Tax cuts legislation shows the Labor Party has not learned its lesson
Labor’s shambolic approach to tax cuts legislation had Anthony Albanese looking like Wile E. Coyote during his first Question Time as Opposition Leader, Piers Akerman writes.
It’s just 50 days since the election and the government has walked in one of the main planks in its campaign platform — tax cuts.
Not only that, it was able to do so without Opposition — oops, Labor Party — votes. It didn’t need a single ALP member to cross the floor.
While many people are spending the weekend calculating how much they will save on their income taxes, the Labor Party should start figuring how much more support they lost with their shambolic approach to the tax cuts legislation — on top of the loss of support during the election campaign.
One day the party will learn that when you put out the rubbish, that means all of it. It should have been obvious from the personal polling throughout Bill Shorten’s leadership that he was never going to be a starter. He never met the pub test bar.
Instead of cleaning house completely when the opportunity presented itself in the ashes of the catastrophic defeat, the confused ideological garbage is still apparent as a glance at the shadow frontbench shows.
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Mr Albanese’s first question time was a disaster. It was like a Road Runner cartoon with the Labor leader (he apparently prefers that description to Opposition Leader) looking like Wile E. Coyote accepting wrapped boxes of TNT as anvils fell upon his head.
He didn’t take a trick and there, lurking behind him in the frame, was the lean and hungry-eyed Richard Marles.
The shadow treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, painted as an emerging leader, has failed to live up his reputation. Having blown it with his hokey-pokey approach (one foot in, one foot out) to the leadership, he has missed the best chance to shine with a clear enunciation of new policy.
He, like the rest of the leadership team, have failed to respond to Labor’s loss with any understanding of how and why the public rejected them.
Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon didn’t need assistance from focus groups to come up with a “narrative” about the election loss before he spoke out about the issues challenging Labor in his coalmining electorate. Having seen his vote drop by nearly 15 per cent, he was keenly aware of the factors which had seen the people turn against him.
The frontbencher was one of the first Labor members to recommend the party support Mr Morrison’s tax package in its entirety last month, warning that failure to do so would provide ammunition for the government throughout this term.
Though Mr Albanese came aboard the tax cut wagon by the end of the parliamentary week, it was too late to defuse the issue.
Mr Morrison’s day in the sun was further enhanced when he was able to announce the release of Australian Alek Sigley by the North Korean regime.
This great week was really only marred by the shadow of the wily former defence minister Christopher Pyne falling across it. Mr Pyne is working two days a month “providing advice to EY, as the firm looks to expand its footprint in the defence industry”.
Mr Morrison had stalled a senate inquiry into lobbying activities by seeking advice on whether Mr Pyne and fellow former minister Julie Bishop potentially breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct with the jobs they have taken since leaving politics.
Senator Rex Patrick will introduce a motion for an inquiry if he is not satisfied with the government’s response in a fortnight when the senate sits again.
Mr Pyne was instrumental in persuading the government to sign a $50 billion submarine contract with French company Naval Group (formerly DCNS), which has been under investigation for activities related to the sales of warships and submarines to Taiwan, India and Malaysia.
The deal was sold on the basis that it would provide taxpayer-funded jobs to South Australia, Mr Pyne’s home state. Experience shows the contract will be over budget and not delivered on time. Senator Patrick’s threat to explore possible breaches of the ministerial code also threatens to open up the submarine contract to review. If it did, it would provide a valuable service.
South Australia has been relying on the other Australian states for its electricity as well as funding, and this submarine racket must be brought to an end.
Fifty billion dollars for a concept for a diesel submarine that won’t come into operation until the mid-2030s when Australia could have bought or leased off-the shelf subs to meet China’s expansionist role in the Indo-Pacific now is strategic stupidity.
Without wishing to rain on the Coalition’s first week, there are clouds on the horizon which can’t be wished away. Nor should they be.
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