Albo fires back at his haters after being confronted about his ‘three’ big failures as ‘weak’ Prime Minister – and what’s next after the failed voice?
Anthony Albanese has hit back at Peter Dutton for labelling him ‘weak’ and suggested the Opposition Leader is afraid of scrutiny.
Mark Riley, Seven’s political editor, asked the Prime Minister what he made of Mr Dutton’s repeated claims he is a ‘weak leader’ during his appearance at the National Press Club of Australia address in Canberra on Friday.
‘In footy terms, he says you’re too soft,’ Mr Riley told him.
‘I’m just wondering if you think you need to be tougher to take on a second term and how you might do that?’
Mr Albanese’s eyes darkened briefly before he launched into a full-throated take-down of the man trying to take the keys to The Lodge.
‘I tell you what weakness is, weakness is not having the guts to come to the National Press Club,’ Mr Albanese said.
‘Weakness is holding a press conference at a quarter to two, before Question Time begins at two over the last six months and not facing the Parliament House Press Gallery.
‘Weakness is just saying no to everything before you even see the detail. What’s tough is coming here, fronting up as I did last year saying that we have changed our mind on tax cuts.
Mark Riley, Seven’s political editor, asked the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) during his appearance at Friday’s National Press Club of Australia address what he made of Mr Dutton’s repeated claims he is a ‘weak leader’
‘Fessing up, making it very clear it wasn’t what we said we would do, but it’s the right thing to do.’
Mr Albanese was referring to his government’s highly controversial decision to reverse Stage Three tax cuts last year – despite promising the opposite before he was elected.
Scott Morrison’s Coalition government passed the tax cuts through parliament in 2019 and Mr Albanese repeatedly pledged no changes would be made.
In fact, he’d promised not to make those changes 36 times since taking the top job – and up to 100 times on the campaign trail.
However Labor altered the original plans in February last year, halving the benefit to Australians earning over $180,000 in favour of a boost to lower and middle income earners.
Despite breaking the long-held promise, polling showed that around two-thirds of Aussies backed the move.
On Friday, Mr Albanese said it was ‘the toughest thing I’ve done this term’.
‘We’ll continue to make difficult decisions in the national interest, even if at times there’s a personal cost to it, because I’m determined to lead a government that changes the country for the better,’ he said.
Mr Albanese revealed that the reversal of the stage three tax cuts was was ‘the toughest thing’ he had done in his first term (pictured: Mr Albanese with ABC legend and National Press Club President Laura Tingle)
The Prime Minister was asked whether he would pursue any ‘constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians’.
Mr Albanese said he respected the ‘decision of the Australian people’.
‘(Peter Dutton) committed to a referendum in the next term. That’s his commitment that he made during the referendum,’ Mr Albanese said.
‘And I’m sure there’s some people who thought, “oh well, I can vote No because I’ll get another crack at a different option during the next term if Peter Dutton is the Prime Minister”.’
Mr Dutton said he would hold another referendum on Indigenous recognition if the Voice failed.
However, he has not outlined any timeline or a specific proposal.
Mr Albanese said he was instead focussing on ‘closing the gap’, by addressing remote housing and education in the outback.
He also revealed that Labor would not be holding any referendums if elected for a second term.
‘We will not be holding a referendum in our second term on any issues,’ he said.
Peter Dutton told Mark Bouris (the pair are pictured together) during an appearance on his Straight Talk podcast that he believed Mr Albanese was ‘weak’
Mr Dutton has regularly branded the Prime Minister ‘weak’.
‘This year, Australians will have an opportunity to remove a weak and incompetent Labor government that has sent our country backwards,’ Mr Dutton said in an address to a Coalition campaign rally last week.
He told Mark Bouris in his Straight Talk podcast that he believed Mr Albanese was ‘weak’.
‘It’s not saying he’s weak because of his height or his skin colour or any nonsense like that,’ he said.
‘I call him weak because I don’t think he has the ability to make the tough decisions and to call out the wrong that’s in our society.’
Mr Albanese took over ten questions from reporters during his appearance at the National press Club, including what he thought the ‘headline achievement that the true believers will be looking back on with pride in 20 years’.
‘Keeping us out of recession. 1.1million jobs. Getting inflation from a six to a two,’ he responded.
‘Making sure that people’s living standards are looked after, that they’re not left behind. Completing the NBN. Completing, finishing, Gonski (education report) – it’s taken a long time, but it was on pause and went backwards when the former government came in and ripped tens of billions of dollars out of education.
‘Turning the decline in Medicare around. And importantly moving towards, just as Labor governments have moved and created Medicare, Universal Provision, universal provision of Superannuation.
‘We’re taking the steps, and I announced in December, for universal provision of child care. This will transform the way that Australia functions, will transform opportunity and will make sure that every young Australian gets the best start in life.’
