Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed he is heading on leave for a week and “having a bit of a rest”.
Mr Albanese made the announcement during a press conference in Sydney on Thursday after being asked about his plans for Easter.
The Prime Minister said he will be staying in Australia during his first period of leave for the year and asked for his privacy to “be respected”.
He also quipped he was looking forward to taking a break from fronting the media, as Richard Marles and Penny Wong act on his before during his absence.
“I’m actually going on leave on Saturday. I have not had any leave this year so I will be on leave for one week,” Mr Albanese told reporters at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo.
“Richard Marles and Penny Wong will be acting during that period, and I look forward to having some time off.
“And I look forward to also not holding press conferences and having a bit of a rest. I will be in Australia, but I’d ask that my privacy be respected.”
Mr Albanese was at the zoo alongside his Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and her state counterpart Penny Sharpe for an announcement on bilbies.
The Prime Minister said $5 million will be spent on “programs to help protect the bilby, including from predators and from fire”.
“Unfortunately, over the years, bilby populations have shrunk considerably, from covering two-thirds of the country to now covering just 15 per cent,” Mr Albanese said.
“But we have a very special Easter message here today, a new plan to help protect the bilby.
“We’ll be working with environment ministers from all states and the Northern Territory as well, to make this plan a reality.”
Ms Plibersek said the aim was to provide a guide to restore the bilby population across mainland Australia and ensure it is back roaming in the wild again.
“That means we need to take greater care of the wild populations that still exist. It means we need to invest in fenced areas where we remove cats and foxes, the greatest threats to the bilbies,” she said.
“It means we need to invest in the science that would support the recovery efforts for the bilby. And it means, very particularly, we need to work with First Nations custodians, Indigenous rangers and Indigenous landholders.
“Because most of the surviving bilby populations are in Indigenous protected areas and other land managed by First Nations Australians.”
Source: skynews.com.au
