Anthony Albanese’s colleagues have defended the Opposition Leader after he was criticised for travelling to Western Australia during the flooding crisis in his home state.
Mr Albanese made good on his promise to fly to WA as soon as its border opened, but this coincided with the unfolding disaster in NSW that saw people sandbagging homes near his Grayndler electorate in Sydney.
The widespread flooding has destroyed houses, killed five people and sparked evacuation warnings for about 500,000 of the state’s residents, including 300,000 people in the capital.
Sydney, as well as the Illawarra and Central Tablelands regions, avoided the worst storms that were predicted on Thursday, but some communities are still at risk of or affected by flooding.
Mr Albanese arrived in Perth on Wednesday night, the day WA’s hard border was lifted following months of uncertainty, to meet with Labor candidates in key seats ahead of the looming election.
He has been criticised for leaving NSW, with Australians particularly sensitive to leadership during disasters after Scott Morrison was savaged for holidaying in Hawaii amid the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires.
But Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles on Friday morning stood by Mr Albanese and his decision.
“I think (he) was keen to be in WA on the day WA opened to the country and came back together in a sense as a nation,” Mr Marles told Today.
“I think it is a completely reasonable decision on the part of Anthony to do that.”
ALP national president and former treasurer Wayne Swan, talking to the same program, doubled down.
“I think that criticism is absurd,” he said.
“Anthony Albanese was up in Queensland in the middle of all this, only a couple of days ago. He can’t be everywhere at once.”
Mr Albanese was able to get a head start on Scott Morrison in WA, with the Prime Minister stuck at home in Sydney after testing positive to Covid-19.
Mr Albanese stood by his plans when he was asked in Perth on Thursday whether he should be in the state during the floods.
“I want to represent the whole country. I make no apologies for keeping my commitment to the people of Western Australia that I would visit and that I would visit on day one,” he told reporters.
Mr Albanese will remain in WA on Friday when he is due to visit Fremantle.
He is yet to appear side-by-side with WA Premier Mark McGowan in front of the media.
