Anthony Albanese plans for parliament to sit in February as early election speculation grows

The Prime Minister won’t buy into early election speculation as the government rushes 36 pieces of legislation through on the final sitting day of 2024.

Anthony Albanese says he plans for parliament to sit in February to consider the Bills on the government’s first term agenda, as an early election is speculated about.

A senior Coalition figure has stoked the rumours earlier on Thursday as Labor attempted to push through 36 Bills on the last sitting day of the year, to get through its legislative backlog.

While parliament is scheduled to reconvene on February 4 next year, Liberal senator James Paterson said the government was “clearly clearing the decks to go to an election early”.

Should Senator Paterson be correct, and Anthony Albanese calls an election on February 3, this would make way for a March election and bypass a federal budget slated for March 25.

Labor’s legislative push on the last sitting day of 2024 has stoked rumours that Anthony Albanese is going to an early election. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

But on ABC 7.30 later on Thursday, Mr Albanese brushed off the early election talk,

“We fully expect to be sitting in February and we’ll continue to do the two objectives,” the Prime Minister said.

“Everything aimed at how do we make life better for Australians, whether that’s immediate dealing with cost of living pressures.”

He said important parts of Labor’s Future Made In Australia agenda that passed the House on Thursday would be considered by the Senate in February.

“So, that means you are confirming that there will be a sitting of parliament in February?” interviewer Sarah Ferguson said

“Well, that’s certainly our plan,” Mr Albanese replied.

When pushed if that was a confirmation of parliament returning, Mr Albanese said:

“Well, I don’t give election dates or variations to the questions.”

Bills pushed through the Senate

Despite an initial failed attempt to guillotine all 36 bills, which will allow the Senate to scrap debate and senators to directly vote on the bills, Labor managed to pass a guillotine motion across 20 bills on its second attempt.

While this didn’t involve the critical social media age ban and omnibus migration bill, it’s understood these will be included into the guillotine motion at a later stage, with the government still committed to passing the legislation on Thursday.

“The extraordinary guillotine list in the Senate today of (36) bills shows that the Prime Minister has no intention of bringing the parliament back in the new year before the election,” Senator Paterson told reporters in parliament on Thursday.

“I am seriously doubtful that the parliament will sit in February because the Prime Minister is clearly clearing the decks to go to an election early.

“And the Australian people have to ask themselves, why is the Prime Minister keen to rush off to an election? What is it that he wants to hide?”

Senator Paterson said he believed Labor was attempting to avoid having to hand down its budget, with forward estimates forecasting deficits until 2027-28.

“What is it about the state of the nation’s finances that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer Jim Chalmers don’t want to be upfront with the Australian people about?” he said.

“What’s very clear is the Prime Minister has a plan for his own re-election.

“The Prime Minister has a political plan, he does not have a plan for the Australian people.”

Senator James Paterson accused Labor of trying to avoid handing down its budget in March, with forward estimates forecasting a long string of deficits. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

On the government’s lengthy agenda is its bid to ban social media for teenagers under 16 years of age and its omnibus migration Bill that will allow Australia to pay other countries to accept deportees, both of which will need to be passed on Thursday.

As it stands, Labor’s electoral reforms will be delayed to next year after the Coalition put forward last-minute amendments.

The government’s manager of business in the senate Katy Gallagher acknowledged the Senate was distracted on Wednesday after Lidia Thorpe threw ripped up pieces of paper in the direction of Pauline Hanson before leaving the chamber and flipping her middle finger at the One Nation leader.

The incident resulted in Senator Thorpe being suspended until Thursday.

“We tried to deal with it as quickly as possible, but it’s a minority chamber, so we don’t control the time or what happens in that chamber,” she said.