Election 2022: Anthony Albanese makes his final pitch to voters pledging to leave nobody behind

Labor leader promises to increase the workers’ wages and businesses profit, ‘without adding inflationary pressure’.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese speaks at National Press Club on Wednesday. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Anthony Albanese has promised to increase the wages of Australian workers and profits of businesses “without adding inflationary pressure”, warning voters that “fair work and fair wages are under attack”.

The Opposition Leader used his last major pitch to voters ahead of Saturday’s election to attack Scott Morrison over real wages going “backwards” and outline how Labor would lift productivity to increase pay.

Central to Labor’s wages pitch is its pledge to lift productivity by providing cheaper child care, identifying and fixing skills gaps, expanding access to the NBN and turbocharging local manufacturing.

Mr Albanese said his plan to bring together governments, unions and business groups would help “increase both profits and wages without adding inflationary pressure”.

“One of the first things I will do if I’m elected Prime Minister is bring business, employer groups and trade unions together in an employment summit to collaborate on secure work and ensure enterprise bargaining is working effectively.

“This is the fundamental economic challenge right now, and we must view government, business, unions and employees as partners in tackling it.”

Seizing on wages data released on Wednesday, showing a fall of 2.7 per cent in real wages, Mr Albanese said “this delivers the biggest cuts to real wages in more than 20 years”.

“Under Scott Morrison real wages are plummeting while the costs of living are skyrocketing.

Australian workers are paying the price for a decade of bad policy and economic failures, while Scott Morrison says he should be rewarded with another three years,” he said.

“The choice Australia has to make this Saturday is which party can be trusted to solve these problems.”

He also committed Labor to introducing legislation to make ten days paid domestic and family violence leave “the law of the land” following the Fair Work Commission’s decision to grant millions with the special entitlement.

Amid concerns from business leaders about Labor’s industrial relations policies, Mr Albanese said “promoting smooth workplace relations is one way we can work together to enhance efficiency and productivity”.

Ahead of Labor releasing its policy costings on Thursday, which is expected to show higher deficits than the Coalition over the next four years, Mr Albanese announced Labor would “reduce the uncommitted funding in the Community Development Grants Program by $350m and return the $400m Regionalisation Fund back to the budget.”

“These two decisions alone will repair the Budget by three quarters of a billion dollars. Jim (Chalmers) and Katy (Gallagher) will have more to say on this tomorrow.”

“But I want to be clear right here today. If I have the honour of serving as Prime Minister, it will be my mission – and my responsibility – to ensure that every dollar spent in the Budget is used to drive the productivity growth we need to pay down Liberal debt, and to deliver meaningful quality of life improvements for all Australians.”

Mr Albanese continued his personal attacks on Mr Morrison, seizing on the Prime Minister’s pledge last Friday to change his “bulldozer” leadership style if re-elected.

“Scott Morrison started his campaign saying you didn’t have to like him, but you knew who he was. Five weeks later, he’s saying he can pretend to be someone else, if it will make you like him.”

“Labor is offering Australians a chance to change the country for the better. He’s promising to change his personality. He’s been the devil you know. He’s been a bulldozer. He’s told us he’s a car – just not an electric one, obviously.

“He wants another term as Prime Minister – not because it’s a great deal for you – but because he says, to quote him, he’s ‘just warming up’. Seriously. After four years as Prime Minister. What a concise concession of failure.”

Mr Albanese said Labor would prioritise higher wages, ease cost of living pressures, expand the nation’s manufacturing capacity, strengthen Medicare, fix aged care, boost skills and bring the country together.

“As we near the end of this campaign, these promises remain central to Labor’s vision for Australia.”

The Labor leader said “elections aren’t just an assessment of our campaigns” and that Australians would give their verdict on the “last three years and the last three terms”.

“And, more importantly, making a judgment about who is best to lead our country into the future. In 2022, that means looking at how we got through a once-in-a-century pandemic – and asking what we are going to learn from it.”

“And the risk to business and industry from our position at the end of a global supply chain.

These problems are not new. Most are the inevitable end result of a decade of cuts, mismanagement and neglect.”

Mr Albanese said he would work collaboratively with Premiers and Chief Ministers to make the “federation more functional and more cooperative”.