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West Australian
25-04-2025
- Business
- West Australian
THE FRONT DORE: Outrageous, shameless, deceitful. Brilliant. The Albanese election campaign playbook
Thank you for joining us and welcome to this special Leadership Matters morning with the Prime Minister. I would particularly like to extend a warm welcome to the travelling Canberra bubble up the back there, and The Australian Financial Review in particular. Your bizarre take on the Leadership Matters breakfast with Peter Dutton a couple of weeks ago couldn't have been a better showcase of why you don't sell any newspapers in Perth anymore. Great to see you back in the real world, even if it is only for a couple of hours. Of course, Welcome Mr Prime Minister. Now I've lost count, but I'm sure you will remind us shortly just how many times you have visited WA since becoming PM – is it 31? It is a great measure of success that has always left me wondering why didn't Mike and Mal Leyland – those intrepid TV explorers from the 80s - ever run for politics. Those blokes got around the joint, and unlike Albo and Dutto who do their best to never answer a question, they seemed to embrace their motto – ask the Leyland Brothers. For anyone under 40 who has no clue what I'm talking about … YouTube them. But here we are, 2025, and Mr Albanese is hoping to make history by breaking that prime ministerial hoodoo. Seven elections in 20 years - and not one PM has successfully contested a second and won. And Mr Dutton likewise is trying to make history by being the first Queenslander, since Kevin Rudd, to snatch certain defeat from the jaws of victory. It is, unfortunately, not unfair to say this has - until now at least - been a lacklustre campaign. Mr Albanese, you will be shocked to hear that some people with us this morning thought I was a bit mean to Mr Dutton when he joined us here at Leadership Matters. On that day, I pointed out that you are conducting a masterful campaign, a masterclass really built on the Graham Richardson whatever-it-takes approach to victory. Dabbling in deceit. Recycling spin. Unrelenting, uncompromising - at times utterly outrageous. But brilliant campaigning. You didn't invent it. But you are perfecting it. On the other side, Mr Dutton has been stuck in quicksand and in danger of becoming an asterisk in history. The contrast between your campaign and his couldn't be greater. You are prepared - you never leave home without your Medicare card. You are confident - so much so that you let Chris Bowen speak publicly. And you are shameless. You want to win. And you are acting like it. This is a West event, this is our town, and you, more than anyone, will appreciate that we are unapologetically parochial. While many media outlets have lost their way, we strongly believe that in a democracy as robust as ours, the role of newspapers like The West and websites like ours – t and The Nightly - is to test and tease and torment politicians. Not for the sake of it. But because if we don't, who else does? It's not that we don't always believe you in politics, we want to, it's just that sometimes you make it hard to. The media are not here to cheer-lead for one side over the other. We are here to advocate for our readers and demand more of our leaders. It's not our role to be blinded by courtesy or corrupted by fashionable causes. It will also come as a shock to many in the room Mr Albanese, that we go back a long way. While you apparently don't even know the name of the Greens candidate against you this time around, it wasn't always the way. If it were not for the SAVE OUR ALBO campaign we ran in 2016, while I was editor of The Daily Telegraph in your hometown, you would have most likely lost your seat in Parliament - to a Green opponent! You were very generous at the time, sending me a case of Albo Lager or was it Albo Ale … very average beer … to thank us for helping you get over the line. To this day, Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek have never forgiven me. It is not an exaggeration to state that neither Mr Albanese nor Mr Dutton have managed to capture the imagination of Australian voters. Australians are a cynical lot, that is true. But the reality is voters are not exactly rushing to polling booths enthusiastically brandishing their tiny pencils desperate to return you to the Lodge. Neither major party is engaging middle Australia. At least 65 per cent of voters - 2 out of 3 - will not vote 1 for either of you on May 3. And you both probably need to think about how to correct that. Being an honourable loser is not the answer, you can't do anything if you're not winning. But finding a way to bring the country together, to percolate ideas and persuade the population in the way say Bob Hawke did, and as - albeit very briefly – Kevin Rudd did … surely has to be worth a crack. Maybe those days are lost. And we will be forever left with debates like we had the other night, a contest of ideas that really spoke to the teenagers, unfortunately, not the ones old enough to vote. 