Labor leader Anthony Albanese condemns ‘some of the nonsense’ election reporting as daily voters begin to decide his fate

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has criticized some political journalists and their election campaign coverage, saying it pushed some Australians away from politics.

Most important points:

Some of his supporters and experts have criticized Anthony Albanese for not implementing more policy ideas.

On the eve of a hard-fought federal election, the Labor leader described some of the media’s behavior and coverage over the past six weeks as “nonsense”.

Mr. Albanese made headlines at the start of the campaign when he could not name the unemployment rate.

He apologized for the “amnesia” and insisted he was “property”, but afterward was questioned repeatedly by journalists to list details of his policies.

Some of his team became increasingly annoyed by the behavior of some journalists and media.

During an extensive interview with 7.30, Mr. Albanese clarified that he was also frustrated.

“With all due respect, some of the nonsense that has been done by some journalists who thought the campaign was about them is one of the things that keeps people away from politics,” he said.

Albanian says he will keep promises if he wins the elections

Some of his supporters and pundits have criticized the Labor leader for not putting forward more policy ideas and pursuing a strategy with small goals.

However, when asked if he should swear to do more for some of the poorest Australians, he said he would not over-promise voters and would not deliver.

“What I will deliver is what I say I will deliver,” Mr. Albanese said.

In a final pitch for undecided Australians to vote on Saturday, Mr. Albanian also outlined his main priorities should he win the country’s highest political office.

“Cheaper childcare, cheaper energy bills, a future made in Australia, ending the climate wars, a national anti-corruption commission, and moving forward with constitutional recognition of First Nations people with a voice in parliament,” he said.

Election news:

Some in the coalition admit they struggle to maintain the majority

National polls during this campaign have consistently suggested that Labor has a healthy bipartisan lead. A news poll on Friday led the opposition 53-47.

However, the situation in the key seats is much tighter than those surveys show.

Both major parties claim they prefer or experience a last-minute wave.

“I think it will be tight everywhere,” said a coalition minister.

“There is a path for us to win a majority, but it is very tight, and a pending parliament seems more likely at the moment.”

Some in Labor say they are now “quietly confident” that they will at least be elected as the largest party on Saturday. (ABC News: Hugh Sando)

The Liberal and National parties cannot afford to lose seats to maintain a majority, while Labor must win seven and lose none to defeat the government.

Campaign strategists now view a majority coalition government as the least likely outcome.

Five seats are believed to be most at risk for Labor or the Greens: Brisbane (Qld), Reid (NSW), Chisholm (Vic), Boothby (SA), and Swan (WA).

There are also many other voters whom the opposition and leading independents closely challenge the coalition.

Those include Wentworth (NSW), Longman (Qld), Leichhardt (Qld), Goldstein (Vic), Higgins (Vic), Nicholls (Vic), Bass (Tas), and Pearce (WA).

Some in Labor say they are now “quietly confident” that they will at least be the largest party by the end of Saturday night and may win a slim majority.

However, they expect to have one or two voters in each state, as opposed to the benefit of a large national swing.

There is also some concern about how the affiliations of minor right-wing parties such as the Liberal Democrats, One Nation, and the United Australia Party might flow, particularly in Queensland.

“If it all goes wrong tomorrow and we’re trying to figure out what happened, that’s where I would start,” said a senior Labor frontbencher.

The coalition hopes to offset losses by taking one or two seats from Labor. The targets include Blair (Qld), Gilmore (NSW), Parramatta (NSW), Lingiari (NT), and Corangamite (Vic).

PM makes final pitch before voters go to the polls

It has not been a campaign with many important policy announcements. Instead, large periods are focused on “blunders” or personal attacks.

Anthony Albanese’s latest pitch included promises of cheaper childcare, utility bills, and ending “the climate wars”. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)

As a result, neither leader is particularly liked, and the prime minister is considered highly unpopular in parts of the country.

While campaigning in Perth on Friday, Scott Morrison once again shook off criticism, declaring he could defy the polls, urging so-called “quiet Australians”, presumably referring to undecided voters, to stick with him.

“These are not an election about me, or Mr. Albanese, for that matter,” said Mr. Morrison.

“It’s about you and what your ambitions are. It’s about what you hope to achieve.”

“Those opportunities are there, but we shouldn’t take them for granted.”

In his latest pitch to voters, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce stated that his National Party would continue championing regional areas against what he claimed is the “spirit of the times that socially belittle those who support our nation’s wealth”.

“What the Nationals see as a fair result for people outside the capitals, the Labor Party derides as pig barrels,” he said.

“We stand up for jobs in mining, which according to the PvdA,” [is] politically incorrect,” he said.

“The Nats have the plan to make our nation as strong as possible as soon as possible, and we accept that we might be mocked if we achieve that.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, and up and down arrows for volume. The Brief: A Recap of the Last Week of the Election Campaign

Polling stations are occupied, despite COVID-19 cases.

Millions of Australians have already voted or applied for a vote by post, which should ease the pressure on polling stations on Saturday.

The Australian Election Commission was concerned about staff shortages and long lines due to workers withdrawing after contracting COVID-19.

However, from Friday evening, all scheduled polling stations will open on Saturday morning.

“Our 105,000 workers across Australia have had about 15 percent turnover in the past week alone, and this risk will continue tomorrow morning,” said Election Commissioner Tom Rogers.

“To the people working for us tomorrow, thank you for lighting up. Unless you wake up [COVID symptoms], please come by at work to ensure your polling station can open.

“For voters, if there is a line, remember to treat our staff kindly. You wouldn’t have a local polling station with them.”

Election Essentials:

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, and up and down hands for volume. Viewing Duration: 2 minutes 15 seconds2m 15s Which are the rightmost and leftmost seats?

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Posted 3 hours ago 3 hours ago Fri 20 May 2022 at 10:26 am, Updated 1-hour ago1 hour ago Fri 20 May 2022 at 12:53 pm