Anthony Albanese promises to keep up the WA visits during fleeting trip to pre-poll

West Australian

30-04-2025

Anthony Albanese has promised to keep visiting WA 10 times a year if he remains prime minister after arriving in the State to kick off his 72-hour pre-election blitz of the country.
The Prime Minister made a flying visit to a prepoll station in Midland, which is in Hasluck but is also taking Bullwinkel votes.
While the appearance started off in the usual way — Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence and Labor's Bullwinkel candidate Trish Cook were also on hand, along with Senate President Sue Lines — there was a chorus of heckling which ensued.
The politicians were greeted with adulation and jeers from the various party volunteers, and bemusement from voters who were queued up to cast their ballot in the hour before the booth closed.
The Prime Minister cooed at five-and-half-month-old Annabelle, who was intent on trying to eat Labor's how-to-vote card as mum Kyra lined up to cast her vote.
'It's an enormous privilege to meet you,' David Leith said as Mr Albanese greeted queuing locals.
One woman lining up to vote told Mr Albanese, as she shook his hand, that she 'believed in his values'.
'It's all about that, what you say, no one left behind and no one held back,' she said.
Mr Albanese quipped she had evidently watched his National Press Club address earlier that day.
But the situation quickly devolved.
Liberal volunteers began yelling to 'keep the sheep' which kicked off a chain of chants from party supporters.
Labor's army began repeating their party name and using their campaign posters to block the Liberals, and a lone Greens supporter yelled 'stop AUKUS' repeatedly.
This is his 33rd trip to WA and, asked if he would continue to make 10 visits a year, Mr Albanese said: 'You bet.'
Wednesday marked a small victory for the Prime Minister as he surpassed Gough Whitlam's time in office.
Mr Albanese said he was determined to become a leader with a long legacy.
'The problem (with Whitlam) was that yes he introduced Medibank, but he wasn't there long enough and a lot of his reforms disappeared,' he said, as he ducked and weaved volunteers around the local polling booth.
'A long term Labor government, like (under) Bob Hawke, his reforms entrenched a lot of change.'