Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and prime minister Scott Morrison have come out the end of a brutal first week of election campaigning.
Below is a short list of some of the blunders and mishaps to happen to both political leaders.
Anthony Albanese
- Unemployment rate blunder
Mr Albanese admitted he ‘f***** up’ after getting the unemployment rate wrong in a cringeworthy blunder on national TV on Monday.
In a train-wreck press conference in Launceston, the Labor leader could not state the cash rate and then wrongly guessed the jobless rate was 5.4 per cent when it’s actually 4 per cent.
When questioned by a reporter in a later campaign stop in Devonport, Mr Albanese admitted: ‘Earlier today I made a mistake, I’m human, but when I make a mistake, I will fess up to it and I will set about correcting that mistake.’
- Human rights commissioner slip-up
On Tuesday Mr Albanese was asked whether he had any concerns about the appointment of Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay and admitted he did not know who she was.
The blunder came after A Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) released a report raising concerns over appointments to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
‘At the risk of creating a headline, I don’t know who Ms Finlay is,’ he said.
‘I will look at that.’
- Press conference cut short
Mr Albanese walked away from a very brief press conference on Wednesday in what signalled a strategy shift after previously saying he would give every reporter a chance to ask a question.
The Labor leader took only about 10 questions in Melbourne on Wednesday and then walked off, leaving journalists shouting ‘why aren’t you answering questions?’
On Monday Mr Albanese had told reporters everyone will get a question and said he won’t run away from pressers like Scott Morrison who usually only takes 10 or 12 questions.
‘I’m not Scott Morrison, I don’t run away from press conferences. Do it in order. Everyone will get one,’ he said.
Mr Albanese announced a major shift in border policy and ending offshore processing of illegal migrants, but then backflipped on the comments hours later.
‘We’ll turn boats back,’ Mr Albanese said at a media conference on Thursday. ‘Turning boats back means that you don’t need offshore detention.’
The Labor leader pulled back from the comments hours later after his views sparked incredulity from Peter Dutton, the Minister for Defence, who couldn’t believe the Labor leader made that statement.
Scott Morrison
- Ban on trans women playing female sport
Mr Morrison was asked on Monday whether he intended to push through legislation that would outlaw trans athletes, if he’s re-elected on May 21.
He remained tight-lipped but said he fully-endorsed two Liberal Party women that have been vocal on the hot-button issue – Katherine Deves and Claire Chandler.
Deves, who co-founded a Save Women’s Sport group, recently came under fire for now-deleted tweets where she described transgender children as ‘surgically mutilated and sterilised’.
Mr Morrison changed his tune on the issue on Wednesday after Deves publicly apologised for her controversial tweets about trans people.
Mr Morrison was ambushed during a private event at a western Sydney sports club on Tuesday night.
In footage uploaded to TikTok, Adisen Wright, a staunch Labor supporter, asks the Prime Minister for a photo, then if he can pose a question.
Mr Morrison asks if he is a member of the press pack to which the activist admits he is not a journalist, but instead a local with a friend behind the bar.
The prime minister says he will allow the question, but his demeanour quickly changes after he realises Mr Wright is filming at the private event.
‘Why are you recording?’ Mr Morrison asks the young man in disbelief.
Mr Morrison was smacked in the face with a basketball on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister was clipped by the ball during a visit to the Baierr Stadium in Torquay, 80km southwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday.
The awkward encounter unfolded during the third day of the election campaign, with video showing the ball skimming his nose and knocking off his glasses.
Four officers were injured after one of Mr Morrison’s security cars crashed and flipped on its side off the Bass Highway near Elizabeth Town, in northern Tasmania, on Thursday.
Police investigating say a Mitsubishi Triton crashed into the unmarked police car while merging.
Mr Morrison pulled out of further events on day four of the election campaign.
In a statement he wished the officers a quick recovery, writing: ‘Our police do an amazing job in keeping us all safe… They are selfless, professional and incredibly generous. I hope to hear further good news about their condition.
- Broken promise on Integrity Commission
Mr Morrison denied breaking his promise to establish an integrity commission from the 2019 election, despite not introducing legislation during the three year term.
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