By David Southwell For Daily Mail Australia
07:59 21 May 2023, updated 07:59 21 May 2023
- Anthony Albanese has been PM for one year
- Highs include laws passed and poll wins
- Challenges mount as economy darkens
Anthony Albanese has marked one year as Prime Minister with his past 12 months in office marked by several highs and lows.
After the May budget, delivered in the most challenging economic circumstances Australia has faced for at least 30 years, four national polls have seen Labor widen its already substantial winning gap between itself and the Coalition.
The most recent Newspoll gave Labor a 55-45 lead, a one-point gain on the previous month and one that would see Labor returned with an increased majority from the 52.1-47.9 split in the election held exactly one year ago on Sunday.
Mr Albanese saw the approval rate for the job he is doing go up by four points to 57 per cent and also increased his lead as preferred prime minister over Coalition leader Peter from Dutton from 54-28 to 56-29.
Daily Mail Australia has compiled a list of some of the highs and lows Mr Albanese has endured as well as the challenges that still face him.
THE HIGHS
Cabinet firsts and records
The Labor government set a new benchmark by having 10 women sworn in as ministers.
It also had Australia’s first two Muslim ministers and the first Aboriginal woman, Linda Burney, appointed minister for Indigenous Affairs.
A cracking pace and Senate wins
A freshly elected Mr Albanese promised ‘not to waste a day in government’ and lived up to that with a fast legislative start and has kept up a parliamentary pace that has rarely slacked since.
This is made more impressive by Labor needing secure cross-bench support to get any contentious bills through the Senate, which it has so far proved adept at doing.
In one of its first big changes Labor passed extensive extensive climate change laws that set an ambitious 43 per cent emissions reduction target for 2030 and put in place with new reporting and monitoring regimes.
The Albanese government has also introduced aged care reforms, domestic violence leave, childcare subsidies, an independent ministerial anti-corruption body as well as measures to make medicines cheaper.
It established multi-billion dollar funds for social housing and to encourage selected national industries.
Perhaps the most contentious item of Labor’s agenda, a radical industrial relations bill, was squeaked through the Senate at the last gasp of parliament’s December sitting when the crucial vote of Senator David Pocock was secured.
China thaw
Mr Albanese promised to improve the relationship between China and Australia that had badly soured during the previous Morrison government.
He has largely accomplished the goal and enjoyed a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they shook hands in November while in Bali.
Since then relations have continued to steadily improve with China ending embargoes on importing Australian coal and timber.
AUKUS balancing act
Labor has managed to get back into China’s good books while keeping the Morrison’s government’s commitment to the AUKUS defence pact, which has been the target of criticism by Beijing.
Under the $368 billion agreement signed by Mr Albanese in March Australia will buy at least three, and up to five, nuclear-powered deep water US submarines.
Labor has also announced a number of other big expenditures, on missiles and sea mines, to improve Australia’s long-range defence capabilities.
Labor ascendant
Labor has piled up the electoral wins during Mr Albanese’s term.
The NSW Coalition government was ousted after a 16-year rule by Labor in March and the Victorian Labor government of Dan Andrews defied some polling predictions by steamrolling to a third term in November
To top it all off the federal Liberal heartland seat of Aston in Victoria fell to federal Labor, which was a once-in-century such win by a sitting government.
Diplomatic successes
Mr Albanese has packed his bags for overseas trips no less than 18 times in his first year in office.
He has represented Australia at both the Queen’s funeral and King Charles coronation and rubbed shoulders a number of times with other world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He even appears to have quelled French anger at Australia’s backing out of a deal to buy conventional submarines from them and closer to home he has made Kiwis happy by signing deals to give them a clearer path to Australian citizenship.
Timely approval
In April, Mr Albanese made the list of ‘100 most influential people of 2023’, a list compiled by prestigious US current affairs magazine Time.
A gushing piece by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Mr Albanese a ‘symbol of hope and inspiration’.
Popular touch
During a constant stream of media and social media appearance Mr Albanese has shown himself to be at home rubbing elbows with ordinary Aussies.
In February he became the first sitting prime minister to march in Syndey Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
He even managed to keep his composure when confronted by 76-year-old John Bradley wearing only a Borat-style mankini during a Perth telethon appearance for a children’s hospital.
THE LOWS
‘Airbus Albo’
Mr Albanese’s many trips overseas have not gone unnoticed by critics who early on conjured up the unflattering nickname of ‘Airbus Albo’.
