Coronavirus: Anthony Albanese calls for sweeping IR changes and social housing expansion

Anthony Albanese has flagged the need for sweeping changes to the industrial relations system and a massive expansion of social housing.

Anthony Albanese in Camperdown, Sydney, on Thursday. Picture: AAP

Anthony Albanese has outlined his manifesto for a post-pandemic Australia, flagging the need for sweeping changes to the industrial relations system and a massive expansion of social housing.

The Opposition Leader declared the COVID-19 pandemic will “change our society forever” and “serious debates” would be needed about Australia’s direction in a new world. The call for a long-term rethink on the Australian way of life came as Labor increased its attack on the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and pushed for stricter immediate shutdowns.

“We will need to look at the nat­ure of work and the casualis­ation of the workforce and what it is doing in terms of adding to ­people’s insecurity at work,” Mr Albanese said.

“We will need to look at the contracting out of the workforce, particularly for public sector jobs.

“The fact that Centrelink has been in a position of not being able to cope whatsoever with demand from its services is a product in part of the contracting out (of jobs), the use of robodebt rather than actually using people, all of those consequences I think have been seen.”

Mr Albanese also said there needed to be a “massive expansion of social housing”.

“Social housing is important as a stabiliser in terms of communities right around the country,” he said. “We need to make sure we have a proper examination of why is it, that at a time when people for many decades have been able to make money out of investing in housing, at that very time governments have withdrawn on investment in housing.

“Whether it is public housing directly or community-based housing, this is something that we are going to have to look at as we come out of the crisis we are in and we start to shape what Australia will look like going ahead in coming years and decades.”

Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen has called for “harder and earlier” shutdowns and lashed the government for backflipping on a 30-minute timeframe on haircuts. “Labor believes more needs to be done; done harder and done earlier. We support stricter restrictions,” Mr Bowen said.

“The best economic policy is the best health policy. The harder we are earlier, the sooner we will come out of this on the other side.”

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has blasted Labor’s demands for stronger and faster lockdowns, saying the opposition is undermining medical experts.

“Federal Labor's approach, sadly, has been becoming more unhelpful. That is regrettable,” Senator Cormann said.