Taking in a succulent Chinese meal in the Melbourne-based electorate of Menzies, the prime minister met with members of the local business community on Monday as he began his fourth week on the campaign trail.
Entering the Golden Lily restaurant, packed for lunch on a public holiday, the prime minister was mobbed by diners seeking selfies before he tucked in to prawn dumplings, spring rolls and barbecue pork.
Mr Albanese made the visit alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Labor's candidate for Menzies Gabriel Ng, as the government seek to gain ground in the marginal seat in Melbourne's east.
While Menzies has only ever been a Liberal seat, the coalition won it by just 0.68 per cent in 2022.
A redistribution has made Menzies notionally Labor-held, but only by 0.4 per cent.
Mr Albanese's friendly reception at his yum cha was a far cry from the welcome he got from protesters earlier on Monday while in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast.
The protesters gathered outside an urgent care clinic in Batemans Bay, where Mr Albanese had already visited, trying to meet the prime minister about Indigenous housing in the region.
"Where's Albanese?" one yelled.
"Indigenous and non-Indigenous, when are they going to step up and fix the houses?
"We're over it."
The prime minister visited the urgent care clinic to spruik local health services while campaigning in Gilmore, one of Labor's most marginal seats.
It was the prime minister's fifth visit to an urgent care clinic as he touted an extension of operating hours at the centre.
"This urgent care clinic here is making an enormous difference to this local community and also to visitors to this local community," he told reporters on Monday.
"We think that the regions, when it comes to healthcare, are absolutely vital."
The prime minister flew into the electorate at the Moruya airport, which borders a nearby caravan park, surprising many people who had made the visit for the Easter break.
"I want to give a shout-out to the people from the caravan park .... who donned their jammies, came out to say g'day," Mr Albanese said.
"They're having a wonderful holiday here in a beautiful part of the world."
The seat of Gilmore, held by Labor MP Fiona Phillips, is on a razor-thin margin of 0.2 per cent.
Labor is facing a tight challenge from former state MP and NSW transport minister Andrew Constance in a rematch of the 2022 poll.
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