Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese vows to pay more attention to WA if elected Prime Minister

Anthony Albanese says he wants to break the dominance of the “Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra triangle”, pledging WA would get more attention if he became Prime Minister.

Speaking ahead of next weekend’s ALP campaign launch in Perth, Mr Albanese said he had made the decision to launch his campaign at Optus Stadium — a first in Federal politics — more than a year ago in a symbolic message to the nation that WA mattered.

“I think it’s important that the country looks west and east and north and south,” Mr Albanese told The Sunday Times.

“We can’t be a country that’s dominated by the Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra triangle.

“And us having the launch in Perth is I think very significant and it’s been welcomed.

“There’s a sense of excitement amongst the Labor team in the west.

It (WA) is critically important to the economy and the nation and I want to bring the nation together and unite the nation.

Mr Albanese and WA Premier Mark McGowan isolating at home after contracting COVID but Federal Labor senator Penny Wong said on Saturday she not believe the pair’s absence this week would hurt the party’s chances.

Mr Albanese is hoping to do what neither Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard nor Bill Shorten could do before him —reverse Labor’s poor federal results in WA.

At the 2019 election, Labor boasted it could win as many as five additional seats here in the west.

Labor won no additional seats, hanging on to five out of 16 federal seats (Stirling has since been abolished).

Mr Albanese said WA is likely to determine the May 21 election.

“It (WA) could well decide (the election),” Mr Albanese said.

“But also I think that because this government has been so contemptuous about WA — including siding with Clive Palmer in the legal case that it (launching campaign in Perth) sends a message about how federal Labor regards WA as being critically important.

“It (WA) is critically important to the economy and the nation and I want to bring the nation together and unite the nation.”

But the road to victory for Mr Albanese, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison will not be easy.

It could well be that a handful of Independents will determine the fate of this poll.

In WA, the blue-ribbon seat of Curtin it at real risk of being won by Independent Kate Chaney.

Ms Chaney said on Saturday that if she won Curtin she would be willing to negotiate with the major parties if they wanted her support to form government.

“To the extent possible, I will retain my independence,” Ms Chaney said.

“If my support is required to form a minority government I would negotiate on the issues that I’m standing on and provide support to the party that makes a credible commitment on those issues.”

Mr Albanese said he would not do a deal with independents to form government.

“I am the only person running for Prime Minister who can form government in their own right,” Mr Albanese said.

“We have seen already Scott Morrison be hamstrung with the relationship with the National Party (Coalition), let alone cross benches.

“And we will put forward our agenda at the election in order to achieve a majority Labor Government.”

Mr Albanese said if he won government, he would bring Cabinet to WA twice in the first year.

“We will have one in Perth and one in one of the regions — Port Hedland or Karratha or somewhere like that within the first year.”

But it’s on the issue of Cabinet, that WA voters still don’t have a clear read on how many local MPs will be in Mr Albanese’s front line if he becomes PM.

So far, he has only mentioned Brand MP Madeleine King as a certain starter in his Cabinet.

“We have the quality. All we need is the quantity,” Mr Albanese said.

“So all of the members from WA have done outstanding work.

“Anne Aly is doing a great job in Cowan. Matt Keogh has risen very quickly as a shadow minister.

“All of them are relatively recent arrivals to the parliament. That’s what explains why there is not more senior representation in our show.

He denied there was a rift between him and Ms Aly, who recently said she wanted a position in an Albanese Cabinet despite not being in shadow cabinet.

“She (Aly) has put in as a member of the PJCIS (Parliamentary Joint Committee of Intelligence and Security),” Mr Albanese said.

“It’s one of the most important roles.

“It’s a role that she asked for and it’s a role that I have given her. It’s a critical role.”

Mr Albanese also gave hope that the Tamil asylum-seeker family, the Nadesalingam’s family, that they might be allowed to return to Biloela in Queensland if he won government.

They are currently stuck in Perth, after the youngest daughter got ill and was transferred from Christmas Island to Perth Children’s Hospital last year.

“We (Labor) don’t have a time frame (to allow them to return to Queensland),” Mr Albanese said.

“But it is very clear that this is a family who are wanted in Biloela.

“I agree with Barnaby Joyce’s position. He is the Deputy Prime Minister.

“But nothing has happened about it.

“These two little girls were born here (Australia).

“And they have now been subject to (being) taken to Melbourne, and Christmas Island, and Perth.

“They want to go home to Biloela.”