Anthony Albanese’s office is accused of DELETING part of question from transcript

Anthony Albanese’s office has come under fire for publishing a press conference transcript that omitted part of a difficult question about Covid.

At a press conference in Adelaide on May 15, Mr Albanese was asked about his commitment to holding an inquiry or the Royal Commission into Australia’s handling of the Covid pandemic.

The official transcript circulated by the Prime Minister’s Office omitted the words ‘Royal Commission’.

“You committed to doing some sort of study into Australia’s handling of COVID, but there was nothing on this budget. When do you plan to do that?’

Daily Mail Australia has learned that the official recording of the conference by the Prime Minister’s Office may have been disrupted, affecting transcription.

The question is still clearly audible in online clips from the conference.

A Liberal source said it appeared the transcript had been “manipulated … to hide from scrutiny of his election commitment to a Royal Commission on the pandemic.”

‘The fact that the whole question is clearly audible means that it was a conscious act; It is unacceptable and must be declared.”

Mr Albanese told the journalist at the conference that it was too early to consider how the country is handling the pandemic.

Covid is still among us. What I’ve said is that when we’re confident we’re through those issues, we’ll look into it,” he said.

There have been multiple calls for a Royal Commission on Australia’s response to the pandemic, including by Chancellor of the Exchequer Katy Gallagher when she was in opposition.

A damning independent inquiry by former secretary to Prime Minister Peter Shergold found that much of the government’s response was politically driven and failed to adequately protect the country’s most vulnerable.

Rules were too often formulated and enforced in a way that was not fair and compassionate. Such an overreach undermined public confidence and trust in the institutions vital to an effective crisis response,” the report said.

The review concluded that several lockdowns and border closures should have been used as a ‘last resort’.

At the National Press Club in January 2022 – before being elected – Mr Albanese said it was ‘beyond doubt’ that an assessment of the pandemic was needed

“Too many of Australia’s lockdowns and border closures have been a result of policy mistakes in quarantine, contact tracing, testing, disease surveillance and effectively communicating the need for preventative measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing.” , the review said.

Lockdowns, especially when targeted at a particular location, produced a deep sense of inequality among those most restricted. Lockdowns generally created a universal sense that the pandemic was being controlled rather than managed.”

However, that report was not produced with the support of official channels.

At the National Press Club in January 2022 – before being elected – Mr Albanese said it was ‘beyond doubt’ that an assessment of the pandemic was needed.

Daily Mail Australia has learned that the official recording of the conference by the Prime Minister’s Office may have been disrupted, affecting transcription

He said he had ‘considered’ a royal commission, stating: ‘While we are in the thick of the pandemic, our priority right now is to get us through the pandemic.

“If you get through it or if you’re nearing the end, you’d think about that… Or that [would] be a royal commission or some form of investigation, that will have to happen.’

A senior opposition source described the question change in the official transcript as “very sneaky stuff.”

They wondered if someone “would be held accountable for this tricky transcription work.”