Fuming Anthony Albanese ERUPTS at criticism of his ‘Airbus Albo’ world tour – saying it’s ‘beyond contempt’ to compare his trip to war-torn Ukraine to Scott Morrison’s bushfire holiday in Hawaii
- Anthony Albanese has hit back at critics of his global jetsetting since election
- His 55,000km world tour has taken him to Japan, Europe, Indonesia and Ukraine
- Prime minister’s trips have been compared to Scott Morrison’s Hawaiian holiday
- But Mr Albanese branded those calling him Airbus Albo as ‘beyond contempt’
Anthony Albanese has blasted the ‘Airbus Albo’ critics of his overseas trips, branding them ‘beyond contempt’ and adding: ‘They didn’t get the memo about the new politics.’
The prime minister has come under fire for jetsetting around the globe since the May 21 election, notching up more than 55,000km and spending a third of his time in power overseas.
He returned at the weekend from a trip to Europe where he was invited to the NATO summit followed by meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and a trip to war-torn Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Anthony Albanese has blasted the ‘Airbus Albo’ critics of his overseas trips, branding them ‘beyond contempt’ and adding: ‘They didn’t get the memo about the new politics’
It follows earlier trips to Japan for the Quad summit meeting in Tokyo just after he was elected, and a trip to Indonesia to meet President Joko Widodo.
The jetset politicking while New South Wales was hit by another flood crisis has been compared to former PM Scott Morrison’s trip to Hawaii at the height of the 2019 bushfire disaster.
But on Wednesday, Mr Albanese reacted furiously to the accusation.
‘I was fulfilling a responsibility that I believe that I had of traveling to Ukraine,’ he said. ‘To compare that with a holiday is beyond contempt, frankly.
‘And it says a lot about the people who made those comments.’
Anthony Albanese’s jetset politicking while New South Wales was hit by another flood crisis has been compared to former PM Scott Morrison’s trip to Hawaii at the height of the 2019 bushfire disaster
He said the new government was delivering on their promise of a change of attitude.
‘Some people apparently didn’t get the memo about the new politics,’ he said.
‘New politics is about getting things done and achieving outcomes and working together in the interests of the Australian public. That’s my objective.’
Mr Albanese was accused of not even picking up the phone to call NSW Premier Dom Perrottet as the state sunk under yet another rain deluge at the weekend.
But he said he had to be smuggled into Ukraine, along with national security protection and media, without any phones or internet devices to avoid detection.
‘We didn’t have any electronic equipment – no phones, no internet, no communication with the outside,’ he revealed.
‘That was a matter of keeping us safe, but also keeping safe President Zelensky and and the Ukrainian people that we were meeting.
‘Because obviously there is a war going on – [but] apparently that should have just been dismissed.’
He insisted he made contact with Premier Perrottet as soon as he returned from the Ukraine and arrived back in Poland.
‘I immediately spoke to Premier Perrottet, I spoke to [federal emergency] minister [Murray] Watt, I spoke to the acting Prime Minister Richard Marles and made sure that every support was being offered,’ he said.
‘We were acting. We are not a one person show.’
Mr Perrottet also leapt to the PM’s defence and welcomed the new relationship between the federal and state government.
‘I know in some quarters the Prime Minister has been criticised for being away,’ he said.
‘What I would say is from my perspective, the federal government needs to balance international concerns and domestic concerns.
‘But as soon as he could, he picked up the phone to call me.’
He added: ‘What we have seen here is a great coordination from the Commonwealth and the state government.
‘To have the ADF 100 ADF on the ground very, very quickly, was pleasing.’
More to follow
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