Albanese pitches himself as democracy's defender before Trump meeting
Trust in democracy can be restored by proving government services work, Anthony Albanese will say in his first major speech since his May re-election, drawing an implicit contrast with US President Donald Trump ahead of the pair's expected first meeting later this month.
The prime minister will argue delivering urgent necessities for Australians will restore faith in government, in a clear sign the re-elected Labor government is taking a cautious approach despite its thumping election win.
In his speech, the prime minister is expected to warn that Australia faces an uncertain world where some people believe the 'corrosive proposition that politics and government and democratic institutions, including a free media, are incapable of meeting the demands of this moment'.
'Some simply dismiss such sentiment. Others cynically seek to harvest it. Our responsibility is to disprove it,' Albanese will tell the National Press Club on Tuesday, according to an excerpt of his speech.
'To recognise that some of this frustration is drawn from people's real experience with government – be it failures of service delivery, or falling through the cracks of a particular system,' he will say.
Without naming Trump's extensive cuts to the US government, Albanese will offer a prescription to restore faith in government through competence and programs that benefit everyone, rather than offering hard trade-offs for reform.
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'To counter this [lack of faith in government], we have to offer the practical and positive alternative,' Albanese will say. 'To prove that a good, focused, reforming Labor government can make a real difference to people's lives.'
The speech excerpts suggest a careful second-term agenda squarely focused on rebuilding trust in Labor, coming just days before the prime minister departs for the United States and then on to Canada for a meeting of the G7 major economies.
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Top gong for Morrison devalues all King's Birthday honours
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Sky News AU
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- Sky News AU
'Ridiculous excuse': Hillel Fuld speaks out after Labor cancels visa for Israeli influencer, citing risk of importing 'hatred'
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Labor MP Jerome Laxale pushes to force climate considerations into environment laws
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"We need to make sure that our big emitting projects don't jeopardise our ability to meet our emissions reductions target," he said. "That's the fundamental that I want to try and get into the law." One major project on the approvals horizon is Woodside's Browse project. Applications for both the project itself, and a carbon-capture and storage project alongside it, are both going through the state and federal approvals process. It's unclear if new environmental laws could be passed in time to affect Browse, and if the project would be subject to them should they be implemented. Heavily-emitting projects are already required to comply with Australia's climate targets through the safeguard mechanism. Under the safeguard rules, the North West Shelf project is subject to ever-lowering emissions caps towards net zero by 2050. But if the Browse gas project goes ahead, it would be subject to even tighter rules — needing to be net zero from the day it begins operating. 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Chevron's Gorgon gas project is attempting carbon capture and storage, but as of late last year had captured about a third of the emissions it had promised. A different project, Santos' Moomba plant, has had more success. Greg Bourne, a former oil and gas industry executive who now works with the Climate Council, said he doubts Woodside can make its carbon capture plan work. "One only has to witness how difficult Chevron's Gorgon CCS project has been on land. To do it offshore is not only doubly difficult, it is multiply difficult to do," he said. But others argue carbon capture needs to work for Australia to meet its net zero ambitions. Alex Zapantis from the Global CCS Institute said drawing comparisons between the Gorgon and Browse carbon capture projects was unfair. "There is nothing technologically, fundamentally that prohibits you from re-injecting liquids of any sort, including carbon dioxide, into geological structures deep beneath the seabed," he said. "This is a well-established practice by the oil and gas industry. "And comparing Browse to Gorgon, it's not a valid comparison because the geological structures are completely different. They are different structures, they will have different characteristics." The Albanese government has made clear its desire to see more gas projects approved, and has adopted a "Future Gas Strategy" that sees a role for gas well beyond 2050. Mr Laxale agrees there is an important role for gas in the energy transition — but that role might not last forever. "I'd say we need gas, until we don't," he said.
