WEAK LEADERSHIP
Albanese has never held a financial or security portfolio. He's argued for higher taxes on retirees, housing and inheritances. But lately no one knows what he stands for. On major policy issues he flip-flops.
When Australia needs certainty, it won’t be easy under Albanese.
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
JobKeeper
Wanted JobKeeper extended...
“JobKeeper stops and people literally will fall off a cliff." (Source: Albanese, Transcript, 18/6/20)
Source: Labor calls for JobKeeper 2.0, The Australian, 11/7/20
"He ripped away JobKeeper, the only support that was keeping the economic roof from crashing down on so many small business owners and their employees.” (Source: Albanese, Revesby Workers Club, 30/3/21)
Then called JobKeeper a "waste".
“Then you look at JobKeeper … they managed to design a program that is the most wasteful in Australian political history.” (Source: Albanese, House Hansard, 23/3/21)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Coal
Tells Queensland he supports coal...
Source: Albo Now Digs Coal, Courier Mail, 13/1/22
But he tells Melbourne he opposes it.
“There's no market for thermal coal.” (Source: Albanese, ABC Melbourne, 20/2/18)
“I don't think there's a place for coal-fired power plants in Australia, full stop” (Source: Albanese, ABC Radio, 11/2/20)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Vaccine payments
Wanted payments for vaccines...
Source: Give everyone $300 for a jab, says Labor, Financial Review, 2/8/21
Then didn't want payments for vaccines.
Source: Labor gives up on $300 vaccine incentive, AFR, 17/10/21
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
A New Gas Plant
Opposed a new gas plant last year...
JOURNALIST: "Do you think opposing the gas plant hurt Labor in that by-election? Are you prepared to change your position and support that?"
ALBANESE: "We made that decision, which was the correct decision, based upon what every single expert in the energy sector says. We did that." (Source: Albanese, Doorstop, Queanbeyan, 24/5/21)
Supports a new gas plant this year.
“We didn't want to knock back investment anywhere in the Hunter.” (Source: Albanese after backing the new gas plant, 2HD with Richard King, 1/2/22)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Border Security
Opposes turnbacks...
"I couldn't ask someone else to do something that I couldn't see myself doing," Mr Albanese told Insiders.
"If people were in a boat including families and children, I myself couldn't turn that around." (Source: ABC News, 26/7/15)
Then pretends he supports turnbacks.
“We will turn boats back.” (Source: Albanese, Press Conference, 14/4/22)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Retiree Tax
Wanted big taxes on retirees...
"This is a reform that is necessary and it is necessary if we are going to have the Budget in a good position in future years.” (Source: Albanese, 2CC, 3/2/19)
Now he pretends that he doesn't.
"The review identified the need for focussing on our future positive agenda, but also that voters were distracted from that by issues including franking credits." (Source: Albanese, Speech, 1/1/21).
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Housing Tax
Wanted big taxes on housing...
"Well all of the changes that we've made - what we've done is made some hard decisions. Those hard decisions including changes to negative gearing, changes to various tax arrangements." (Source: Albanese, Transcript of Interview, 4/10/18)
Now pretends he doesn't.
"No, we are not looking at that." (Source: Albanese, Transcript of Interview, 6/4/22)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Income Tax
Opposed tax relief for workers...
Stage 3 tax cuts: "Unfair tax cuts" for "the top end of town" (Source: Albanese, Media Release, 16/04/19)
“We think that Stage Three at a cost of some $95 billion down the track ... is really a triumph of hope over economic reality.” (Source: Albanese, Press Conference, 23/6/19)
Backflipped on tax relief for workers.
“Anthony Albanese said… the Shadow Cabinet had decided it would not stand in the way of relief for “working Australians”. (Source: The Guardian, 4/7/19)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Policy Costings
Says his policies are costed...
"Everything that we're putting forward is fully costed.” (Source: Albanese, ABC AM, 14/2/2022)
"This has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the PBO." (Source: Albanese, Press Conference, 13/04/22)
Then admits they weren't.
"Albanese says Labor’s plan to trial Medicare urgent-care clinics has not been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, as he originally claimed" (Source: Labor’s urgent care clinics not costed by Parliamentary Budget Office, SMH, 15/4/22)
Albanese's Flip-Flop on
Economic Ideology
A left-wing warrior...
Railed against the Hawke-Keating government, saying the government had “absolute contempt for working-class people”. (Source: Labor’s Young Guard, Michael Cordell, SMH, 19/09/87)
Supported an inheritance tax, suggested it was not a "left-wing, terribly socialist radical proposal". (Source: Tom Burton, SMH, 26/06/91)
Supported the introduction of a wealth tax. (Source: Albanese, Twitter, 23/07/15)
Supported the introduction of congestion taxes in our cities. (Source: Albanese, SBS, 5/10/16)
Opposed the WestConnex project. (Source: The Australian, 21/5/16)
Now, what does he stand for?