Just one day into Australia's official election campaign, and Labor leader Anthony Albanese has suffered his first blunder.
Albanese was asked by a reporter in Tasmania if he knew the official cash rate “off the top of his head”.
He dodged the question by replying, “we can do the old Q and A stuff over 50 different figures".
"The truth is that what they have said, the Reserve Bank, is that over the coming period, there will be multiple interest rate increases regardless of who is in government” he said.
However, shortly after he was asked what the national unemployment rate is, and failed to answer correctly.
“National unemployment rate at the moment is 5.4%, sorry, I’m not sure what it is.”
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows it's currently at 4%.
Later in the day, Albanese spoke to media again and said it was a “mistake”
READ MORE: Australian federal election confirmed for May 21
"I'm human, but when I make a mistake, I'll 'fess up to it and I'll set about correcting that mistake," he said.
"I won't blame someone else, I'll accept responsibility — that's what leaders do."
SHARE ME