Anthony Albanese admits he is not focused on picking Federal election date amid visit to WA

Anthony Albanese was all smiles during the third day of Labor’s WA charm offensive, but refused to be drawn on when Australians will next head to the polls. WA has already emerged as key for the Prime Minister at the next Federal election, with the vast majority of his Cabinet here to blitz the State for four days. But Mr Albanese said his focus was on governing the country, not picking an election date, and he had enjoyed a “very positive reception” in WA. The Prime Minister also unveiled his candidate for the new Federal seat of Bullwinkel — Shire of Mundaring deputy president and nurse Trish Cook — to try and hold the notionally Labor electorate. Mr Albanese and his Cabinet colleagues have swarmed Perth, its suburbs and regional communities since Sunday in a bid to shore up the record-high Labor support at the last election. “(We’ve had) the entire ministry here for the fourth time and people have been engaged and very welcoming, and we’ve done a full cross-section of issues between myself and ministers — the energy transition, jobs, cost of living, education, health,” he told The West Australian on Tuesday. “We’ve had a number of significant announcements while we’ve been here, and it’s been really positive.” Asked if he had made a decision on the date of the election, Mr Albanese remained tight-lipped. “My focus is on governing and making a difference each and every day, and that’s what my Government has focused on — governing in the interests of the nation,” he said. “We know that there are cost-of-living pressures, we want to make sure we address them whilst continuing to see a moderation in inflation.” Speculation over the timing of the election, due by May next year, will increase in the coming months as Labor faces a primary vote slump and a possible hung parliament, potentially forcing the Government to do a deal with the Greens. And Mr Albanese’s second-term defence will rely heavily on Western Australia, where in 2022 Labor won nine seats, picking up four — Hasluck, Pearce, Swan and Tangney — from the Liberals. But despite the WA victories propelling Mr Albanese into the Lodge, a series of decisions — including industrial relations reforms, the live export ban and environmental protections — have put that support at risk. While of course focusing on the seats it already has, Labor is also targeting WA’s newest seat, Bullwinkel, where the Prime Minister will announce Ms Cook as his candidate on Wednesday. The seat, which includes Northam, York and Beverley, stretches as far west into the metropolitan area as Mundaring, Kalamunda, Forrestfield and High Wycombe and has a notional Labor margin of 3 per cent. Speaking exclusively to The West, Ms Cook said: “I know my community. We’ve got the foothills, we’ve got the hills, and we’ve got the rural areas. They’re very well known to me, and I know their issues, and I know what to advocate for.” A councillor in the Shire of Mundaring for seven years, she has worked as a registered nurse and midwife in local hospitals and clinics across WA, including on offshore oil and gas rigs. She said she knew the seats’ dual needs, given the differing issues across her shire from Helena Valley to the Lakes region. Given the prominence of the live sheep export issue, which is set to cause Labor headaches in the Wheatbelt part of the new seat, Ms Cook said she would fight for more housing and accommodation in order to bring the workers to keep the sheep. The Prime Minister said she was a terrific candidate with years of experience fighting for her community. “Trish has worked as a registered nurse and midwife in both regional and metro WA, including on offshore oil and gas rigs, and understands what matters to WA communities,” he said. Mr Albanese’s day had started at Mount Lawley Senior High School, where, alongside Premier Roger Cook, he signed a $1.6 billion funding deal for WA schools. With education ministers Jason Clare and Tony Buti they toured a new building at the school before the two leaders were swarmed by students desperate to get selfies. The Prime Minister then headed further north to Joondalup, where he was joined by ousted Liberal Ian Goodenough on a tour of Joondalup TAFE — a move the Opposition MP admitted would raise eyebrows from within his own party. In another sign of Mr Goodenough’s renegade behaviour against his party, the Moore MP joined Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly, Pearce MP Tracey Roberts and State Minister Sabine Winton on a walk-through of the TAFE, and held discussions with early childhood education students. Mr Goodenough, who lost preselection for his party to former Federal MP Vince Connelly, has since been coy on his political future, saying only he was actively considering running as an independent at the next election. The group spoke with TAFE students with the Liberal MP in tow, and Mr Goodenough nodded in response to Mr Albanese’s statements in support of Labor’s fee-free courses policy. After the tour, Mr Goodenough remained coy, saying he had attended the event because it was in his electorate. “His office contacted me just out of courtesy to let me know that he was coming,” he said. “It’s great to have a Prime Minister visit the Joondalup learning precinct because we’re doing a lot of work here with Edith Cowan University, with the TAFE, trying to improve the opportunities for skilled skills improvement for our community. “It’s important to work with both sides of the thing to get the best outcome for the electors of Moore.” However, he admitted later he expected the tour to raise eyebrows amongst his colleagues in the Liberal Party.