Anthony Albanese set to be elected Labor leader unopposed

Chris Bowen has revealed the reason he bowed out of the contest for the Labor leadership, leaving Anthony Albanese to be elected unopposed.

Chris Bowen has confirmed he is pulling out of the Labor leadership challenge.

Mr Bowen made the announcement this afternoon after initially indicating he was putting his hand up to oppose Anthony Albanese.

Now Queensland MP Jim Chalmers has revealed he is still considering his options.

Mr Bowen told reporters this afternoon he had been on the phone to colleagues over the last 48 hours discussing how his potential move was going to play out.

“I’ve been very pleased with the response. It’s clear to me that I would have majority support in the actual caucus ballot.

“Not a big majority, but majority support with some support from the left faction as well as support from the right faction, and people that aren’t in any faction. But it’s also clear to me, I’m a realist, that Albo would win the rank and file for good reason.

“He’s a popular character. By a good margin. Hence I have reached the view that it would be unlikely for me to win the ballot.”

Mr Bowen said when he entered the Labor leadership race he was doing it to put certain issues on the agenda to be debated for our party.

“I thought that was really important. And I still think that’s really important. I’m glad that Anthony and I have been able to do that,” he said.

“From my point of view the Labor Party needs to look carefully at the lessons from Saturday. The lessons in the regions, the lessons in the suburbs, and ensure that we’re reconnecting with people who used to vote Labor, but for some reason no longer feel comfortable doing so.”

Mr Bowen indicated he would have won the leadership under the old system, but changes brought in by former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd give Mr Albanese an advantage.

“I was pleased with the way I was doing in the caucus ballot, but, you know, I look at how it would play out from there,” he said.

“I think Anthony would have, as he had last time, a strong advantage in the rank and file.

“It used to be the case if you had the numbers in the caucus you’d get it. But it’s no longer the system, so therefore that’s what’s changed.”

Mr Albanese is currently the only declared candidate for the party’s leadership, Mr Chalmers, from the party’s right faction, this afternoon said he still might put his hand up.

I feel for Chris & I know it would’ve been hard for him to pull out. I’m being encouraged to nominate for leader & I’ll now consider my options overnight. @AustralianLabor needs to rebuild, refresh & renew & I want to play a prominent role in that. What role is to be determined.

— Jim Chalmers MP (@JEChalmers) May 22, 2019

The New Daily reported Mr Chalmers could run as Mr Bowen’s deputy, but it is understood no formal agreement has been reached.

On Monday night Mr Chalmers told the Q&A panel on the ABC that he was considering vying for the leadership.

Labor’s interim leader Bill Shorten had reportedly pushed Mr Bowen to run against Mr Alabanese.

After his election defeat, Mr Shorten had reportedly been campaigning to quell support for his more left-wing former rival, who is understood to have support from Labor’s NSW right faction.

Federal Labor frontbencher Penny Wong — another key figure in Mr Shorten’s inner circle — has backed Mr Albanese as the “best person” to become the party’s next national leader.

She would remain as Senate leader in the reshuffle.

Mr Bowen’s backdown follows Labor’s current deputy leader Tanya Plibersek’s surprise announcement she would also not be running for the party’s top job.

Ms Plibersek gave family reasons for the decision.

“I am very grateful for the support I have received from my colleagues, from party members and others, urging me to run for the Labor leadership,” Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

“But now is not my time.

“At this point, I cannot reconcile the important responsibilities I have to my family with the additional responsibilities of the Labor leadership.

“I know some people will be disappointed with this decision.

“I intend to continue as deputy leader until the leadership is determined.”

KOCHIE HITS BOWEN WITH BRUTAL SHAKEDOWN

Earlier today Mr Bowen was given a brutal shakedown by Sunrise host David Koch in a fiery interview.

Still reeling from his party’s monumental loss, Mr Bowen was forced to explain and defend his role in shaping the policies that were roundly rejected by Aussie voters.

