National cabinet overhaul tops to-do list for Anthony Albanese

A Labor government would invite premiers to turbocharge productivity and cut red-tape, Anthony Albanese says.

Anthony Albanese says ‘the pandemic shows that a strong federation is more important than ever’. Picture: Nikki Short

Anthony Albanese would improve the transparency and accountability of national cabinet and invite premiers to work on turbocharging productivity and cutting red-tape alongside the pandemic response, if Labor wins the next election.

“The pandemic shows that a strong federation is more important than ever,” the Labor leader told The Australian in an exclusive interview. “This is central to micro-economic reform, productivity growth and better service delivery.

“I will task ministers with working with their state and territory ministers to streamline regulation, avoid duplication and maximise efficiency.”

The Australian can reveal the Morrison government has not agreed to a freedom of information request by Labor to access minutes of national cabinet meetings held on July 2 and July 23 this year.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet advised Labor it must pay a charge of $774.56 if it wishes to proceed with the request. The department has informed Labor that it will take more than 43 hours – more than a standard working week – to search and retrieve the minutes, and process them for release.

The department further advises there is “no guarantee” that the minutes will be ultimately released even if the full charge is paid. “That is a matter for the decision-maker to decide in the usual manner after examining the relevant documents,” the departmental representative writes.

Mr Albanese has been critical of the secrecy of national cabinet deliberations and argues it does not operate as a ­traditional cabinet nor is it truly national.

Independent senator Rex Patrick last month won an ­appeal in the ­Administrative ­Appeals Tribunal to access ­national cabinet documents. The government argued national cabinet deliberations were confidential but Justice Richard White found the national cabinet was not actually a subcommittee of cabinet at all.

“The concept of the national cabinet is a good one that has been undermined by Scott Morrison’s partisanship and ­duplicity,” Mr Albanese said. “You can’t be constructive in a meeting and lack transparency.

“An effective national cabinet must work with all premiers and chief ministers to promote unity, not selective division. Transparency and accountability will be the hallmark of a government I lead and that will start with ­national cabinet.”

He said a Labor government would also include local government in meetings of the national cabinet because the third tier of government is a “vital” part of Australia’s federation. The ­national cabinet was established in March 2020 to manage the national response to Covid. It has since replaced the Council of Australian Governments.

A Labor government would revive many of these processes, especially at ministerial and officials level, where committees work to reduce bureaucratic overlap and streamline regulatory processes that improved service delivery and boosted productivity. These meetings, which were focused on micro-economic reform, often published their agendas, minutes and decisions via communiques, and then reported on progress.

Read Troy Bramston’s extended interview with Anthony Albanese in The Weekend Australian