National cabinet's vital meeting to address soaring energy prices has been shifted to Friday after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tested positive for COVID-19.
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But the prime minister is tempering expectations about how quickly energy prices will change after he meets with his state and territory colleagues.
Wednesday's meeting was originally postponed when the prime minister came down with the virus, leading to swift opposition calls for him to reverse that call.
The leaders will now meet virtually on Friday, with Mr Albanese keen to get prices down while striking a balance between coal and gas companies making a profit and households and small businesses affording to keep the lights on.
In his first interview since his positive test, the prime minister said he was feeling okay and had not taken any antiviral medication.
"COVID continues to be out there, we have to be as careful as possible," he told ABC Radio.
"The good news for me is that ... given I've had four shots now and it's the second time I've contracted COVID, my immunity and the response should be quite high."
Earlier, acting opposition leader Sussan Ley said millions of Australians were promised cost of living relief to be delivered at the meeting.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians with COVID-19 had continued to work from home and the prime minister should do the same, she said.
But Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Ms Ley's suggestion the meeting should go ahead on Wednesday despite the prime minister's illness was "pretty graceless".
"An important meeting like the national cabinet should occur when the prime minister is fit and well," he told reporters in Sydney.
"COVID is a disease which has an impact ... I think it was pretty low rent for the opposition to make cheap political points."
The national cabinet meeting is set to focus on energy prices as the federal government is determined to act on soaring power bills before Christmas.
Mr Albanese said it was wrong to think prices would shift straight away after the meeting.
"The idea that you make a decision and it has an impact immediately on prices is not right (because) what the default market offer will occur is expected to be in February," he said.
"We're trying to act before Christmas, which is what we said we would do, so there's no actual delay."
He said he was confident his state and territory counterparts would be able to work through the issues "with a bit of goodwill".
The prime minister's planned trip to Papua New Guinea next week is also up in the air.
Mr Albanese first contracted COVID during the federal election campaign, forcing him into isolation for a week.
He still managed to campaign and do interviews from home but his frontbench team took charge of the bustling media schedule.
Australian Associated Press