'You're a liar! No you're a liar! No you are!' Inspiring stuff. Maybe we should hand out crayons at polling booths instead of pencils. Beyond the major parties, we have the frauds and the false prophets – the Teals and the Greens. The Greens are dangerous and divisive and the Teals gormless. The Prime Minister insists they will play no role in a second Albanese Government. Which means over the next 9 days, he will have to get around the country like he is a long-lost Leyland Brother to convince enough voters in enough marginal seats not to lose faith. This morning, the message Mr Albanese has for West Australians who delivered him power in 2022, will go a long way in determining what role this state plays in 2025. Has WA forgiven Mr Albanese for the Voice debacle? Is there confidence he will not unleash another round of unscripted and unnecessary environmental and industrial relations policies that will further undermine our standard of living and way of life? Many in this room are not convinced that a re-elected Albanese Government will not turn its back on the companies - and the jobs that go with them – that make WA so resilient and our state such a reliable wealth creator for the rest of the country. Elections come and go. Prime ministers fall, grow into groaning ghosts and tiresome turncoats … even the great ones. Every living PM once dominated the public stage. Keating transformed and modernised our economy, elevated public debate and changed the country. Howard brought stability, managed a booming economy and navigated us through uncertain years of terrorism. Rudd. Gillard. Abbott. Turnbull. Morrison. Reformers. Dreamers. Communicators. Titans of politics through wars, a global financial crisis and a global health crisis. Each of them one termers. One and done. Today they could not be more irrelevant. Once powerful. Now apocryphal. Anthony Albanese stands on the verge of making history, ushering in a new era, an unheard-of extended term in office. Is he up to it? What's he going to do for the next 3 years? What will be his legacy? Well, hopefully today, we will find out a little bit more. Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore spoke before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at The West Australian Leadership Matters breakfast in Perth on Thursday April 24.
West Australian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Federal Election 2025: Leadership Matters Q and A with Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese has provided some revealing answers during a picture-led question and answer session. Peppered with a series of images at The West Australian's Leadership Matters breakfast on Thursday, the Prime Minister was asked what word first came to mind. When a picture of Kevin Rudd popped up, Mr Albanese said 'ambassador'. Pressed by host Ben Harvey 'for how long?', the Prime Minister said the work Mr Rudd had done as US ambassador in relation to critical minerals was 'extraordinary'. 'You know, we need to value people who've made a contribution in public life if they want to continue to do so.' Asked about an image of popular WA Premier Roger Cook, Mr Albanese said: 'Friend'. 'We actually realised the other day we've known each other since 1984 which is more than 40 years. We must have known each other since kindergarten,' he says. On TV personality and newly elected WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas, he said: 'Tall is one thing.' 'I'm trying to be polite here,' he laughed. But on the topic of the potential of Mr Zempilas being premier, he was firmer. 'That's unlikely, he struggled to get his seat,' Mr Albanese said. His view on Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor was also probed when asked if he had to be stuck on a desert island with one of them who would he pick. 'Oh gee. I think I'd probably pick uh, you know I can have, I've had personal one-on-one conversations with him. 'We can chat about things from time to time in confidence. That's important. I don't really have a relationship with Angus. I don't really know him.'
West Australian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: Albanese admits falling on stage, then doubles-down on denial hours later
Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his denial about falling off a stage earlier in the campaign, despite it being caught on camera and making a surprise admission just hours earlier that he had, in fact, fallen. The bizarre twist in the stage fall tale started on Thursday morning when the Prime Minister admitted the worst part of his campaign was 'falling off a stage'. It's a fact Mr Albanese has been reluctant to admit since the incident at a Mining and Energy Union conference on April 3 while in Cessnock, NSW. He was caught by two bystanders and told the crowd he 'didn't fall off the stage, just one leg went down, but I was sweet', despite the stack being caught on camera. In Perth for The West Australian's Leadership Matters event, Mr Albanese publicly joked about the incident for the first time, offering it up as an answer when asked what the worst part of his campaign had been. 'Probably falling off a stage,' he said before praising the occupation health and safety on the one he was siting on, which was well lit and marked. Mr Albanese then joked he was surprised the NSW function didn't have better safety standards given it was organised by a mining union. But, an hour later, he said his admission was 'a joke' and told a reporter to 'chill out' while at a press conference in Forrestfield in Perth's outer seat of Bullwinkel. 'I stepped off the stage. I didn't fall over on my backside. I stumbled. That's what happened. I laughed about it at the time. I laughed about it, since it's no big deal,' he said. The journalist started her question: 'You said this morning, at the breakfast event, that falling off the stage had been the worst moment of the campaign for you when you were in the Hunter Valley…' But she was cut off by the PM, who said 'It was a joke' before adding 'chill out' and attempting to move on to the next journalist. Despite trying to move on from the stepping off versus falling debate, the Prime Minister was then asked why the issue mattered so much to him and why he wouldn't just admit he fell and move on given the Coalition had used it as an attack line to paint him as a liar. 'Frankly, it says something about their character,' Mr Albanese said. 'If the Coalition is spending time on memes and on media about that issue. 'It says that my government's economic policy, social policy, environmental policy, foreign policy, and national security policy are going okay. That's the message it sends.'
