‘Easiest decision’: campaign hits close to home for PM
Andrew Brown |
As Peter Dutton beat the drums of war in the west, the prime minister has opted for a softer side on his home turf.
Proving all politics is local, Anthony Albanese started the day in his electorate of Grayndler in Sydney’s inner-west, unveiling funding for clinic rooms at the Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre.
It’s a location Mr Albanese had visited many decades ago, going there as a young boy with his mother who received care from the centre.
He said the money for the renovations was “the easiest decision” he would make as leader, speaking candidly about his mum and the help she got.
“Often, she needed support, and feeling the comfort of coming to a women’s health centre run by women for women with no judgement, made an enormous difference to her,” he told reporters.
“The benefit of her coming here, and I remember coming here as a child, was feeling comfortable.
“My mum was a single mum who lived down the road … and she had a young boy to look after, didn’t have a capacity to fight for her rights.”
Mr Albanese then traversed to the opposite side of the nation in a challenge to the opposition leader’s nuclear policy.
The prime minister visited a battery storage facility in Collie, in southwest Western Australia, with the coal mining town earmarked for a nuclear reactor under the coalition’s plan.
He said while the battery facility was an “energy transformation”, Mr Dutton was actively avoiding any visit to proposed nuclear sites on the campaign trail.
“You would think that there was radiation coming from these sites, because he just won’t come and won’t talk about what his plans actually are,” he said.
“Peter Dutton talks about nuclear power but isn’t prepared to back it up, and certainly isn’t prepared to consult local communities.”
But the prime minister was forced to defend Labor’s candidate in the Queensland seat of Flynn, Helen Madell, who came under fire over unearthed social media posts where she accused the late Pope Francis of supporting pedophiles.
Ms Madell faced calls to be disendorsed, but Mr Albanese said the candidate had apologised.
“She made a mistake and that shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
“People, if they go back through their history in social media, I’m sure there’s lots of people (who) have said things they regret.”
AAP
