One of Anthony Albanese's top ministers has come to the prime minister's defense after coming under fire for enjoying a $500 bottle of wine while on holiday.
Some opposition politicians had criticized Mr Albanese after he and his partner Jodie Haydon flew to Western Australia last week for a romantic getaway, where they visited several wineries in the Margaret River region in the state's south-west.
One of the couple's stops was Cullen Wines for an “exclusive tasting,” which included a sample of the 2017 Cullen Vanya Flower Day Cabernet Sauvignon, which retails for $500 a bottle.
Photos of his cellar door visits shared online sparked an uproar from WA Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash, who questioned whether the Prime Minister had lost touch with ordinary Aussies.
Sunrise host Monique Wright also questioned the timing of the Prime Minister's outing when Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke appeared on the program on Monday.
Anthony Albanese (left) and partner Jodie (centre) posed for photos with Cullens Wines staff in the vineyard before tasting an expensive red wine worth $500
Wright acknowledged that the Prime Minister was on holiday at the time.
“But given how many Aussies struggle to pay just basic bills, is this a bad look?” she asked.
Mr Burke quickly defended Mr Albanese's escape, describing the outrage as a beating.
The Prime Minister later headed to Melbourne to attend the funeral of the late MP Peta Murphy last Friday.
“I have to say, I'm surprised this is even a story,” Mr. Burke said.
“An Australian Prime Minister goes on holiday to Australia, supports small Australian businesses and is good for him.
“I know there have been some newspaper articles and the idea is that Michaelia Cash is representing the small businesses that are kind of accused of outrage.
'I think most people, especially at this time of year, feel that if someone takes a few days off, that's no problem.And if they do that by supporting Australian small businesses, then good for them.”
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce joked that at least Albanese was in the country when referring to former Coalition Prime Minister Scott Morrison's infamous family holiday to Hawaii during the 2019 Black Summer bushfires.
'I'm very happy hIf he's in Australia, I'm glad he's here,” the New England MP said.
“But look, no bottle of wine is worth $500.
“What makes people think that something that goes down your esophagus and ends up in the toilet is worth $500 a bottle?”
The Prime Minister's visit to WA sparked a debate between Employment Minister Tony Burke (left), Sunrise presenter Monique Wright and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce (right)
Mr Joyce agreed with his Labor rival that there were bigger issues to worry about.
“Look, I don't care. “I worry about all kinds of things, but not when the Prime Minister is having a glass of wine,” he said.
“It's the cost of living. People who can't afford their groceries, can't pay their utility bills, can't pay their fuel and can't pay their rent.”
'That's what people talk about at the supermarket checkout. That's what worries people.'
Ms Cash led the criticism against Mr Albanese, saying the photo of him enjoying a glass of expensive wine raised questions about whether he was out of touch with Australians struggling with the cost of living.
“Many Australians are struggling with even the basics this Christmas, let alone tasting expensive bottles of wine,” Ms Cash said.
“It's a grim economic scenario that will leave many Australian households primarily faced with food inflation this Christmas.”
The Prime Minister (right) also stopped by Pierro Vineyards for a tasting at LAS Vino
It comes as the Albanian government regained its lead over the two-party coalition in the latest Newspoll, after an earlier survey put support for the two at 50 percent each.
The coalition still leads Labor by 36 percent compared to 33 percent in the primaries, according to the poll published in The Australian on Monday.
The primary vote result shows a gain of two percentage points for Labor and a dip of two percentage points for the Opposition since the previous Newspoll conducted in mid-November.
On a two-party basis, Labor leads the Coalition 52 percent to 48 percent.