Anthony Albanese has fallen off stage in an embarrassing campaign trail fail.
The Prime Minister had been trying to pose for a photo after he was given a lifetime achievement award at a union conference in the Hunter Valley on Thursday afternoon when he fell off the back of a one-metre-high stage.
He was hauled back to his feet with the help of three people – but not before the slip-up could be captured by the waiting media.
The Labor leader was all smiles once he was back on two feet, raising both hands to signal to the cheering audience that he was okay.
In a subsequent interview with ABC Newcastle, Mr Albanese tried to claim he had not, in fact, fallen from the stage.
‘I stepped back one step. I didn’t fall off the stage,’ he said.
The journalist told him it looked like he had fallen.
‘Just one leg went down, but I was sweet,’ the PM added.
He will no doubt be smarting from the blunder.
It marks the first major misstep for the Prime Minister on the campaign trail.
Last election, he tripped up on the first day of the campaign when he could not name the cash rate after he was put on the spot.
His legions of advisers will no doubt have their heads in their hands, especially given it has widely been thought that the Prime Minister was enjoying a strong start to the campaign.
More to come.