Anthony Albanese LOSES IT at a pack of reporters as he’s asked about trouble in the Labor ranks: ‘Seriously, have some respect!’
- Anthony Albanese has snapped at reporters over AUKUS
- He was questioned about whether he has full party support
Anthony Albanese snapped at reporters who questioned whether there was trouble brewing within the Labor party over the historic AUKUS deal.
The Prime Minister was questioned over three MPs from his own side of politics questioning the $368billion nuclear submarine deal as he walked through the halls of Parliament House on Tuesday.
The PM attempted to avoid questions about whether cracks were starting to appear within ALP ranks when he was approached by a pack of reporters.
‘Seriously — have a bit of respect for these people thank you,’ he said, pointing back toward the crowd that had gathered to see him for an unrelated matter.
A visibly frustrated PM moved through the press pack without commenting further on the matter.
Mr Albanese last week announced an agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom to supply eight nuclear powered submarines to Australia over the next 30 years.
The deal has been hailed as the biggest investment in the country’s defence in history.
But on Monday, Mr Wilson, the member for Fremantle, told Parliament he’s not yet ‘convinced’ of the benefits of the deal.
‘I’m not yet convinced that we can adequately deal with the non-proliferation risks involved in what is a novel arrangement by which a non-nuclear weapons state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty comes to acquire weapons-grade material,’ he said.
‘I could be proved wrong about some of my concerns.
‘Perhaps they’re ill-founded in a way that I don’t perceive, and I can live with that, but I would be wrong already if I wasn’t prepared to identify and voice those concerns which are based on work I’ve done consistently since I was first elected to this place on some of these issues.’
The comments came after former Labor leader Paul Keating slammed the deal, describing it as ‘the worst in history’.
Higgins MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah and Corangamite MP Libby Coker also reportedly queried the deal in a Labor caucus meeting.
Dr Ananda-Rajah later came out in public support of her party. ‘I fully support the government’s announced AUKUS plan,’ she said.