West Australian
23-04-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Australian politics and news live: Albanese in WA to announce $1.2b mineral stockpile at leadership forum
Scroll down for all the latest news and views. Labor will dedicate an extra $32 million into men's health initiatives if re-elected, focusing on grassroots organisations. Funded programs include helping men who struggle with mental health and fatherhood, and those foregoing health support due to stereotypes. From Men's Shed to Movember, Health Minister Mark Butler said 'too many blokes put off prioritising their health'. Mr Butler highlighted Labor's $11.3 million pledge to Movember, saying it would provide men's healthcare training to more than 60,000 health care workers, based on the existing Men in Mind program. 'This investment by Labor into Movember's training will mean doctors and nurses have the right tools to support men,' he said. Read the full story here. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will spend at least $1.2 billion buying critical minerals for a new stockpile which would then be offered up for sale to key global partners in a move aimed at breaking up China's global dominance of the sector. Mr Albanese will use his address to The West Australian's Leadership Matters forum on Thursday to detail the new Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve he wants to set up as part of Australia's response to US president Donald Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs. The reserve and priority access to critical minerals have formed part of Australia's discussions with the US over recent weeks. Mr Albanese said the move would give greater industry certainty when getting projects off the ground and would also boost Australia's standing as a trusted and reliable trading partner. 'Throughout this campaign, we've all been reminded that this is a period of significant global uncertainty. That is the reality our nation has had to manage for the past few years — not just the last few weeks,' he is expected to say in his address. Read Katina Curtis's full story here. One the eve of Anzac Day Anthony Albanese is in WA to attend The West Australian Leadership Matters forum and Peter Dutton is out and about pushing his latest policies, including an injection of funds for domestic violence support. Stay up to date with all the latest news and views from the campaign trail right here.
West Australian
23-04-2025
- Business
- West Australian
PM pledges minerals reserve amid 'global uncertainty'
As he looks to secure Australia's supply of critical minerals, Anthony Albanese is also looking to shore up support in the state that helped give him the keys to The Lodge three years ago. The prime minister will detail plans for a re-elected Labor government to establish a critical minerals strategic reserve, which would stockpile large amounts of mining products and rare earth materials. The announcement will be made while campaigning in the mining state of Western Australia on Thursday, where large swings at the 2022 election granted victory to Labor. The strategic reserve would generate money for Australia through the sale of minerals on global markets to allies. Stockpiles of the minerals would be set aside from commercial projects through contracts. Labor has promised to spend $1.2 billion on setting up the reserve. A critical minerals reserve had been floated as potential leverage against US President Donald Trump following his 10 per cent tariffs imposed on Australia. The prime minister said the reserve would help provide national stability and make the most of natural resources. "In a time of global uncertainty, Australia will be stronger and safer by developing our critical national assets to create economic opportunity and resilience," Mr Albanese said. "It will mean we can deal with trade and market disruptions from a position of strength, because Australia will be able to call on an internationally significant quantity of resources in global demand." Mr Albanese is also set to give a speech and take questions at The West Australian's Leadership Matters event on Thursday morning. The prime minister flew into WA on Wednesday, making his way straight to Collie, south of Perth, to campaign at a battery storage facility. He took aim at the coalition for pledging to build a nuclear reactor in the coal-mining community, despite Opposition Leader Peter Dutton not visiting the area during the election campaign. "You would think that there was radiation coming from these sites, because he just won't come and won't talk about what his plans actually are," he said. Mr Albanese also visited a pre-poll centre in the electorate of Canning, which the coalition holds by a 1.2 per cent margin.
