Labor leader adapts a famous Rudd line to seek the state’s help in winning next federal election

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Anthony Albanese has used the first anniversary of Malcolm Turnbull’s ouster from the prime ministership to rally the Labor base in Queensland, declaring the Coalition’s electoral popularity there is only temporary.

Addressing the Queensland Labor conference on Saturday, Albanese adapted Kevin Rudd’s famous opening line to his first national conference as opposition leader in 2007: “My name is Kevin, I’m from Queensland and I’m here to help” to: “My name’s Albo, I’m in Queensland, and I’m here to ask for your help.”

Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) #Flashback. Ten years ago I told Australia "My name's Kevin, I'm from Queensland, I'm here to help." I still am. pic.twitter.com/oXsVP3Covk

“I want your help to form a federal Labor government.,” he said.

He was attempting to boost internal morale following Labor’s terrible performance in Queensland on 18 May – the ALP now holds six lower house seats to the government’s 23.

The Labor leader declared that post-election, the Morrison government had claimed Queensland as its turf, and “in May it was”.

“But we know that is temporary. Queensland was where the trade union movement formed the Australian Labor party. Queensland elected the world’s first Labor government in 1899.

“Queensland has had a state Labor government for nearly 25 of the past 30 years. Queensland is one of Labor’s most successful states.

“Queensland is where we need to win – and where we will win,” he said.

Albanese used the milestone of Turnbull’s rolling to urge the Labor faithful to remind voters of Scott Morrison’s role in toppling the former prime minister – referencing blow-by-blow book length accounts of last year’s events from journalists Niki Savva and David Crowe.

The Labor leader said voters in Queensland needed to be reminded of Morrison’s infamous “I’m on his side” joint media conference with Turnbull – “all the while knowing his supporters were busy assembling the numbers to roll him”.

Queensland Labor to change its official platform in coal-friendly revamp Read more

With the parliament in a winter recess, Morrison will spend his first anniversary in the prime ministership in Vietnam. Against the backdrop of rising regional tensions, and a fractious diplomatic relationship between Canberra and Beijing, the prime minister has emphasised the importance of an “open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific neighbourhood”.

The current talks in Vietnam are focused on trade and investment, and Australia is keen to talk up the strong strategic partnership in the face of rising Chinese aggression in the region.

Reminded of his anniversary on Friday by a travelling reporter, Morrison declined to reflect on the tumultuous events of the past 12 months. “Oh look, frankly anniversaries I find quite narcissistic, so I tend to not to engage in that sort of self-assessment,” the prime minister said. “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of others who do.

“I have a simple task and that is to continue to make Australia stronger, for Australians to be in charge of their own future, for Australians to have their aspiration rewarded, and for them to be able to make the choices they want to make for their lives and their futures,” he said.

“The stability that our government has brought to those aspirations I think is very positive and I appreciate the strong support we’ve had for pursuing those policies as we did in the last election.”

Albanese’s Queensland visit is his seventh as Labor leader. He made a commitment at the conference to visit Queensland more than once a month.

The state conference was expected to endorse a change to its official platform to become more coal friendly, asserting the party’s support for the mining industry as it seeks to reconnect with regional and blue-collar voters.

Albanese told the gathering Labor “is on the side of acting on the science when it comes to addressing climate change”.