Albanese’s old boys club needs a Kamala injection
Anthony Albanese’s focus seems to be less on delivering societal reforms in the spirit of the Labor movement than in working to keep government in the hands of Labor and the Coalition, and minimise the influence of Independents and the Greens. In the name of “bipartisan agreement” he is creating a political “old boys’ club”, negotiating legislation in agreement with the Coalition – the secretive NACC, modified Stage 3 tax cuts, AUKUS.
Albanese’s justification may be that he wants his legislation to endure, but kow-towing to the Coalition now provides no guarantee of this. It looks more likely that he simply prefers working with the devil he knows. Should Labor retain government and govern in minority, we might expect that he will continue to work with the Coalition for a further three years.
Albanese will be remembered as a disappointing prime minister. The suggestion of a transition from Albanese and Marles to Chalmers and Plibersek brings a whiff of Kamala Harris into the equation. If the incumbents could be persuaded to stand aside voluntarily — as Joe Biden, to his eternal credit, did — there may yet be hope for a better, brighter future. Let’s hope.
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