Kochie didn’t mince his words, suggesting Mr Bowen’s tax reform ideas lost the “unlosable election” for Labor and his reputation had been “tarnished”.

“I claim full responsibility for all the policies I was involved in, for what we got right and for what people may say we got wrong,” Mr Bowen said.

Labor leadership contender @BowenChris admits that his campaign comment "if you don't like our policies, don't vote for us" could have been worded better. pic.twitter.com/BWTMTrrPhS

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 21, 2019

Shadow Treasurer @BowenChris makes his case for Labor leadership and denies a radical tax agenda lost his party the election. pic.twitter.com/jGvdRJbAU9

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 21, 2019

However, Kochie wasn’t satisfied and went for the jugular on Labor’s proposed tax reforms.

“Tax reform has never won anyone an election. History says it is the kiss of death. You went in with a massive tax reform agenda, not that we don’t need it,” he said.

“Franking credit reforms, you frightened the pants off so many retirees and families. How can you then put your hand up to be leader?

“Honest losers never get into power. That is the problem with politics.”

Mr Bowen said he had too much respect for the Australian people to run on a dishonest campaign.

“Clearly, we respect the verdict of the Australian people,” he said. “They do not like what we put forward, but we also paid a price for things that weren’t our policy.

Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen are in the running for the Labor leadership. Picture: Image/Lukas Coch

“There was an alleged death tax … this was an invention by the Liberal Party and I think they cost us a lot of votes as we tried to bat away that scare campaign.

“Kochie, I would not be part of a political party that was dishonest with the Australian people. We believe that those plans were right for this election and we tell people about it.”

However, Kochie warned Labor would spend a “long time in opposition” if it didn’t change its tactics — and took aim at comments Mr Bowen made during the election campaign when he said if people didn’t like Labor’s policies, they were “perfectly entitled” to vote against them.

“A lot of people didn’t like your comment during the campaign where you said ‘don’t vote for us if you don’t like our policies’ — well, they took your advice,” said Kochie.

Mr Bowen defended what he was trying to say but admitted he could have chosen his words better.

“What I was trying to say there was that we had the courage to put our policies out for the Australian people to judge. We were not hiding them,’ Mr Bowen said.

“I could have worded that sentence better to make it clearer, but we are certainly not trying to show disrespect to anybody, and I think that was taken out of context by the Liberal Party on purpose, but I take responsibility for my words.”

Mr Bowen is also copping stick for a picture he posted on the eve of the election campaign showing Labor’s leadership team with the heading “We’re ready’’.

Some suggested it showed Labor’s misplaced confidence.

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The picture of Labor’s leadership team is being ridiculed on social media. Picture: Dominic Lorrimer

Frontbencher Tony Burke is also believed to be backing Mr Albanese over Mr Bowen.

The shadow treasurer says he has support from both the left and right of the party after speaking to most of his colleagues.

“I think it’s fair to say I would have majority support in a Labor caucus,” he told ABC News Breakfast.

Mr Bowen could face internal headwinds as the architect of Labor’s plans to change the franking credits regime and crackdown on negative gearing. The Coalition branded these “new taxes” that would hurt retirees and mum-and-dad property investors, and the policies were key factors in Labor losing the election.

Penny Wong is expected to back Mr Albanese. Picture: AAP Image/David Crosling

Mr Albanese confirmed he’d make a second tilt at the leadership on Sunday. His last attempt in 2013 ended in a loss to Bill Shorten who resigned from the leadership after Saturday’s election loss.

“We got the votes of one-in-three of every Australian on Saturday. We need to do much better,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Bowen received a mix of positive and negative comments on his Facebook page on Tuesday, with many linking him with Labor’s loss and calling for “generational change” in the party.

The leadership will be decided by a vote of grassroots members and the federal parliamentary caucus, with each group given 50 per cent weight. Caucus will not be told the result of the grassroots vote before MPs make their decision.

— with wires

Originally published as Anthony Albanese set to be elected Labor leader unopposed