‘No one left behind’: Anthony Albanese’s vision for Australia

Anthony Albanese has revealed his vision for Australia is one where ‘no one is left behind’ and ‘no one is held back from opportunity’.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese at the Bill Crews Foundation in Ashfield in Sydney’s inner west on Friday. Picture: John Feder

Anthony Albanese has revealed his vision for Australia is one where “no one is left behind” and “no one is held back from opportunity”, and he has declared he is confident Labor will win the next federal election and he is ready to be prime minister.

The Labor leader would like his prime ministership to be remembered for reviving advanced manufacturing, taking advantage of Australia being in the world’s fastest-growing region and turning the country into a “renewable energy superpower”.

“I’m confident but not complacent,” Mr Albanese told The Weekend Australian.

“We have put ourselves in a position to win, but experience shows that there’s nothing certain in politics and we know that events can intervene that are beyond anyone’s control. We will have a plan to build back stronger: a better life for working families, secure Australian jobs and a future made in Australia.

“We will have a critique of the government, but we will also put forward a positive alternative on a range of issues.”

Mr Albanese acknowledged the high expectations that came with being Labor leader given the party had lost three elections in a row.

He said he was an emotional person with a hard edge because he was passionate about his beliefs.

“I have a real sense of the responsibility, a weight on my shoulders, to take us to victory,” he said. “It is a mountain to climb, and it requires discipline and focus.

“I can be very emotional – more so than you would know – because I care about people, I’m quite passionate about my beliefs and I often show that.

“But that doesn’t mean I am not capable of a steely resolve, and I can’t be intimidated.”

His priority was to ensure that Labor wins the next election with a policy agenda that was ambitious but also practical and deliverable. It would not be a big-taxing or big-spending program, Mr Albanese said.

Labor also would focus on presenting its policies as part of a broad and inclusive narrative about its vision for Australia.

“I am ambitious to change the country for the better, but I want to ensure we bring the country with us,” he said.

“I have been able to work with unions and business. I’m a proud unionist but I also want to work with employers. I’m concerned with the creation of wealth, not just its distribution.”

The next phase of Labor’s political strategy, Mr Albanese revealed, was to “reinforce” criticism of the Coalition’s handling of the pandemic while also outlining and advocating a policy plan for “reimagining a stronger Australia” post-Covid.

Mr Albanese acknowledged his critique of Scott Morrison’s handling of the pandemic had cost him personal support in the polls, even though Labor was ahead of the Coalition, but he felt vindicated over vaccines and quarantine.

“His failure on those jobs has had a real impact on people, including half of Australia that is in lockdown,” the Labor leader said.