Frydenberg says Labor ‘failed to meet its objectives’ in final sitting weeks

Josh Frydenberg says Labor failed to meet any of its objectives in the last parliamentary sitting fortnight.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg arrived at Menzies House in Canberra for a Federal Executive Meeting on Friday. Picture Gary Ramage

Josh Frydenberg says Labor failed to meet any of its objectives in the last parliamentary sitting fortnight, as opposition frontbencher Tony Burke lashes a “chaotic” year in Canberra.

The Coalition passed its encryption laws, after a Labor backdown, last week and stopped amendments which would have allowed for medical evacuations from Nauru and Manus Island last week.

The latter, if it had reached the House of Representatives, would have led to the first defeat of a government on legislation since the Second World War.

“When you look at what Labor said would happen over the last week, they didn’t meet any of their objectives,” the Treasurer told the ABC’s Insiders program.

“They briefed out that (Home Affairs Minister Peter) Dutton was going to be referred to the High Court. They said that we wouldn’t have the support of the crossbenchers when it came to energy.

“They said we were going to be forced to accept their amendments to the encryption bill, that we would suffer the defeat on border protection.

“And it was Labor, who even in the words of The Guardian, unconditionally surrendered on national security.”

Despite the threat of the Nauru amendments reaching the House and winning a vote when parliament returns in February, Mr Frydenberg said the plan was still to hold an election after a federal budget is delivered on April 2.

“The Prime Minister has laid out very clearly that our intention is to deliver a budget and a budget surplus, the first in more than a decade on April 2. And then there would be an election in the normal course after that,” he said.

“Ultimately, the decision about the timing of the Federal Election is the Prime Minister’s. But that is what he has said.”

While the Treasurer talked up the political win, Labor’s manager of opposition business Tony Burke characterised the parliamentary year as one of chaos.

“I think the place has been chaotic, I don’t think there’s any way of describing the year that we’ve had,” Mr Burke told Sky News this morning.

“It’s been chaotic, it’s been disappointing, I think a whole lot of Australians have gone from angry at the place to just tuning out.

“As people go into their summer holidays they’ll avoid political conversations as much as they can but if they’re stuck in one they will really ask themselves why on earth Malcolm Turnbull isn’t still the prime minister.”