Labour Day Qld: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Anthony Albanese unite against PM Scott Morrison

Anthony Albanese has called on crowds at Brisbane’s Labour Day rally to ‘bring this home’ as the election campaign hits the halfway mark. It came after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk accused Scott Morrison of dividing the country during Covid.

Anthony Albanese has called on a crowd of Labor faithful in Brisbane to “bring this home”.

The Opposition Leader, in a speech rallying the troops at the Labour Day march in Brisbane, said the election was about the “future of your kids and the future of this country” before repeating his campaign slogan of a “better future”.

“We have just 19 days to go, 19 days to determine whether we actually move forward with that plan for a better future,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese was welcomed to the stage by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who had earlier slammed Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese addresses the crowd at the Labour Day rally in Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

“We’ve had a Prime Minister that failed to get the vaccines, he failed to do quarantine,” she said.

“So we build our own quarantine.”

The Wellcamp quarantine facility in Toowoomba cost $200m to build and has largely sat unused due to easing pandemic restrictions and high vaccination rates.

Flood victims also opted to be put up in hotels instead of the Wellcamp facility, which ended up costing the state government $278,000.

Anthony Albanese and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Labour Day rally. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Ms Palaszczuk also accused the Prime Minister of dividing the nation.

“The prime minister of this country had a golden opportunity to unite this country,” she said.

“And during a pandemic he chose to divide.

“He chose to attack Queensland and Victoria. This country needs someone who will unite this country, and I believe that Anthony Albanese is definitely the person to do this job.”

Labor leader Anthony Albanese arrives with Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk for a press conference before a Labour Day march in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The decision to hold a joint press conference comes after Mr Albanese, during Labor’s campaign launch on Sunday, leaned heavily on the popularity of Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.

Unlike her SA and WA counterparts, Ms Palaszczuk has been facing significant heat over integrity concerns within state parliament.

And today why she brought her boyfriend to an Australian Olympic Committee meeting in Sydney in recent days.

The Labour Day march in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese has failed to answer a cry from state governments for the Commonwealth to go halves on health funding, as he declined to commit to the responsibility split while standing next to Ms Palaszczuk.

State health ministers, including Queensland’s, have been calling for a rethink of how Australia’s health infrastructure and services are funded, especially that there be a 50:50 funding split.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk during a Labour Day march in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Albanese did not commit to the request on Monday, instead saying a Labor government would “sit down with members constructively” and work through the question “that’s there on the hospital systems”.

Ms Palaszczuk appeared unfazed, saying she knew Mr Albanese would listen.

“We’ll be able to work with him,” she said.

“Not someone who won’t even allow it to be on the agenda item at national cabinet.”

Originally published as Labour Day Qld: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Anthony Albanese unite against PM Scott Morrison