Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese to change Labor’s class war rhetoric

Anthony Albanese has responded to the prime minister’s “gutless” accusations and has answered our rapid-fire questions. Read his answers.

Anthony Albanese has declared that Labor will be the party of mainstream Australia — not the woke left — and a friend to business and aspirational Australians.

The Labor leader has also vowed that he will be every bit as strong on China and national sovereignty as the Coalition, invoking the spirit of legendary wartime prime minister John Curtin.

In a wide-ranging interview at his Marrickville home, Mr Albanese also said that the ALP needed to be a welcoming place for people of faith and that people’s religious views needed to be respected even if they clashed with so-called progressive values.

“Labor is the party of mainstream Australia and the values of mainstream Australia are that we look after each other and that we aspire to a better life for future generations,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the party would be a friend to business and aspirational Australians. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“Labor’s historic task is to move more people into the middle-class, to appeal to small business and if we don’t do that Labor won’t be successful.”

Mr Albanese said making business more productive and profitable was also the key to creating more employment and better pay and conditions for workers.

“Labor will be a friend of business,” he said. “You can only be a friend of the worker if you’re also a friend of business.

“In industrial relations as well business and unions have common interests. You need to have successful businesses to have more workers working for those businesses. The key to both increasing profits and increasing wages is productivity.”

Labor leader Anthony Albanese meets locals in flood-stricken Lismore earlier this month. Picture: Liam Mendes

In a dramatic shift away from the class war rhetoric of his predecessor, Mr Albanese said that success in business was something Labor should celebrate.

“We need to appeal to these people and that includes people in the ethnic communities who are so determined to set up a business and create a new and better life for their kids and grandkids. Labor needs to reach out to these people and celebrate their success.”

Mr Albanese said people’s religious beliefs needed to be respected and noted that those who claimed to support diversity were often intolerant of diverse views.

“Labor has a view and I have a view that I respect every individual for who they are but that has to apply across the board,” he said.

“I was an avid supporter of marriage equality but I also supported a conscience vote at the same time. You have to respect diversity in all its senses, not just when it’s convenient.”

Labor leader Anthony Albanese speaks at a Business Summit in Sydney. Picture NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

The Labor leader said the party needed to “embrace” people of religion and noted that he was attending a Jewish community function last night and meeting with a Maronite bishop on Wednesday.

Mr Albanese also promised a Labor government would be every bit as strong against China as the Coalition and reinforce Australia’s bond with the US.

“Labor will be every bit as strong in defending Australian values against any push by China or any nation trying to undermine them,” he said.

“During the greatest threat to Australia’s defences in World War II Australians looked to John Curtin and John Curtin looked to America and it’s that relationship that provided the foundation for the US Alliance which has been so important ever since.”

Mr Albanese also promised “I’ll end the climate wars” and vowed that under no circumstances would he ever enter any coalition arrangement with the Greens.

Instead he blasted the far-left party for being economically naive and divorced from political reality.

“The Greens will never have to consider whether things add up or not or whether they’re achievable,” he said.

“I want realistic achievable policies.”

Responding to the accusation by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that he was “gutless”, Mr Albanese said: “Australia needs policy leadership not random personal attacks.”

Originally published as Federal election 2022: Anthony Albanese to change Labor’s class war rhetoric