‘Whatever it takes’ Anthony Albanese takes centre stage as he looks to next election

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.

They might hail from opposite sides of the factional divide within NSW Labor, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese increasingly has one thing in common with former Labor senator Graham Richardson. They share a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude to politics.

That was the title of Richardson’s political autobiography and it was his mantra when serving Labor PMs Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. The ruthless Labor right ran the show, and 13 years of Labor government eschewed, a sharp contrast to the previous crash and crash through approach by the Whitlam government.

Back then Albanese was a left wing fire brand, still blinded by his ideological preferences. Opposed to many of the economic reforms Keating passionately argued for. In agreement with left wing unions outraged by the trade liberalisation.

Fighting lost causes – economic and social – and proud to be defeated when standing on principle was Albo’s ideological approach back then. In fact, it was an approach that continued for much of his parliamentary career.

Today he is a pragmatist and an increasingly ruthless one at that. We’ve witnessed this evolution of Albo over recent years: age has not wearied him but it has adjusted his priorities. Winning became paramount once he assumed the opposition leadership. After a brief foray into the ideological mirth during the voice debate, whatever it takes Albo has emerged out the other side of that defeat, hell bent on avoiding such ignominy again.

Broken promises on stage three tax cuts and superannuation changes had political and fiscal merit, once the government’s research showed they wouldn’t cause too much damage to their reputation for honesty. Now Albo is walking away from promised changes to religious freedom laws via the Sexual Discrimination Act, unless bipartisan support emerges, which it almost certainly never will.

But this latest broken promise tells us a lot more about Albo’s new whatever it takes mantra, which now goes much further than simple pragmatism. That’s because letting down the LGBTI community by not inserting protections for teachers and students at faith based schools goes against everything progressive Albanese stands for. Notwithstanding his Catholic upbringing.

He was one of the first Labor MPs to back same sex marriage, having championed LGBTI rights long before even entering parliament. He marched in the Mardi Gras before it became fashionable for mainstream politicians to do so.

But Albo knows the damage that could be done politically to him and his government if another Voice style defeat beckoned. If he gives Peter Dutton another chance to lock horns on an issue the majority isn’t sold on. It is the same reason there won’t be a republican referendum on Albo’s watch, unless it comes late in a third or fourth term as a political swan song. Even then he probably won’t do it unless victory is all but guaranteed, bipartisanship achieved.

Whatever it takes in the name of retaining power dictates the way Albo now approaches his job. In a sense it is the personification of old fashion conservatism: by staying in power and keeping the other mob away from power you get more done over time. Slowly by surely. Preventing the other side unpicking any achievements.

It isn’t as though this Labor government is acting like Liberals lite, not at all. Look at the workplace reforms being enacted for example. They are just picking fights they believe are vote winners rather than fights that simply appeal to the inner city types who would never vote Liberal anyway. They might send their first preferences to the Greens as a consequences of the whatever it takes approach, but who cares. Australia uses preferential voting, and even if the odd lower house seat is lost to the Greens, they would only ever support a Labor government anyway.

Albanese knows that being criticised on his left flank is a sure sign he’s well placed to capture the centre ground, and that’s where elections are won and lost. Dutton and the Coalition should be extremely concerned about such a level headed approach.

Dr Peter van Onselen is Winthrop Professor of Politics and Public Policy at The University of Western Australia.