Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has failed to answer two important yet simple questions on the first morning of the six-week election campaign.
In the ultra-marginal seat of Bass in northern Tasmania, which Liberal MP Bridget Archer holds with 0.4 per cent, Mr Albanese spent the morning spruiking his affordable childcare plan.
But his pitch was derailed after he failed to answer two cost-of-living questions over the cash rate and unemployment.
Cost of living is a big-ticket issue ahead of the May 21 election, with the Reserve Bank of Australia poised to raise interest rates at least four times in the six months following the election.
Mr Albanese was asked to list off the top of his head what the current rate was.
“We can do the old Q and A over 50 different figures,” Mr Albanese said in response.
“The truth is, the Reserve Bank have said that there will be multiple interest rate increases regardless of who is in government.”
Given the cash rate has remained at 0.10 per cent since November 2020, Mr Albanese was pressed further, but once again failed to provide an answer.
Later in the press conference, he was asked what the national unemployment rates were.
“I think it’s 5.4. Sorry. I’m not sure what it is,” he said in response.
Labor’s finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher was then asked whether she knew what the unemployment rate and cash rate were.
“The Reserve Bank current rate is 0.10. And the unemployment rate’s at four per cent,” she said.
Mr Albanese had also been asked how his government will help ease the burden of mounting costs.
“All the measures we have put in place are about putting downward pressure on inflation and interest rates,” Mr Albanese said.
“It seems to me that if we can get more agreement between employers and unions, when it comes to making sure that profits increase and wages increase, you can do that if you lift productivity.
“That and measures like our child care policy is welfare reform.”
