of their biggest asset — but it sends the right signal on cost of living, the central election issue.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese welcomed by Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating, Labor Party launch at Optus Stadium, Perth WA. Picture: Liam Kidston.

So too does cutting the cost of medication, even if Scott Morrison beat him to the punch with his announcement on Saturday. The Prime Minister will surely now have to match Albanese’s more generous $12.50 discount for drugs listed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

While Albanese’s address flagged in parts, perhaps because of a crowd that sometimes struggled to time its applause, he brought it home with an optimistic message offset against the government’s failures.

Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon, Labor Party launch at Optus Stadium, Perth WA. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Early voting centres open in a week and postal votes are already in the mail, so Albanese can’t afford any more clangers or breathers on the bench. It’s time for Labor’s captain to step up — and Sunday’s effort in front of his home crowd was a good start.

Got a story tip? Email us at [e-mail]

Know some goss or seen something in your electorate? Contact us at [e-mail]

Originally published as Labor’s captain Anthony Albanese has to step up in sprint to the end