“I don’t know what your tweets are like more than a decade ago or what have you. But people are going and attacking Ali France as they did during the last campaign,” he said at a press conference in Western Australia last week.

“It would be a really good idea if people recognised that Ali France is someone who has shown courage, who has overcome adversity, is putting herself forward … for the third time to look after the local community that she loves, that she won’t leave in a time of crisis, that she will look after.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has criticised Anthony Albanese’s support for Labor candidate Ali France. Source: AAP / Russell Freeman

Dutton condemned Albanese’s endorsement of France on The Briefing podcast, suggesting it trashes the prime minister’s credibility if he is willing to accept these kinds of posts.