Last June Mr Albanese snapped back at Mr Dutton who was pointing out the frequent overseas sojourns.
‘Mr Dutton should ‘say which events I shouldn’t have gone to’ overseas,’ Mr Albanese told Channel Nine.
Alice Springs chaos
A deteriorating law-and-order problem in Alice Springs made national headlines and put the spotlight on Labor abolishing the cashless welfare card while also allowing sale restrictions of alcohol to lapse.
As the central township descended into chaos, Mr Albanese was forced to schedule a hasty trip to central Australia in January but spent only a few hours on the ground.
The minimal time he spent in Alice Springs was contrasted harshly by many critics with the three nights he spent in the luxury of the Australian Open VIP courtside seats enjoying beers and ice creams.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley took the opportunity to label Mr Albanese a ‘part-time prime minister’.
Tassie own-goal?
In perhaps his first real taste of public hostility as prime minister Mr Albanese was forced to scurry from protesters angry that Labor had promised $240 million to build a new football stadium rather than put that money stemming growing homelessness.
What also galled some of the protester was that Mr Albanese was hurrying his visit so he could attend the lavish wedding of Sydney radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands.
Although Mr Albanese did not end up DJing the event, as had been suggested, he also flack for attending given Sandilands’ long record of offensive remarks and a bridal party that included a convicted drug dealer.
Not-so-friendly fire
Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating delivered stinging rebukes of Mr Albanese’s govenrment during a National Press Club event in March where the Labor legend vented his fury over the AUKUS pact.
Mr Keating called it the ‘worst deal in history’ as he questioned the competence of Mr Albanese, foreign minister Penny Wong and deputy prime minister Richard Marles during a characterisitc no-holds-barred venomous spray.
THE CHALLENGES
Economic woes
Mr Albanese’s period in government has seen inflation take off to a peak of 7.8 per cent in December, although it has since subsided back to 7 per cent.
This has led to a record 10 successive month rates hikes by the Reserve Bank until it finally hit pause in April only to surprise many by increasing the cash rate again in May to 3.85 per cent.
Australia’s severe labour shortages have been keeping unemployment at historically low levels but the jobless figures also made a surprise jump from 3.5 to 3.7% in May.
The Budget has forecast sluggish economic growth, which will be outstripped by Australia’s increase in people meaning a so called per capita recession where living standards fall.
An actual technical recession, where the economy contracts, is also a gloomy possibility with the Reserve Bank saying the chances of that happening are 80 per cent.
Housing and immigration
Australia is experiencing a housing crisis and the situation is set to worsen as both short-term and long immigrants flood back into the country after the Covid pandemic closures.
Tent cities have started to spring up in state capitals, housing sales are declining while rental vacancies are at historical low levels.
Meanwhile a record high 650,000 migrants are set to enter Australia over the next two years leading many to question how they will be given shelter.
Runaway spending
Despite delivering a surprise projected Budget surplus, mainly on the back of a surging tax take from high commodity prices and low unemployment payouts, the Albanese government has admitted there are severe strains to come.
In October, NDIS minister Bill Shorten revealed spending on the disability program has blown out by $8.8 billion over four years and was set to rocket from the current level of $35.8 billion annually to over $50 billion by 2026.
Medicare is also spiralling in cost despite many people complaining they can’t find doctors who bulk bill and that gap payments are increasing exponentially.
Health Minister Mark Butler admitted in January that ‘Medicare is in the worst shape it’s been in 40 years’.
Losing his Voice?
An Indigenous Voice to Parliament is the historical legacy that Mr Albanese has thrown himself and his government into achieving.
Such a voice will need a change to the Constitution and a referendum is planned before the end of the year to bring that about.
It has been historically difficult to pass changes by referendum and especially so if there is not bi-partisan support with the Coalition backing the ‘No’ case.
Despite widespread support from corporate Australia, including the major sporting codes, support for The Voice has been steadily trending downwards with support for the ‘No’ vote rising by 10 points since the end of 2022, a recent poll found.
If that trend continues the referendum, which needs to carry a majority of Australians overall and a majority of the states to succeed, looks destined for failure.
Agent of change
Approaching his one-year anniversary in power Mr Albanese said he was ready to meet the challenges.
‘I’m more determined than ever to change Australia for the better,’ he tweeted.