
A for Albanese during uproarious school visit
The prime minister has made the grade as he passed through a public school with flying colours.
Anthony Albanese was greeted like a rockstar on Thursday when he addressed the students of Winthrop Primary School, in Perth's south.
Sensing his imminent arrival, kids began jumping and craning their heads around cameramen, and as he turned into view, a roar erupted from the handball court.
Parting the sea of kids, Mr Albanese was generous with his high-fives, offering them to any desperate hands within arms reach, before heading an assembly.
As 11-year-old James stepped up for a question, Mr Albanese opined on his age.
"I feel really old at the moment, I feel like I've been campaigning for 11 years," he said on Thursday.
Prior to the prime minister's arrival, deputy principal Simon Dufall impressed on his students the importance of "regulated" behaviour and outlined a vision for the event.
"You can be cheery - regulated - a bit loud and clappy - and regulated - and they want people to be excited," he said.
"I know I can trust 99 per cent of you.
"If you can't do that, go and grab a quiet reading pack."
The students were also subject to a trial run, with the educator briefly pretending to be the prime minister and walking through the crowd of kids so they would know how to position themselves, and asking the crowd to practice their ovation.
"If you're on the side, do you think you're going to get a high-five? No," Mr Dufall said.
"Let's try that again: clap and a cheer and another cheer."
The students were also quizzed on the prime minister's name and though most got it right, there was a lone shout of "Trump".
But the rehearsal paid off.
"That was the most wonderful welcome and when you're beginning to feel a bit tired, that is so uplifting," Mr Albanese said.
The deputy principal later congratulated the kids for their "super fabulous, super respectful" behaviour.
The school was located in the Labor electorate of Tangney, won by former dolphin trainer Sam Lim as part of Labor's 2022 WA sweep.
WA premier Roger Cook, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Mr Lim, state MP Kim Giddens and Mr Albanese's fiancee Jodie Haydon were also swamped by kids as they accompanied the prime minister.
Ms Giddens identified herself as a mother to one of the assembled kids, prompting the boy's friends to point in his direction - to his chagrin.
Labor used the visit to spruik the Commonwealth's commitment to partner with state governments and fully fund all Australian public schools by 2034.
But not everyone was pleased with the prime minister's arrival, with one adult yelling, "Where's Albanese? Get out of the Canberra bubble, he's an arsehole."

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