Albanese's plan for 2024 should keep Labor ahead of Opposition

While the Coalition dwells on pessimism and negativity, PM Albanese is continuing to lead the Labor Party to another victory in the next election, writes Belinda Jones.

PRIME MINISTER Anthony Albanese kicked off the political year with a press conference last Wednesday discussing a variety of issues from cricketer David Warner’s missing baggy green to commencing an independent investigation into Iraq war documents led by Dennis Richardson.

It has been revealed that the Morrison Government failed to hand over 78 documents relating to the 2003 Iraq War to the National Archives in 2020. The war to which John Howard committed Australia, based on “oral reports” over U.S. claims that Iraq was harbouring weapons of mass destruction, a claim that was later proven to be false. No evidence of weapons of mass destruction was ever found.

All 78 documents have now been handed over to the National Archives and Richardson will report back to the Prime Minister in two weeks after investigating why these documents “went missing”.

In his press conference, Albanese briefly outlined the Government's plan for 2024 with the focus being on more fee-free TAFE places, strengthening Medicare, housing, manufacturing, the transition to renewables, trade with China and addressing the cost-of-living crisis. The Prime Minister also discussed the recent disasters in Japan. The ongoing conflict in Israel was not mentioned.

A new year’s resolution: Get back on the reform horse

After the defeat of the Voice Referendum, PM Anthony Albanese should not walk away from constitutional reforms and instead embrace a new process to deliver non-partisan backing for change.

In these New Year communications to the Australian public about domestic and international issues, Albanese did not raise any concerns about any other country and spoke in positive terms of strengthening engagement and trade relations with China, along with other ASEAN and Pacific neighbours further distancing himself from the war-drum beating of the previous Coalition Government. The focus for the Albanese Government is clearly on rebuilding relationships with China and resurrecting trade for Australian exporters.

Overall, the essence of Albanese’s New Year messaging was positive and hopeful, with a plan to address the issues at hand by a confident and competent government.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is yet to hold his first press conference for 2024 and has mainly kept a low profile since Parliament rose for 2023. Dutton visited flood-ravaged Cairns just before Christmas and released a Christmas and New Year Message focused on hardship, difficulties, pressures and adversity. Dutton’s message was quite negative in contrast to the positivity of Albanese’s New Year message and illustrates well the differences between the two politicians.

Dutton still trails Albanese in the polls for ‘Better PM’ with 35 to the Prime Minister’s 46. Since the May 2022 Election, Dutton’s approval rating has only shifted ten points from 25 to 35 and is an indicator that he is not “cutting through”. Dutton certainly has a lot of work to do in 2024 if he wants the Coalition to be competitive in the 2025 Federal Election.

Dutton has given no indication as to when he will release any Coalition policies and seems content for the Coalition to bide its time focusing on culture wars over issues like Australia Day and Qantas CEO meetings with Albanese. Increasingly, Dutton is distancing himself from the real issues facing Australians with his focus on Sky News-inspired culture wars like Australia Day. This is now an annual event for the Coalition. As sure as Woolies will stock hot cross buns from Boxing Day onwards, the Coalition will chuck a tantrum over Australia Day by New Year's.

In a world being ravaged by natural disasters, wars and buffeted by both domestic and global financial headwinds, the Australia Day argument just serves to illustrate the privilege of the Coalition, which believes new citizenship ceremony rules are the most pressing issue consuming the Australian public’s minds as they mop up floodwaters and rebuild their storm-damaged homes. They could not be further from the truth and this is reflected starkly in the polls.

Labor Government's 2024 challenge to restore visa integrity

Despite the Government’s $160 million package to address the massive growth in asylum seekers, November 2023 data suggests little change in recent trends.

Dutton and the Coalition also know full well that Australia Day citizenship ceremonies are a local government issue and not within the remit of the Federal Government, but this does not halt the annual tantrum.

On a state and territory level, Queensland, the A.C.T. and Northern Territory will head to the polls in 2024.

So, as always, the political calendar is crammed full of elections at all levels of government in 2024 and will be the catalyst for the Federal Government and Opposition to prepare for the 2025 Federal Election, due in May 2025.

The first sitting day of Federal Parliament will be 6 February 2024. Some Coalition members, including Barnaby Joyce, have been busy organising an offshore wind farm protest meeting outside Parliament House on that day. The first day of Parliament is traditionally a busy one, with ceremonies and politicians jostling for media time, any protests on the lawns opposite Parliament House will have their work cut out for them getting airtime or media attention.

All-in-all, it’s shaping up to be another exciting year in politics for Australia with the Albanese Government confidently executing its game plan while the Coalition struggles to keep its eye on the ball.