Sunrise’s Matt Shirvington confronts PM Anthony Albanese over ‘dangerous precedent’ of moving office

Sunrise host Matt Shirvington has confronted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over moving his electoral office, which had been bombarded by Pro-Palestinian protesters.

Albanese closed his office in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Marrickville when the 30-year lease was discontinued.

The office has been routinely blockaded by protesters campaigning against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Shirvington asked: “The church, of course, has ended the lease. They made their decision. But you abandoning your office, is it setting a dangerous precedent?”

Albanese appeared to fume over the question, replying: “What absolute nonsense, seriously. This is an office that is actually shared with St Clements Church. The carpark is a shared carpark.

“The people attending, trying to attend, church services have been disrupted as well as people who haven’t been able to get the services they need.

“People being denied access to assistance on the NDIS or Centrelink or Medicare, that doesn’t advance any cause in the Middle East. All it does is disrupt people and alienate people from the cause that the protesters are purporting to support.”

Co-host Natalie Barr pressed the Prime Minister, asking if weekly protests — which have been happening in cities around Australia — are the “new normal”.

Barr: “We appreciate everyone’s right to protest, but they’re happening around the country every week from both sides. Is this Australia’s new normal?”

Albanese: “Well, it shouldn’t be. What this does is undermine the cause that people purport to represent.

“There’s no impact on the Middle East from stopping a local resident getting support on social security or the NDIS or Medicare or migration.”

Shirvington remarked protesters will no doubt follow the PM to his new office.

Shirvington: “The protesters have said they’re going to follow you wherever you go. It will be interesting to see where your office does pop up and what happens.”

Albanese: “They undermine their own cause.”