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Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has rejoined the federal election campaign after spending a week in COVID-19 isolation.
Key points:
- Anthony Albanese spent the week making media appearances from inside his Sydney home
- He appeared on breakfast television but did not hold a press conference on Friday
- Doctors have advised him that he will continue to feel fatigued ahead of Labor's campaign launch in Western Australia
The Opposition leader tested positive to COVID-19 last week and has been making media appearances from inside his Sydney home.
He appeared on breakfast television and took his dog for a walk in the park this morning, but he did not hold a press conference.
Instead, Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Shadow Home Affairs Minister Kristina Keneally faced questions from the media.
Mr Albanese said that doctors have advised him that he will continue to feel fatigued as he recovers from the virus.
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He took a few questions on the tarmac before boarding a plane to fly to Perth today to prepare for the Labor campaign launch on Sunday, adding that he will continue to take it easy.
"The doctors advise that when I'm feeling tired … I need to be conscious about that. I need to rest when I can and just be a bit sensible," he told ABC News Breakfast.
Mr Chalmers said the Labor leader would face questions from the media in coming days.
He was asked why Mr Albanese did not hold a press conference after coming out of isolation, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison did amid flooding across Australia's east coast.
"I'll tell you the contrast with the Prime Minister. Anthony Albanese, he shows up, he takes responsibility, he works hard every day to bring people together," Mr Chalmers said.
"And he acknowledges and has a plan for the cost-of-living crisis that has emerged on Scott Morrison's watch."
Just hours before Mr Albanese emerged from isolation, his deputy, Richard Marles, confirmed he had tested positive to COVID-19.
"I was looking forward to travelling west to attend Labor's launch. This morning, after taking a routine test for COVID, I returned a positive result," he said on Twitter.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison began his day on the campaign trail with a tour of a distillery in Hobart.
Power prices on the agenda
Power prices and the cost of living continue to be hot topics on the election campaign.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has released figures showing that wholesale prices on the east coast have spiked by 141 per cent, compared to this time last year.
Mr Albanese insists Labor's energy policy will bring power prices down, despite the volatility of the international market.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the energy crisis in Europe was having a huge impact on oil and coal prices across the world.
"What we've managed to do is implement effective policies that have seen, over the last couple of years, household retail energy prices fall by about 8 per cent," he said. "We're going to make sure we maintain those policies."
Senator Birmingham also accused the Labor party of planning to "gold plate" energy infrastructure.
"We're not going to go down that path, of gold plating. We'll continue to support sensible investment in renewables," Senator Birmingham said.
Mr Albanese maintains that Labor can still bring power prices down $275 per year by 2025.
"If we get this right, if we fix the grid, if we do other measures that we've got in place as part of our Powering Australia plan, we will see those energy prices drop."
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