Albanese coy on Labor leadership
Anthony Albanese has refused to tell journalists whether he will nominate himself for the Labor leadership ahead of a caucus meeting today, saying it is appropriate that he tells his party colleagues first.
However, he is widely expected to stand, creating a contest with fellow former Rudd government minister Bill Shorten.
At the doors of parliament house on Friday, Albanese said Labor could no longer be driven by the 24 hour media cycle.
“We have to have discussions in a deliberative way with our internal processes,” the former deputy prime minister said.
“That begins in terms of the caucus today, and I intend to do what in my view is appropriate, which is inform my caucus colleagues first of my intentions.”
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It was important that Labor regroup, he said.
“That we unite and that we move forward as a united force,” Albanese said.
Federal Labor MPs and senators are in Canberra for their first caucus meeting since the party’s devastating election defeat, where leadership will be the major focus.
Bill Shorten has already said he wants Labor’s top job.
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He said he was “hungry for victory” at the next federal election and the party should not resign itself to being a two-term opposition party.
A contest between Albanese and Shorten would trigger a ballot of rank-and-file Labor members, as well as caucus, with both groups having an equal say in the leadership.
The new ballot rules introduced by Kevin Rudd could leave the leadership vacant for more than a month, as both candidates fight out a US primary-styled contest for support of party members.
The system has been rubbished as a farce by Labor Senator Stephen Conroy because it could leave them leaderless.
But other MPs welcomed it as crucial to party unification and the recovery from Labor’s election loss on Saturday.
No one has publicly put their hand up for deputy.
But Tanya Plibersek has been named, with Shorten saying Labor would be “well served” by the former health minister.
Albanese was also stopped by reporters at Canberra Airport on Friday morning, where he became irritated by repeated questions about the leadership.
“It is a matter for the caucus,” he said.
“I respect my caucus colleagues. One of the things that we have to do as a Labor Party is to actually run our internals. There is a reason for that word, it’s called internal.”
