Labor colleagues are defending Anthony Albanese after a disastrous first day on the federal election trail. 

Mr Albanese failed to remember the cash and unemployment rates yesterday despite pushing cost of living as a key election issue.

Shadow Minister for Education Tanya Plibersek told Spencer Howson it was an honest mistake.

“These campaigns are a test of leadership, they’re not a test of memory,” she said.

“I think the difference between Anthony and Scott Morrison is Anthony made a mistake yesterday, he owned up to it.

“Whenever anything goes wrong, Scott Morrison looks around for someone else to blame, he goes missing whenever the times get tough.

“Part of being a leader is taking responsibility when things don’t go your way.”

Press PLAY below to hear Tanya Plibersek lay out the Opposition’s cost of living policies