Australia election 2022: Anthony Albanese fails to outline his own NDIS policy

Anthony Albanese has been handed a note by an advisor in the middle of a press conference while coming under fire from reporters for struggling to outline one of his key policies. 

The trainwreck moment – where the Labor leader failed to outline his six-point plan for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – came just hours after he insisted he knew what he was doing in a fiery TV interview with Ally Langdon.  

Mr Albanese on Thursday faced a pack of reporters in Sydney where, in response to a barrage of questions, he failed to outline his six-point NDIS plan.

He could only say ‘we will put people a the centre of the NDIS’ before one reporter shouted: ‘You do not know your own policy Mr Albanese’.

Anthony Albanese (pictured on Thursday in Sydney) was secretly handed notes by an advisor in the middle of a press conference

After a few more questions on different topics, Mr Albanese went off camera and journalists saw an advisor hand him a document. 

Reporters immediately accused the Labor leader of being handed the NDIS policy document which detailed the plan.

‘You’ve just been handed a policy document,’ one journalist said. 

‘Is that the six point plan there,’ another asked.

‘That’s not right,’ Mr Albanese said with a wry smile as he shuffled his papers. He then read out the six point plan.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton slammed the Labor leader over the stumble. 

‘Either he doesn’t read these documents, or he doesn’t care to read them.

‘He now surrounds himself with shadow ministers at his press conferences and throws to them at press conferences,’ he told Ray Hadley on radio 2GB. 

Mr Albanese read from the cheat sheet after it was handed to him by one of his advisors

Mr Albanese was grilled by journalists at the Smart Energy Council Conference and Exposition in Sydney

Labor’s six-point plan on the NDIS 

Lifting the staffing cap and urgently reducing insecure labour-hire arrangements

Stopping spending waste on the excessive use of lawyers

Boosting efficiency

Stopping any cuts

Fixing regional access

Co-designing changes to the scheme with the sector

Advertisement

Mr Dutton added: ‘I never saw Julia Gillard do that, John Howard do that, Scott Morrison, Bob Hawke or Paul Keating do that. I don’t know if we can trust someone who doesn’t know what their own policies are.’

One journalist asked the Labor leader if he had a deliberate tactic to defer tough questions to his team because he does not know the details of his policies. 

This week he passed questions on the economy to shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers and questions on housing – including an awkward one about his own property portfolio – to shadow housing minister Jason Clare.  

After the stumble, the Labor leader successfully reeled off his five-point plan for aged care when asked about that policy.   

Earlier Mr Albanese had accused Ally Langdon of ‘reading from Liberal Party notes’ when she accused him of not being across the detail of his policies.

The Today show host pressed the Labor leader on why he frequently defers questions from journalists to members of his team instead of answering them himself. 

‘You want to be the Prime Minister. Shouldn’t you also know the answer?’ Langdon asked Mr Albanese.

He insisted he does know the answers and said it was normal to let shadow ministers speak about policy details – but Langdon pressed him further.

‘The thing is, you say you know the answers but I think people sitting at home go: ”I’m not sure you do”.’

An irate Mr Albanese replied: ‘No, they don’t, Ally’ and claimed Scott Morrison can’t appear with key members of his team because they don’t want to be seen with him due to his unpopularity.

Langdon continued to probe, saying: ‘The question is, though, you want to be the next Prime Minister. You want to run the country. Shouldn’t you be across your briefs?’

The Labor leader firmly replied: ‘I am, Ally. I am. Stop reading from the Liberal Party notes that they send through to people all of the time, Ally. This is just an absurdity.’

Langdon (pictured) pressed Mr Albanese on why he defers questions

Langdon denied that claim, saying: ‘Anthony, I am basing this on what I’ve seen this week, just watching your press conferences this week, Anthony Albanese.

‘I think your problem is after the stumble in week one when you didn’t know the cash rate or unemployment rate, any time you do defer it suggests you don’t know.’

Mr Albanese replied: ‘No, Ally. That’s nonsense. Your viewers are smarter than that and your viewers know that I lead a team. I’m the captain. I’m proud of my team.’

He said none of his team were in ‘witness protection’ in reference to Education Minister Alan Tudge who has been temporarily stood down after being cleared of abusing his former staffer Rachelle Miller with whom he had an affair.

The clash came ahead of a keynote speech in which the Labor leader will spruik his plans to radically overhaul childcare, comparing it to other universal services such as Medicare and the NDIS.

Labor has pledged to increase childcare subsidy rates for every family earning less than $530,000.

The policy would save families between $600 and $2,900 a year and cost taxpayers $6.2billion over four years.

All parents in Australia could get 90 per cent off their childcare bills paid for by taxpayers if Anthony Albanese (centre) wins the election

But Mr Albanese also has an aspiration to give every family – including millionaires – a 90 per cent subsidy for childcare regardless of income.

It would be implemented after a Productivity Commission review to see if it is beneficial for the economy. 

Labor has not revealed when the policy would be implemented or how much it would cost – but the Government claims the price would be an extra $63billion over the next 10 years.

In his speech, Mr Albanese will say the policy is needed to encourage mums into the workplace.

‘One of most effective ways we can boost participation is by getting rid of the complicated mess of payments that put hurdles in the path of parents wanting to return to work,’ he will say.

‘We will increase the maximum childcare subsidy and make it cheaper for 96 per cent of families, and will ask the Productivity Commission to investigate moving to a universal 90 per cent subsidy.

‘This will provide immediate and lasting cost of living relief for families.’

Mr Albanese will say the policy would ‘stop workplaces being deprived of the skills and knowledge and experience’ of mothers who are currently disincentivised from working.

‘Building a childcare system that works for families will boost workforce participation and turbocharge productivity,’ he will say.

‘Early education is also an investment in our children’s future.’

Mr Albanese will compare the landmark change to previous Labor reforms.

‘Our child care plan fits within Labor’s history of pursuing reforms that are good for the economy and that give people the confidence to pursue their aspirations and fulfil their potential,’ he will say.

‘We will proudly add it to Labor’s legacy of reliable, affordable, universal services. Medicare. Superannuation. The NBN. The NDIS. And universal child care.’

One of Labor’s most significant policies is to increase childcare subsidies for all families earning less than $530,000. Pictured: A Sydney family