Anthony Albanese leaves ‘non-negotiable’ Telethon message to his deputy Richard Marles

Anthony Albanese doesn’t typically leave a lengthy list of directions for his deputy when he’s away — but there was one thing he was adamant Richard Marles had to do while the Prime Minister’s White House visit was being lined up: Attend Telethon.

“When he goes away, he doesn’t normally give me instructions as to what to do while I’m in the chair . . . where I should go, what I should do, but on this occasion, he absolutely gave an instruction when he realised he wasn’t going to be here for this, for the Telethon,” Mr Marles told The West.

“He said I had to go over, that it was a non-negotiable. And he probably said that to me about three months ago, so it was very much on his radar.”

Mr Albanese has been to every Telethon since becoming Prime Minister, even leaving King Charles and Queen Camilla to their own devices during last year’s royal tour for a stint in the PerthNow Call Centre.

But the timing of his long-awaited meeting with Donald Trump in Washington DC on Monday means he can’t make it this year.

Instead, the Deputy Prime Minister will be attending the Telethon Ball and taking part in the fundraising events on Sunday.

He’s also expected to unveil a donation from the Federal Government, although the details are being kept under wraps.

Last year, the Government contributed $6 million to the cause, which raised a record $83.3m.

Mr Marles said the philanthropic spirit among West Australians was “very pronounced”.

“It’s something that is part of the West Australian character,” he said. “It is a very noticeable feature of West Australian life, and I think this is the real expression of it.”

This weekend will be Mr Marles’s first time at Telethon, but it’s a cause close to his heart.

“For families who have relied upon children’s hospitals — and without going into the details, I’m one of them — this is something that really matters,” he said.

“There’s nothing more concerning for a parent than to be experiencing a sick kid and a seriously sick kid, and having the very highest-end capability is really important.”

He has previously been involved in the Royal Children’s Hospital appeal in Melbourne.

“One of the things I’ve noticed, in terms of, again, doing things with the appeal in Melbourne is that you have people who have had a personal experience decades ago,” he said.

“And it is enough to mean that they are year-in, year-out there helping, volunteering time, wanting to give back, because that intervention at a moment of great need for a family is so powerful and so significant, and very often successful. People are just incredibly grateful for it.”