‘Quiet genius’ of ALP to laud party’s renewables win

ALP national secretary Paul Erickson, who mastermind the ALP’s landslide victory, will highlight the party’s ‘embrace’ of renewable energy as one of its election-winning tenets during a speech to the National Press Club today.

Labor national secretary and campaign director Paul Erickson at a previous appearance at the National Press Club. Picture: AAP

Labor’s “quiet genius” who mastermind the ALP’s landslide victory will claim the party’s “embrace” of renewable energy was one its election-winning tenets, as he prepares to lift the curtain behind May 3’s historic victory

ALP national secretary and campaign director Paul Erickson will tell the National Press Club on Wednesday that Anthony Albanese was in the “form of his life” and that Peter Dutton succeeded in “never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity”.

Mr Erickson will spruik the ALP’s embracing of renewable energy as a driving factor towards its victory, despite it featuring only sparingly during the campaign and March’s pre-election budget.

“Under Labor, Australia has put an end to the denial and delay, and is embracing renewable energy to power our economy,” Mr Erickson will tell the press club on Wednesday.

“In the decade before 2022, Australia’s policy settings barely acknowledged climate change and there was no plan for keeping the lights on.

“Now we are taking advantage of the opportunities created by the global shift to renewables … As the Prime Minister said at our launch, Labor has one energy policy and we’re delivering it – driving private sector investment in renewables, backed by gas, hydro and batteries.”

Anthony Albanese holds up his Medicare card during the Labor Party’s election victory party on May 3. Picture: Getty Images

At Labor’s Perth-based campaign launch in April, Mr Albanese told party faithful that voters had chosen the ALP three years ago with a mandate to pursue renewables, vowing to “build more renewables here and now”.

Mr Erickson will claim the public embraced the renewables policy compared with the Liberals “plugging nuclear energy and then running away from any detail and argue it was one of four key election factors alongside Labor’s record on tackling rising cost of living, driving down inflation, and “laying the foundations” for long-term reform.

“Coming into 2025, the conventional wisdom undervalued Labor’s capacity to use our record as the foundation for our second-term policy offer,” Mr Erickson will say, spruiking Mr Albanese’s achievements in delivering tax cuts, energy bill relief, increasing bulk-billing, and investment in TAFE. “And it underestimated the capacity of the Australian electorate to assess how their leaders were responding to changing circumstances.”

The ALP boss will say Mr Albanese was “exemplary” and provided “authentic leadership”.

Mr Erickson at the party’s May 3 election event in Sydney. Picture: Jason Edwards

“Albo was in his element, connecting with everyday people and enjoying it,” he will say, arguing the Prime Minister provided “authentic leadership” amid Don­ald Trump’s tariffs and during Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

“And while (he) was telling a positive story about who we are and where we’re going, Peter Dutton was gloomy about the country, downcast about the future, and most animated when magnifying the problems facing Australia.”

Mr Erickson’s steering of Labor’s second consecutive election victory has prompted suggestions party powerbrokers could “gift” a federal seat to the national secretary, who is unlikely to take charge of a third campaign but who is not angling for a position and declined an offer to replace senator Linda White when she died from illness early last year.

Yet after two decisive Labor wins, colleagues told The Australian in May that they hoped Mr Erickson would remain steering the ship. “It’s a matter for him obviously, but for us we’re thinking ‘Please, please don’t leave, because whatever you’re doing, it’s working’,” one Labor MP previously told The Australian.