Labor launches blitz
Albanese team targets 20 Liberal seats in vital last days
OPPOSITION Leader Anthony Albanese and his frontbench team are launching a 48-hour “sprint” – blitzing 20 Liberal-held seats in a display the party says shows they are taking “nothing for granted”.
After limiting his campaigning to about two events a day, Mr Albanese will be stepping up his efforts in the final two days before the May 21 poll with a “final sprint to a better future”, focusing entirely on seats Labor wants to attack rather than defend.
Mr Albanese will campaign in Sydney and Brisbane on Thursday, while his frontbench team – consisting of Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers, Jason Clare and Tanya Plibersek – will divide up the remaining seats.
On the hit list in Queensland are Brisbane, Leichhardt, Dickson, Longman and Ryan; in NSW, it’s Reid, Bennelong, Robertson and Banks; and Boothby and Sturt will be targeted in South Australia.
In Tasmania, it will be the seats of Bass and Braddon; in Victoria, the “sprint” includes Chisholm, Higgins, Casey and Deakin; and in Western Australia, it will be Swan, Pearce and
Hasluck. Labor’s campaign spokesman, Mr Clare, said the party was in the “final sprint now” before polling day on Saturday.
“Australians have just a few more days to make a choice between more of the same with Mr Morrison, or a better future with Labor,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mr Albanese used a National Press Club address in Canberra to again rule out a change to tax cuts for higher-income earners and promised he would continue Australia’s deepening ties with the Pacific region and focus on the US alliance to combat the rising influence of China.
Mr Albanese pledged he would continue many of the Coalition’s positions if elected on Saturday, including keeping the stage 3 tax cuts.
He said Australians could not afford another three years of a Coalition government as they would not seize the opportunities to boost wages and improve Australians’ lives.
On foreign policy, Mr Albanese said his strategy would focus on the US alliance, deepening regional relationships and support for multilateral relations.
On China, Mr Albanese said he would “maintain an absolute consistency in that position in standing up for Australia’s values”.