Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to skip Secret Harbour amid by-election battle with One Nation

Anthony Albanese will be in WA this week, but he won’t be heading to Secret Harbour where Labor is in the fight of its life.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Karratha for a joint press conference with WA Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday will be the first of two visits to WA before the Secret Harbour by-election on August 29.

But it’s understood Mr Albanese will stay well away from the Labor-held seat during his visits to WA.

Mr Albanese and his Federal Cabinet will also be in Perth on August 24 for a Cabinet dinner at the Freshwater Bay Yacht Club.

It’s understood tickets to the Cabinet meeting are $2500 a head — with Perth’s elite invited.

Secret Harbour is a safe Labor seat, with a margin of just under 12 per cent.

Labor candidate Georgia Tree would normally be considered a shoo-in to retain the seat for Labor, but a resurgent One Nation and a on-the-nose Federal Government has the red army nervous about the result.

As revealed by The West Australian last week, Labor is throwing more than $300,000 at the Secret Harbour by-election, in a sign of just how worried it as about losing.

Senior WA Labor sources insist there is nothing unusual about Mr Albanese’s no-show in Secret Harbour — pointing out that this was a WA by-election and not a Federal fight.

But in 2023, Mr Albanese visited Rockingham during that by-election, walking the streets with Roger Cook and Mark McGowan, along with their then candidate and now Labor MP Magenta Marshall.

Unlike 2023, however, Mr Albanese is not flying high.

Cost-of-living hikes made worse by three interest-rate rises are sure to be worrying Secret Harbour mortgage holders.

A senior Labor source told The West Australian this week that feedback in Secret Harbour during door-knocking was that Mr Albanese was on the nose with voters.

“This election appears to be a contest between Pauline Hanson and Albanese,” the source said.

“People are saying they love Pauline Hanson, but don’t like Albanese.

“There seems to be no issues with WA Labor — just Albanese.”

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has already thrown a political barb Albo’s way, telling The West Australian the PM’s presence in Secret Harbour probably would not be welcome.

“I’d imagine the voters would find Anthony Albanese rancid,” Ms Hanson said.

Ms Hanson on Monday visited Secret Harbour, taking selfies with residents and posing with One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen outside former member, Paul Papalia’s Labor office.

The day after, the One Nation leader addressed a SWM Leadership Mattters breakfast at the Crown.

There are 16 candidates running in Secret Harbour.