Editorial: Labor continually dodging Morrison government's planned tax cuts

Labor leader Anthony Albanese recently completed a national “listening tour” to better develop a sense of Australian priorities. But his tactics since he returned from that tour now prompts a serious question: who exactly was he listening to?

Labor leader Anthony Albanese recently completed a national “listening tour” in a bid to better develop a sense of Australian priorities.

This was a good idea, particularly because Albanese’s inner-western Sydney electorate is not particularly reflective of mainstream Australian opinion.

Indeed, the most frequent visitors to Albanese’s office are furious Greens activists and children who turn up to yell at him about the Adani coal mine.

But Albanese’s tactics since he returned from that listening tour now prompt a serious question: who exactly was the Labor leader listening to?

Plainly, he didn’t chat much with any Australians who are exhausted by political posturing and pointless Canberra games.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese is facing heavy criticism. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

Because pointless posturing is essentially all that Albanese and Labor are delivering with their continued dodging and weaving on whether to support the Morrison government’s proposed $158 billion personal income tax cuts plan.

Nor could Albanese have spent any great amount of time with those who voted for the Coalition and therefore indicated their support for tax cuts.

If Albanese had met with those Australians, he might be slightly more forceful within Labor’s party room when discussing this issue.

As matters stand, Labor is sending a divided and confusing message to the electorate.

Labor Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said on Monday the party remained committed to splitting stage three of the tax cuts from the overall bill, but also announced shadow cabinet would reconvene if Labor’s amendments were not supported in either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the party was still committed to splitting stage three of the tax cuts from the overall bill.

This is pure Canberra gamesmanship, and Australians are tired of it. As well, Labor’s intransigence makes them an easy target for political attacks.

As Trade Minister Simon Birmingham puts it, any “failure to deliver tax relief for hardworking Australians will be a stain that will haunt Labor and Anthony Albanese all the way to the next election”.

“The Australian people may have decided that Labor weren’t fit for government,” Birmingham continued, “but now they’re showing they’re not even fit to be the opposition.”

Harsh but fair. Perhaps Anthony Albanese should begin a not listening tour, beginning with some of his colleagues.

ORIGIN GLORY WITHIN REACH

Many fans throughout NSW will be on their 1000th replay of last month’s spectacular 38-6 thrashing of Queensland in Perth, so it’s just as well we have the deciding State of Origin match on Wednesday night.

C’mon Blues, you’ve got this. Bring it home. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

This will hopefully give us yet another game to enjoy over and over again — with the added bonus of a second consecutive State of Origin series win to celebrate.

But considering that we are leading the series overall by 52 to 24, perhaps NSW should already consider the 2019 title won.

Best to make it official, though. Pile on the points, Blues.

PERFECT FOR A FAKE BBQ

Besides being delicious, Australian beef is among the most nutritious and health-giving meat on earth.

Eating Australian beef and other local meat products also keeps our crucial farming sector economically viable. Everybody is a winner with Aussie meat.

As is their right, however, some Australians have lately taken to eating an increasingly popular meat substitute composed of water, pea protein, canola oil and refined coconut oil.

These facsimile burgers, made by US company Beyond Meat, don’t come cheap.

US company Beyond Meat has hit the market in Australia. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

They retail at around $48.46 per kilo, which is more than you’ll pay for most cuts of quality beef.

But as University of Newcastle molecular nutritionist Dr Emma Beckett points out, these fake burgers might not be as beneficial as vegetarian activists might have us believe.

“Once you do all that processing to turn the vegetable into the fake meat form, you’re not getting the same nutritional benefits as just eating the vegetable in its original form,” Dr Beckett said.

Besides, “feed the man pea protein” doesn’t really work.