‘We’ll get down to business’: Labor’s policy agenda awaits Albanese
Federal Election 2022
Anthony Albanese will move quickly to advance legislation for Labor’s proposed federal anti-corruption commission, push to implement changes to childcare supplements and call state and territory leaders to Canberra for talks on health funding.
Promising to begin work on Labor’s policy agenda on Wednesday – after a lightning trip to Tokyo for the Quad leaders’ summit – the incoming prime minister says he wants to change Australia’s national politics, including through a reset in relations with the state premiers and chief ministers.
Anthony Albanese, partner Jodie Haydon and dog Toto on Sunday. Edwina Pickles
Labor’s most expensive campaign promise, a $5.4 billion plan to boost government-funded childcare subsidies to drive women’s workforce participation, and a planned summit on full employment are at the top of the new government’s priority list.
Mr Albanese has already had briefings from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and plans to swear in his full ministry next week. While the policy agenda is smaller than previous incoming governments, the disparate parliament could slow the passage of legislation.
“I want to have a co-operative relationship,” he said on Sunday. “I want to bring people together, including the states and territories and local government as well, on how we work together, just as I’ll bring unions and employers and other organisations together in an employment summit.”
Labor wants the maximum childcare subsidy to rise to 90 per cent for families for the first child in care, while the subsidy rates for every family earning less than $530,000, with one child in care, would also rise.
Labor will task the Productivity Commission with conducting a comprehensive review of the childcare sector, with the aim of implementing a universal 90 per cent subsidy for all families sometime in the future.
National anti-corruption commission
Mr Albanese has pledged to establish a national anti-corruption commission by Christmas. Newly elected teal independent MPs including Zoe Daniel, Allegra Spender and Sophie Scamps are expected to push for a stronger model, in line with legislation developed by Indi MP Helen Haines.
Labor’s plan would give the independent body retrospective powers, including to investigate some of the more overt pork-barrelling by the Morrison government.
The commission will have broad jurisdiction to investigate Commonwealth ministers, public servants, statutory office holders, government agencies, parliamentarians and personal staff of politicians.
It will be led by a commissioner serving for a single fixed term.
The commission will have discretionary powers to begin inquiries into serious and systemic corruption on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and the public.
It will be empowered to make findings of fact, including a finding of corrupt conduct, but not to make determinations of criminal liability.
Mr Albanese’s biggest challenge could be ending more than a decade of toxic climate politics in Australia.
Asked what his legacy will be, the Labor leader nominated: “Acting on climate.”
“I will return to Australia on Wednesday, and then we’ll get down to business,” he said.
After Scott Morrison’s push for religious freedom laws imploded in February, Mr Albanese committed a Labor government to creating new anti-vilification protections for people of religious faith.
Labor said it would take measures to protect all students from discrimination on any grounds, including sexuality and gender, and prevent discrimination against people of faith.
Labor promised to “protect teachers from discrimination at work, while maintaining the right of religious schools to preference people of their faith in the selection of staff”.
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