Andrew Bolt: Three nasty problems facing Albo’s government

There’s one clearly good thing about Anthony Albanese. But it will be useless against three big challenges already threatening his new government.

There’s one clearly good thing about Anthony Albanese. But it will be useless against three big challenges already threatening his new government.

Good is that Albanese is a warm-hearted bloke who wants to “bring Australians together”. He’ll have a gritty kind of integrity as prime minister. But these are his three big problems.

LITTLE AUTHORITY

Albanese on election night said Australians had “voted for change”. But two in three people did not vote for Labor.

He has no mandate to fight inflation, cut our frightening deficit or increase productivity. He says he’ll talk to unions and bosses to work out some reforms.

He also lacks political authority. He can’t get changes through the Senate unless the Liberals or, in fact, the likely 11 or 12 Greens senators agree. The other senators will be useless. The Greens will dominate.

He even lacks personal authority. He repeatedly struggled to quieten the rowdy crowd at his victory speech, and Senate leader Penny Wong hogged his stage.

Prime minister-elect Anthony Albanese. Picture: Getty Images

SWAMPED BY EVENTS

Albanese faces the same threats he attacked the Morrison government for not fixing – and will be equally powerless.

Worldwide inflation will keep hitting us. The Ukraine war will keep jacking up petrol and food prices. Interest rates will keep rising. China’s economy is shaky.

At least China may toss Albanese a bone, to see if he’ll be grateful enough to shut up about human rights. But Communist China’s aggression will continue, and many voters in three heavily Chinese seats have just punished Liberal politicians for confronting it. It’s a dangerous moment.

USELESS PROMISES

Albanese started his victory speech by repeating his two biggest promises – neither of which can work or improve lives.

One was to create an Indigenous-only advisory parliament, even though Aborigines already have a vote in our parliament and at least two more Aboriginal MPs have just been elected. The racist promise to change the constitution needs Australians to agree in a referendum. That would almost certainly fail, and either way would divide us. A win gives us apartheid; a loss “proves” we’re “racist”.

Albanese’s other promise, which his Greens partners will insist on, is to cut our emissions even harder. That will hurt, yet not do a thing to stop floods, bushfires or heatwaves. Instead, even more coal-fired power stations will close, sending power prices soaring.

Three huge problems. Albanese is a nice man, but I’m tipping he’ll be overwhelmed.