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'Once in a lifetime opportunity': Albanese calls for economic overhaul
By David Crowe
Labor leader Anthony Albanese will call for a new focus on fairness in the recovery from the coronavirus crisis, naming housing construction and local manufacturing as two priorities in his economic agenda.
Mr Albanese will dismiss Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s talk of a “snap back” in the economy by declaring the concept must not mean a return to old problems, including insecure work for thousands of Australians.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese works on his vision speech in his office at Parliament House on Saturday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
In a major speech in Parliament House on Monday, the Labor leader will instead describe the crisis as a “once in a political lifetime” chance to reshape the economy to create better jobs.
The draft speech includes calls for sweeping investments in social housing to boost construction jobs, more heavy manufacturing to be kept within the country and a plan for high-speed rail to help ease pressure on the big cities.
“This crisis has exposed a complacency about the underlying health of our economy and society that has deepened over the last seven years of Liberal government,” he says in the draft.
“With one million unemployed it’s no time for complacency.
“It’s no time for a ‘snap back’ to the Liberal agenda of cutting services, suppressing wages and undermining job security.
“This pandemic has shown that Labor’s values of fairness and security and our belief in the power of government to shape change to the advantage of working people are the right ones.”
Mr Albanese rebukes the government for attacking Labor’s fiscal stimulus during the global financial crisis only to mirror the concept during the pandemic, while also dismissing the “marketing slogans” from Mr Morrison.
The speech, to be delivered to Labor MPs before Parliament resumes on Tuesday, follows four speeches over recent months on the future of work, skills, older Australians and democratic values.
While the speech does not announce specific policies, it clears the way for a rethink on Labor election commitments after The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last week revealed a leaked shadow cabinet policy review.
Asked last week about Labor policies at the last election, Mr Albanese said the party’s franking credits policy was “off the agenda” for the next election.
“We won’t be proceeding with the same policy that we took to the 2019 election,” he said while campaigning with Eden-Monaro candidate Kristy McBain.
“With regard to negative gearing and those issues, we made it clear as well that there will be no impact on any existing arrangements.”
Mr Albanese will argue on Monday that the crisis should force a wider change in the country’s values and goals.
“In an era that worships celebrity, we need to regain our traditional respect for working people and do right by them,” he says.
“We are not just an economy, we are a society.”
He says this should mean stronger government action to create permanent jobs and an industrial relations system to lift productivity and share the benefits.
“We must revitalise high-value Australian manufacturing using our clean energy resources,” he says in the draft.
“We must invest in nation-building infrastructure including iconic projects like high-speed rail and we should be building trains here.
“Government procurement policy in rail manufacturing has produced superior outcomes to imports and created regional jobs in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.”
Mr Albanese will also call for more federal support for social housing projects on the grounds that this could boost the economy in the recovery from the coronavirus crisis.
“The pipeline for housing construction is drying up and will result in a sharp decline in work for small business and tradies unless action is taken,” he says in the draft.
“Governments should be working with the private sector and superannuation funds to deliver significant investment in social and affordable housing.”