'I heard half the question': Anthony Albanese fumbles protection visa policy

The Labor leader visited a Cairns church on Sunday morning for Easter Sunday.

It was a steamy day in the tropical city as Mr Albanese greeted parishioners before heading inside for the 1.5 hour service.

Following the service, Mr Albanese delivered a short media conference where he was asked about the Coalition's choice to name Senator Anne Ruston as its health minister if elected in May.

"Anne Ruston has made it very clear that she wants to take the universal out of universal health care," Mr Albanese said.

"She has made it very clear that if we have a re-elected Morison government, we will see more cuts to Medicare over the next three years."

Both leaders' camps had indicated there would be a campaigning truce on Easter Sunday, a religious holiday for Christians. That truce was broken by the Prime Minister's "significant political announcement" of the replacement health minister, Mr Albanese said.

But it was the first question that rattled him.

Asked about whether the Labor Party would back temporary protection visas, Mr Albanese replied with one word: "Yes."

Minutes later, in front of TV camera crews as he exited Saint Monica's Cathedral he sought to clarify the earlier answer.

"Earlier on I heard half the question - I didn't hear all of it," he told reporters in Cairns minutes after ending a short doorstop interview while leaving church on Easter Sunday.

"Labor's policy is to support Operation Sovereign Borders. We support off-shore processing. We support processing in third countries. We don't support temporary protection visas."

Earlier in the campaign Mr Albanese made opaque comments at a Thursday press conference about there being no need for offshore processing if turnbacks are successful. He later reiterated his support for boat turnbacks and offshore processing.