Albanese should find a seat at the everyday Aussie kitchen table where the bills are piling up, instead of looking for a place next to Trump

Sky News AU

14 hours ago

While Australians again struggled to afford fuel and basic groceries this week, the Prime Minister had in his sights another overseas trip to enhance foreign optics instead of fixing problems at home.
Mr Albanese has now ditched a last-minute appearance at next week's NATO summit in The Hague, some 16,000 kms away, in the hope it would produce a face-to-face with US President Donald Trump.
The decision to instead send his deputy Richard Marles follows the PM's scheduled G7 encounter with Mr Trump in Canada which was scuttled by President's early exit to address the Iran-Israel conflict.
What we are now also witnessing in the aftermath of that snub is a diplomatic dance which underscores just how far Mr Albanese is willing to go to secure a seat at the grown ups' table.
At home, Australians are hurting and the cost of living remains the number one issue in this country.
It has been for three years, probably more.
The PM needs to stop eyeing a meeting with Trump overseas and start restoring confidence in his government's ability to manage both domestic and foreign affairs in a strategic and strong fashion.
Sure, the US President's brush-off was a diplomatic embarrassment especially as it lacked a private heads-up to Mr Albanese before publicly pulling the plug on their meeting.
But it's time to move on.
The real questions are these: when was the last time this government delivered a serious and immediate policy to cut household energy bills?
When was the last time this government offered tangible relief to small businesses buckling under the weight of supply chain blowouts and relentless interest rate pressure?
This week it was announced that a productivity roundtable in Canberra was in the works to 'shape our government's growth and productivity agenda'.
But already this is being picked apart as a consensus talkfest if cutting net immigration and net zero targets are not seriously considered.
I don't think we are dealing with an abstract economic trend here because for nine million Australians it has nearly reached the point of financial collapse.
New research from comparison site Finder paints a grim picture.
Nearly half the country is the cost of a cracked windscreen or dentist's bill away from the edge.
The average savings for this group?
A paltry $215 which in NSW I would argue doesn't even cover a week's groceries.
I saw a 1kg bag of ordinary coffee beans at the supermarket this week for $80.
Dishwasher tablets, 82 of them, for $78.
There was plenty of room to move in the fruit and vegetable aisle, with the least expensive thing to buy some apple varieties I'd never heard of and likely tasteless and cold-storaged for months.
You're trying your luck if you fancy 350g of multi-coloured mini tomatoes for under $6.50, punished for your caviar-style tastes.
The frozen food aisle with the cheaper dinners like fish fingers and bulk meat pies was doing brisk business, however.
Local Facebook group chat is dominated by members asking for money saving tips including what time of day do local supermarket staff appear in store with a yellow sticker gun to discount products.
According to Finder, 43 per cent in the cohort referenced have less than $1,000 in a bank account.
More than half live pay transfer to pay transfer and 47 per cent are banking on a tax refund to plug holes in the dam.
And a $12 coffee?
Don't laugh, it's coming to a cafe near you.
When inflation is combined with supermarket gouging, international trade instability and policy gridlock, prices only go in one direction.
In cafes, once the beating heart of urban Australia, small business owners continue to be crushed.
Wages, energy, rent, beans, you name it.
Roasters say stress on the international coffee bean market means the only solution is to jack up prices.
This isn't indulgence anymore. It's economics at gunpoint.
Meanwhile, those brewing at home are finding supermarket shelves are no longer a refuge.
Instant coffee is probably booming but that's less about convenience and more about budget.
And then there's fuel.
If you're still planning on driving to work, brace yourself.
Petrol is tipped to hit $2.20 per litre with Middle East tensions sending the global oil markets into panic mode and we're all meant to just accept it like it's the weather.
Australia may not import oil from Iran but that's no comfort at the bowser.
Our prices are still shackled to global markets which drives up costs at the pump while hammering fuel-reliant industries nationwide.
Australia used to have several oil refineries and now we have just two - Queensland's Lytton Refinery operated by Ampol and Victoria's Geelong Refinery, operated by Viva Energy.
We can blame globalisation and "market efficiency" for that and we now import most of our refined fuel.
With petrol spiking, inflation stays high too so consider that in terms of the Reserve Bank delaying any long-awaited interest rate cuts.
And let's not forget the cherry on top: fuel excise and GST.
What's the domestic agenda?
Because from where most Australians stand at the petrol pump, in the supermarket aisle or checking their empty bank apps, it doesn't feel like there is one.
We don't need a seat at NATO next week.
Mr Albanese has had months to build a relationship with the Trump administration and should now plan to see him in Washington.
We need a seat at the kitchen table where bills are piling up and no one from Canberra seems to be listening.
Louise Roberts is a journalist and editor who has worked as a TV and radio commentator in Australia, the UK and the US. Louise is a winner of the Peter Ruehl Award for Outstanding Columnist in the NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism and has been shortlisted in other awards for her opinion work