It looks like MPs will be returning to parliament before this year’s election is called after all … if the Prime Minister isn’t just playing games. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Anthony Albanese has given the strongest indication yet that he won’t be calling off a return to parliament in favour of an election campaign.
Federal Parliament is scheduled to resume on 4 February, with an early federal budget set for 25 March.
Speculation is rife, however, that the Prime Minister will instead cancel both and call an election, which isn’t due until May.
But while he is keeping his preferred election date a tight secret (and revelling in the speculation), Mr Albanese has outlined what he wants to achieve in the first weeks of parliament’s return.
In his first full television interview for the year, the PM told ABC 24 there was a lot he wanted his government to get done legislatively in both houses of parliament.
“We want to get, firstly, our legislation for production tax credits through the Senate. It got carried as the last item of business in the House of Reps when we sat in December,” he said.
“That’s about supporting new industries, particularly in the resources sector. We have, under the ground, every resource that will power the global economy in this century – cobalt, lithium, copper, vanadium, all of these products.
“We have rare earths and critical minerals, and this will be important in setting Australia up for the future.
“And importantly, tax credits, of course, reward success. So, we want to encourage that investment because we think that we need to seize the opportunities which are there.”
Electoral reform, however, won’t be a priority before the federal election.
That legislation goes to, among other things, capping election donations and limiting the influence of corporate money on election campaigns.
But the Prime Minister said Labor didn’t have the numbers in parliament or a deal with the Coalition to see that legislation progress in the immediate future.
“We have 25 votes out of 76 in the Senate,” Mr Albanese said.
“There’s a range of legislation that we didn’t get through in the last sitting of parliament, but we did carry, of course, 45 pieces of legislation in a single week.
“You can be very close and not get there, but what we won’t do is compromise our values on any of the legislation which has been put forward. We want to make sure that there’s accountability.
“People should be transparent about who’s donating money during election campaigns. And we think that as an integrity measure is really important.
“It’s one of the things that we’ve committed to. Just like we committed to the creation of a NACC, an anti-corruption commission at the national level.
“That was promised by previous oppositions that stayed, then in government, under the Coalition. They never delivered it. We have delivered it, but we also want to deliver greater transparency and integrity in our electoral system …
“We had a very good last week of parliament and I’m confident that when we come back as well, for the sitting period that we have ahead of us, we will continue to pursue our agenda.
“But it’s hard when you have a Coalition that’s committed to saying ‘no’ to everything and you’ve had a Greens political party that have combined with them to form a No-alition blocking housing investment, for example.”
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to say he was returning to parliament and headed to the next election with a united team, confident of returning to office after the vote.
This is despite opinion polls not looking good for Labor and pointing to the real possibility of a minority government.
“We’ll be seeking a majority government at the next election and Australians will have a choice between a government that has provided cost-of-living relief, that has built the foundations of future growth for a future made in Australia, and an Opposition that hasn’t put forward an alternative plan, that’s just said ‘no’ to all of our cost-of-living measures and that doesn’t have a plan for Australia’s future, that will take Australia backwards,” he said.
“So, I’ll be putting forward my optimistic vision for this nation. I think if we get this decade right, we can set Australia up for the many decades ahead …
“I’ve been in the parliament for a while now. I have never seen a political party as united, as cohesive and as determined as the Australian Labor Party is going into 2025.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has made the cost of living the number one issue for the election.
His first message for the year was to drive home that message.
“2025, of course, is a federal election year,” he said in a statement.
“And Australians will again exercise the greatest gift democracy affords: the privilege of having a say in determining the future of our great country …
“And, this year, I reach out to all Australians to choose a better path. Together, let’s end the cost-of-living crisis.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Riotact.
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