Anthony Albanese has hit back at claims he is setting a ‘dangerous precedent’ by abandoning his Sydney electorate office following repeated protests outside the building from pro-Palestine activists.

The Prime Minister has closed his inner-city electorate office on Marrickville Road after the adjacent church discontinued the 30-year lease.

The electorate office was vandalised and blockaded by protesters for years before it was taken over more recently by pro-Palestine activists.

Albanese was grilled about the saga by Sunrise hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington when he appeared on the program on Tuesday morning.

‘The church, of course, has ended the lease. They made their decision. But you abandoning your office, is it setting a dangerous precedent?’ Shirvington asked.

Albanese disagreed.

‘What absolute nonsense, seriously. This is an office that is actually shared with St Clement’s Church. The car park is a shared car park,’ he hit back.

‘The people attending, trying to attend church services have been disrupted, as well as people who haven’t been able to get the services that they need.

Anthony Albanese has hit back at claims he is setting a ‘dangerous precedent’ by abandoning his Sydney electorate office following repeated protests

Protesters have taken over the PM’s electorate office, forcing him to find a new location

‘People being denied access to assistance on the NDIS or Centrelink or Medicare – that doesn’t advance any cause in the Middle East.

‘All it does is disrupt people and alienate people from the cause that the protesters are purporting to support.’

Barr argued that the weekly protests weren’t nonsense.

‘We appreciate everyone’s right to protest, but they’re happening around the country every week from both sides. Is this Australia’s new normal?’ she asked.

Albanese replied: ‘Well, it shouldn’t be. What this does is undermine the cause that people purport to represent.

‘There’s no impact on the Middle East from stopping a local resident getting support on social security or the NDIS or Medicare or migration. All there is is a disruption to them.

‘The church has been very good. The landlords have said that enough is enough, and the disruption that’s caused has given no credit to the people who are engaged in it.’

Albanese added that the safety of his office staff has been put at risk.

The Prime Minister (pictured on Tuesday) is currently in Papua New Guinea, which is celebrating 50 years of independence

‘People have gone into the office and disrupted it by the latest trick of placing balloons full of materials that make it uninhabitable,’ Albanese explained.

‘I have a duty of care and the Anglican church also has concerns for the disruptions it has caused to church services.’

Albanese’s electoral staff are currently working remotely. He plans to open a new office in the electorate soon.

‘The people have voted very consistently by electing a majority – an absolute majority on the council when they have the opportunity to have their say and by also re-electing me as the local member with an absolute majority of primary vote,’ he said.

Shirvington pointed out that the protesters will follow Albanese wherever he goes – even if he moves his office.

‘The protesters have said they’re going to follow you wherever you go. It will be interesting to see where your office does pop up and what happens.’

‘They undermine their own cause,’ Albanese responded before moving on to a different topic.