Because the Albanese authorities enters its third calendar 12 months in workplace, anticipate a cost-of-living aid push, a doubtlessly divisive debate over spiritual discrimination, and lots of extra discussions about housing.
However there may be little likelihood of one other referendum — the federal government seems to have put plans for a republic vote on ice for now — nor are we more likely to see an election in 2024. Following final 12 months’s bruising defeat within the Voice to Parliament vote, the federal government isn’t eager for extra ballots.
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confronted reporters final week, he mentioned cost-of-living aid — balanced with the necessity to hold inflation from accelerating — could be the federal government’s precedence. Easing the price of residing is a label that may be slapped on many disparate tasks — for instance, Albanese touted a brand new initiative to supply 300,000 fee-free TAFE locations as a strategy to ease family prices.
“An incredible instance of us offering cost-of-living aid via fee-free TAFE, while additionally addressing the long term problems with labour market shortages and provide chain points that Australia has to take care of to be able to proceed to place that downward strain on inflation,” he mentioned.
Among the many 2024 authorities priorities talked about by officers briefing reporters have been common childcare, enhancing the possibilities of first-time dwelling consumers attempting to enter the housing market, and strengthening Medicare. The latter will probably be achieved by working with states and territories to draw extra GPs and nurses, based on the federal government’s plans.
There have been guarantees to speculate extra in renewable vitality and to safe so-called crucial minerals. Albanese mentioned in October that “harnessing” the minerals would permit Australia to turn into a “renewable vitality superpower”.
There may even be extra journeys overseas. The Australian Monetary Assessment reported earlier this week that Albanese’s international journey schedule may common one journey overseas per thirty days throughout the 12 months’s second half.
When Parliament returns in February, spiritual discrimination legal guidelines are anticipated to come back into focus as soon as once more. Legal professional-Common Mark Dreyfus is planning to launch the findings of a evaluate by the Australian Regulation Reform Fee, supposed to assist form a brand new discrimination framework that will additionally enhance protections for LGBTQIA+ college students and employees at spiritual faculties, The Sydney Morning Herald reported final weekend. A pair of reasonable Liberal MPs urged their colleagues to not let the controversy “once more descend right into a tradition conflict that captures LGBTQ Australians in its crosshairs”.
If the opposition chief will get to determine — and he has been profitable in shaping the agenda for the reason that Voice referendum — migration may even be an enormous concern in 2024.
“It’s an enormous concern … it turns out that this authorities is a smooth contact on criminals, and we’ve seen that within the final 12 months, however we even have seen in relation to a few of these asylum seekers as nicely,” Peter Dutton instructed 2GB radio final week.
Whereas the referendum on the Voice failed, the drawback hole dealing with First Nations individuals stays an enormous drawback for Australia.
But thus far, there are not any indicators Indigenous points will probably be excessive on this 12 months’s precedence listing. For a topic he spent a lot of final 12 months campaigning on — and on which he spent a substantial quantity of political capital — Albanese has been largely silent on the disadvantages dealing with First Nations individuals for the reason that referendum failed.
Background briefings from officers to reporters about authorities priorities this 12 months haven’t talked about Closing The Hole, nor has Albanese in any media appearances.
When requested a two-pronged query on Tuesday by a journalist in Queensland about Labor’s possibilities of profitable an election there and concerning the political knowledge of continuous to push for treaty, Albanese selected to solely reply the primary query and then ended the press convention.
At one other press convention three days into the brand new 12 months, Albanese mentioned there wouldn’t be an election till Might 2025.
Neither is it doubtless we’ll see a referendum on making Australia a republic anytime quickly, a acknowledged aim of this authorities.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers mentioned that the problem “hadn’t been a spotlight of his” when he fronted reporters earlier this week.
“Clearly, we’re nonetheless going via the implications of the referendum in direction of the tip of final 12 months, when the federal government is able to make bulletins about a number of the different proposals for constitutional change, we’ll make them. However that’s not my focus proper now,” he mentioned.
