Ready for an election, Albanese unveils his new catchphrase

Anthony Albanese has signalled his election campaign slogan after driving a raft of major policy reforms through the Senate, declaring the government has the back of ordinary Australians.

An upbeat prime minister told an early morning press conference on Friday that after the passage of 45 pieces of legislation this week, the government had shown it could deliver on its agenda, which was focused on immediate issues such as the cost of living, while also putting in place major economic reforms.

A happy Anthony Albanese on Friday morning, after passing 31 pieces of legislation through the Senate on a single day on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

On Thursday evening alone, the Senate passed 31 bills, including reforms to the Reserve Bank, the budget’s centrepiece Future Made in Australia tax laws, a world-leading ban on children under 16 using social media and Build to Rent changes it believes will increase the number of rental properties by 80,000.

Albanese, who at the start of November used a campaign-like event in Adelaide to outline major changes to TAFE and higher education, said the driving force for the government was to help people.

“My message is – we have your back,” he said. “The number one priority of my government is to continue providing support.

“We work each and every day to make a difference, and the legislation that was passed will make a difference.”

Albanese said the government was dealing both with immediate issues, such as inflation or decisions by the High Court to strike down immigration laws, and those that would shape the country over the long term.

He said new penalties on supermarkets, higher pay for childcare workers and keeping a lid on childcare fees were all changes that would help people in the short and long term.

“We’re focused on dealing with day-to-day pressures, cost of living, we understand is the number one issue, and a range of those measures that pass the parliament deal with that. But we’ve always kept our eye on the big reform agenda, whether it be the economic agenda I’ve spoken about, or the social agenda with our social media reforms, which are world-leading,” he said.

However, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the passage of so many pieces of legislation, in most cases with little debate, was a sign of a government on its last legs.

“What we saw in the Senate last night was a going-out-of-business sale. It was like just everything discounted and whatever it takes to clear the shelves,” he told the Nine Network.

“Frankly, the Albanese government’s sort of running on three flat tyres at the moment and they are limping to Christmas, they’re just getting out of this parliament.

“I think the government will be glad to get through the parliament, and I’d be surprised if we come back next year. I think the PM’s in a pretty desperate state.”

Albanese said he still wanted to overhaul electoral donation laws, which was one of several proposed bills not put to the Senate this week, in a sign parliament will return for its February 4 sitting next year.

If parliament returns for the two-week February sitting, any prospective election is pushed back into late March or early April.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is due to release the government’s fourth budget on March 25. That budget is likely to show the government deep in the red, with a forecast deficit of $28.3 billion for the current financial year.

Figures released on Friday showed that to the end of October, the budget was $6.4 billion in front of the May forecasts. That was due largely to an extra $5 billion in personal income tax, with the strong jobs market and higher wage growth combining for better collections.

But company tax collections, already forecast to be lower this year than in 2023-24, were $1.7 billion below expectations.

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