Federal Election 2022: Labor steps up attack on Medicare, disaster response

Mr Albanese and frontbencher Jim Chalmers stepped up Labor's latest Medicare scare campaign as they toured flood-hit Brisbane on Monday morning.

Labor has seized on historic comments from Anne Ruston, who will be health minister under a re-elected Morrison government, to claim Australia's universal healthcare system would be at risk if the Coalition wins next month's poll.

Senator Ruston was asked repeatedly to rule out future cuts to Medicare in a radio interview on Monday morning, but would only say that the Coalition had "guaranteed" the scheme.

"The government that I'm a member of is the government that guaranteed Medicare in law in 2017," Senator Ruston said on ABC's AM program.

"This just appears to be what would be a desperate scare campaign by the Labor Party."

The Prime Minister told reporters "there would not be any cuts" to Medicare under a re-elected Coalition government. He said Coalition could afford to invest in Medicare because it had run a strong economy and knew how to manage a budget.

"That is the best guarantee you could ever have on essential services," he told reporters while campaigning in Freemantle.

Mr Chalmers ramped up his attacks on Mr Morrison and Senator Ruston, claiming Medicare wasn't safe under the pair.

Labor launched a Medicare scare campaign during the 2016 election, which then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull blamed for the big swings against the Coalition.

"The appointment of Anne Ruston to be Scott Morrison's hand-picked Health Minister will send a shiver down the spine of every Australian who needs affordable health care based on Medicare," Mr Chalmers said.

Mr Albanese, Mr Chalmers and Labor emergency management spokesman Murray Watt on Monday visited homes in Brisbane affected by the floods which had devastated parts of southeast Queensland and northern NSW earlier this year.

The Labor leader used the visit to again criticise Scott Morrison's handling of natural disasters, dating back to the Black Summer fires.

Mr Albanese is hoping to bounce back from a poor first week, which was has been reflected in the campaign's first major opinion poll showing a drop in support for Labor and voters shifting back to Scott Morrison as preferred Prime Minister.

Asked about the poll, which was conducted for the Nine papers, Mr Albanese reiterated his view that Labor was the underdog in the campaign.

"I've consistently said that it's a mountain that Labor seeks to climb," he said.

Mr Albanese spent the morning in Brisbane where he visited homes devastated by the floods.

Surveying the damage residents of Auchenflower experienced during the disaster, the Labor leader spoke to those affected about the cost of rebuilding.

A group of Liberal Party supporters descended on the press conference's original location in a park nearby the homes with corflutes, stating "it won't be easy with Albanese".

Mr Albanese was joined by shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers, Queensland senator Murray Watt and Labor candidate for Brisbane, Madonna Jarrett.

He then toured a craft brewery next to Suncorp stadium, which had been impacted by the floods.

Despite some recent bad polling and a lacklustre Bluesfest appearance, the Labor leader looked to be in higher spirits as he sharpened his attack on the Coalition's Medicare record.

The seat of Brisbane is held by the Liberal Party on a slim margin of just 4.9 per cent.