Federal election 2025: Anthony Albanese’s ‘hubris’ swipe at Peter Dutton’s Kirribilli moving plan

Anthony Albanese has suggested Peter Dutton will be a Prime Minister for Sydney if elected, while boasting about his 30th visit to WA during a campaign whistle-stop in Perth.

Mr Albanese accused the Opposition Leader of “hubris” after Mr Dutton said on radio he would plan to live in Sydney and move into Kirribilli House if he wins the May 3 Federal election.

“Fair bit of hubris behind that comment, I think, measuring out the curtains,” Mr Albanese said on Monday.

“I don’t take Australians for granted, and as Australia’s Prime Minister, my job is to represent the country. One of the frustrations, I think, that was felt from people in the west was that previous occupants of the Lodge, of the Prime Ministership, saw themselves as being Prime Minister for Sydney.”

Mr Albanese was in Perth to pledge $200 million for an upgrade of St John of God Midland hospital where he posed for a photograph with a newborn baby.

The State Government added $50m to its own $105m election pledge, bringing the total sum for the redevelopment to $355m.

At a joint press conference with Roger Cook, Mr Albanese shrugged off the Premier’s claims during the recent State election campaign that a shortage of GPs and aged-care beds was largely to blame for Perth’s hospital squeeze.

“We inherited an aged-care crisis,” he said.

“There was not enough investment, the aged-care work force was underpaid . . . what we have done is pay aged-care nurses more. We have added billions of dollars, including in the Budget, to make sure that there is a fit for purpose aged-care work force.”

Mr Cook has promised his own $140m package, including zero interest loans for developers to build more aged-care homes, and urged the Commonwealth to “step up” when he appointed his own Minister for Aged Care as part of a post-election Cabinet reshuffle.

But Federal Health Minister Mark Butler denied the State Government’s intervention suggested the Premier didn’t trust him to do the job.

“I couldn’t agree more with the Premier and his description of what we inherited at a Commonwealth level,” Mr Butler said.

“Aged-care facilities are full right now, aged care was not an investable sector before the changes we made last year to the Aged Care Act. Aged-care providers were telling us that, here in Western Australia as well as the rest of the country.

“That’s why this has been such a focus of the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Finance Minister as well as (Aged Care Minister) Annika Wells and myself, and we’re confident now the aged-care sector is investable.

“The best time would have been to do this five years ago, frankly, but we’ve had to compress an enormous amount of reform into just two years.”