Election gun fired as PM, Dutton prepare pre-Christmas campaign blitzes
Anthony Albanese will launch a pre-Christmas blitz of battleground states and seats in WA, as Labor finalises plans for cost-of-living and election policies in its mid-year budget update.
Anthony Albanese will launch a pre-Christmas blitz of battleground states and seats in Western Australia next week, as the government finalises plans for new cost-of-living and election policies in its mid-year budget update.
The Prime Minister and Peter Dutton will run duelling election-style campaigns across the country ahead of a short summer break, with both leaders set to unveil competing policies targeting households in the grip of a prolonged cost-of-living and housing crisis.
Mr Albanese’s return to WA after personally intervening to blow-up a deal with the Greens on Labor’s Nature Positive environmental law reforms comes as ALP strategists warn against complacency in the powerhouse mining state.
After claiming majority government on the back of sweeping Liberal Party seats in Perth, Mr Albanese is returning to WA to shore-up support in electorates under threat of flipping back to the Coalition. For months, Labor operatives have expressed confidence the party would hold all of its WA gains and win the new seat of Bullwinkel.
The Weekend Australian understands Mr Albanese, who rammed 45 pieces of legislation through parliament in the final sitting week to clear the decks before next year’s election, is also preparing a US-style rally event to deliver a year-ending headland speech telling voters that Labor has “got your back”.
As the government seeks clear air to reverse plunging voter support, new monthly financial statements released by Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Friday revealed the budget was running a deficit of $23bn at the end of October, with net debt levels at $521.6bn.
Mr Dutton, who is targeting Labor, Teal and Greens seats in WA, Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Northern Territory, will visit key seats across the country right up until Christmas.
Senior Coalition sources said energy and housing would be a major focus for the Opposition Leader, who is expected to announce more details on his nuclear, energy and housing policies before the summer break. Highlighting and addressing cost-of-living pressures remains the Coalition’s number one priority, as the government struggles under the pressure of incumbency and soaring energy, mortgage and insurance bills fuelled by sticky inflation.
The Weekend Australian understands the Albanese government is focused on getting more policies out the door before Christmas, with Jim Chalmers’ Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook next month including funding provisions for election campaign promises.
In the event Mr Albanese opts for an earlier March election, MYEFO will factor in a suite of election policies under the “decisions taken but not yet announced and not-for-publication” line item.
While Mr Albanese’s intention is to return for the first parliamentary sitting week on February 4, favourable conditions for Labor could trigger an early election and avoid handing down a deficit-laden March 25 budget.
Acknowledging the government needs to do more in helping households, Mr Albanese on Friday said he was focused on “making Australians lives better”.
“We know that we have more work to do on cost-of-living, but we’re making progress. We understand the pressure that people are under as a result of the global inflation surge,” Mr Albanese said.
“We’re focused on dealing with day-to-day pressures. Cost-of-living we understand is the number one issue, and a range of those measures that pass the parliament deal with that.”
Asked if he was clearing the decks for an early election, Mr Albanese said “not at all”.
Amid an explosion in properties being put up for sale, as families deal with mortgage stress and first-home buyers struggle to crack the market, Mr Albanese and Labor ministers will ramp-up their sell of the government’s $32bn Homes for Australia plan.
Under pressure from Labor to release more policies and nuclear energy costings, Mr Dutton said the Coalition was ready for an election.
“We’re ready. Bring it on. Call the election and put Australians out of their misery and get a good government in so we can get the country back on track,” Mr Dutton said.
“Frankly, the Albanese government’s sort of running on three flat tyres at the moment and they are limping to Christmas, they’re just getting out of this parliament. They spent a motza of taxpayers’ money to get the Greens across the line (on legislation) in a pretty unholy alliance.
“I think people see through it. I’d be surprised if we come back (to parliament) next year. I think the PM’s in a pretty desperate state.”
Dr Chalmers attacked Mr Dutton for “completely vacating the field on the cost-of-living and economic reform … the Coalition has completely vacated the field on the economy … they still don’t have any costed credible or coherent economic policies.”
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