Live: Labor brands speculation cyclone could delay election call as ‘really crass’

Labor frontbencher Clare O’Neil has branded speculation the PM’s planned election launch could be delayed by Cyclone Alfred as “really crass”.

As friend of the blog Jacob Greber reported yesterday, government sources said deliberations on whether to an election sooner — rather than in May — hinged on whether the storm became too disruptive for the prime minister to justify taking the country to the polls within the next week.

But speaking with Sunrise this morning, O’Neil said that was the “furthest thing” from Anthony Albanese’s mind.

“Politics is the furthest thing from the PM’s mind today. People are
literally sandbagging their homes and I think the discussion about how this affects politics is irrelevant and really crass,” she says.

The PM travelled to Brisbane on Tuesday evening, as the Australian Government Disaster Response Plan was activated.

If Albanese were to decide not to call the election this weekend, the next earliest date it could be held is May 3. Delaying calling the election will mean the government will have to hand down a budget as scheduled on March 25.

Liberal senator Jane Hume, who was also on the panel, said the budget will be a “major consideration” for Albanese.

“That would be something we would encourage him to do, we think the Australian public deserves the level of transparency as to what is actually in the books,” she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to meet with disaster crisis coordination teams as Tropical Cyclone Alfred tracks closer towards the Queensland and New South Wales coast. 

The category two cyclone is expected to make landfall between the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast tomorrow, with damaging wind gusts, storms, and heavy rainfall expected to impact a large warning zone spanning both states.

The ABC understands Albanese travelled to Brisbane on Tuesday evening, as the Australian Government Disaster Response Plan was activated.

An emergency meeting will be held with industry stakeholders, which includes supermarkets, banking and freight companies.

The federal government has pre-positioned heavy-lifting helicopters from the National Aerial Firefighting Fleet to support the NSW and Queensland governments.

A Sikorsky S-61 is set to be deployed to Coffs Harbour and a UH-60 Black Hawk will be stationed in Bundaberg, the ABC understands.

For more head over to our dedicated live blog. 

Hiya friends.

Welcome to Wednesday on the politics live blog. Hump day already. This week is well and truly flying by. Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team here to guide you through the day.

All eyes are on Cyclone Alfred as it tracks closer towards the Queensland and New South Wales coast. I’ll bring you the political reaction here but if you’re looking for in-depth coverage, we have a dedicated live blog up and running. 

Let’s jump straight into it.

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