Anthony Albanese resists growing pressure to extend pandemic leave payments

Ministers have suggested states should pick up the cost of Covid leave payments as calls grow for support to continue

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Anthony Albanese has continued to dig in against calls to extend pandemic leave payments, while his ministers have argued states should take up the slack from the federal government.

But Albanese is facing a chorus of calls from both the states, and within his own party, to extend the payments. On Friday, the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, said that he would absolutely" push for the payments to be reinstated at Monday's national cabinet meeting.