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West Australian
6 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Cian Hussey: Albonese has the chance to ‘do a Roger'
Labor's resounding victory, the trouncing of the Greens, and the disorder of the Liberals at the Federal election creates a fascinating opportunity for Anthony Albanese. He could set Australia up for a generation of Labor governments if he 'does a Roger'. Roger Cook is the incredibly popular Premier of WA. He has taken a model of a seemingly centre-of-the-road Labor Party — pro-worker, obviously because it is the Labor Party, but also pro-business and investment — pioneered by his predecessor Mark McGowan to a new level. At the State election in March, Cook led the Labor Party to its third consecutive victory. There was a swing against Labor, but this was to be expected given its starting point was 53 of 59 seats in the Lower House. All the same, Labor retains an incredibly comfortable position with 46 seats in this Parliament. This is because of WA Labor's astonishing popularity. Premier Cook owns the political spectrum. Business is comfortable with Cook because he leads a Government that is pragmatic, where ministers are willing to pick up the phone or have a meeting and hash out an issue. Workers are comfortable with Cook because — as the Premier himself said at an event in Perth last year — they are the Labor Party, being on the side of unions and workers 'is written on the box'. No doubt it helps that West Australians are overall happy and wealthy. GDP per capita in WA is about 60 per cent higher than in NSW, and 77 per cent higher than in Victoria. However, there is a lesson here for Anthony Albanese. If he can own the political spectrum by becoming more pragmatic and pro-business, like Cook, he will set Labor up for victory at the 2028 election, and possibly the 2031 election too. Last year Cook was one of the staunchest opponents of Federal Labor's Nature Positive plan, as it then existed. He has sought to reduce red tape, delays and duplication and unlock investment. He recently said that he is open to thorium mining in WA, something that does not currently take place. 'I think we need to have a more flexible outlook in terms of alternative energy sources . . . we just need to be open to the fact that technology and energy sources will evolve over time,' Cook said. His comments could be taken as softly opening the door to the possibility of mining not only thorium, but also uranium, in WA. Cook encouraged his Federal Labor colleagues to approve Woodside's North West Shelf expansion project (which went through a lengthy approvals process in WA and was subject to a number of legal challenges already), and he has recently reminded West Australians that carbon emissions may have to rise in WA if they are to see an overall decline in the world. It's a sensible line that he has been running for some time. It also happens to be true. If the world wants more steel for windmills and more lithium for electric cars, more mining needs to happen in WA. At a mining conference last year, Cook said: 'At the end of the day, we're not trying to save WA, we're not even trying to save Australia, we're trying to save the planet.' The ejection of the Greens from Parliament shows that Australians do not support their radicalism. It presents a significant opportunity for Albanese to adopt a Cook-style pragmatism. There is a historical Federal parallel here too. Australia is somewhat peculiar in that it was a centre-left government under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating that undertook economic liberalisation and deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s. In the UK this was done by the Conservative Thatcher government, and in the US by the Republican Reagan government. One cynical reading of this is that Bob Hawke saw an opportunity to go after the Liberals where they ought to have existed. The Liberals under Malcolm Fraser squandered an opportunity to embrace reform that should have been their bread and butter. Hawke took their bread and their butter, and the Labor Party dined on it for 13 years. Albanese gave this kind of political manoeuvre a try during the recent campaign by offering both higher spending and beating the Liberals on tax cuts. That is not to say that there are not long-term consequences of this kind of politics. Racking up debt, crystallising sections of government dependence, and expanding the State have significant negative cultural and economic implications. But until a strong, intellectually consistent counterweight to the Labor Party comes along, Albanese could 'do a Roger', own the field, and win again and again. Cian J. Hussey is a public policy analyst.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Albanese backs gas as ‘firming capacity' amid looming North West Shelf extension decision
Anthony Albanese has defended the nation's reliance on gas days out from the deadline to decide the future of the North West Shelf extension, saying 'you can't have renewables unless you have firming capacity'. Mr Albanese's comments came when asked how he could 'justify' extending the project 20 years beyond the 2050 net zero target, while speaking about climate change's role in worsening natural disasters such as the recent floods in NSW. 'You can't have renewables unless you have firming capacity. Simple as that, you don't change the transition through warm thoughts,' he said on Monday. 'You do it through a concrete proposal, which is the expansion of renewables up to 82 per cent of the grid. But the way that that occurs is it needs firming capacity to occur.' Environment minister Murray Watt has until Saturday to make a call on Woodside Energy's proposed 50-year extension of the gas venture off WA's North West coast in his first big test in the portfolio. Mr Albanese said while the North West Shelf decision would be considered according to environmental law, Australia needed to ensure there was 'security of energy supply.' 'You cannot have a shift to renewables without having a confidence, because you will lose community support if people walk into this room here and flick on this switch and the lights don't go on,' he said. 'We need to make sure that there is security of energy supply at the same time as we support the transition, which reduces our emissions. 'You need is a real plan with real solutions.' Mr Watt has been placed in the portfolio as a known 'fixer' after predecessor Tanya Plibersek's turbulent three-year tenure which included the decision being delayed twice. The new deadline is now May 31. He has been on a consultation blitz, meeting with industry, business and environmental groups across the past two weeks, including WA Premier Roger Cook in Perth. Mr Cook on Monday said the State was patiently awaiting the Federal Government decision after the WA Government approved the 50-year extension after a six-year assessment. 'If North West health is not approved, that will be a major barrier or challenge in relation to more ongoing activity and availability of gas,' he said. Mr Cook said he had a 'good' meeting with Mr Watt during his trip west but said the Federal minister was tight-lipped on his decision on the project. 'On the North West Shelf, he gave nothing away, absolutely nothing away, which is absolutely appropriate, but I encouraged him to make a decision as soon as possible,' he said. 'I want the federal government to make a decision as soon as possible, but I also want them to make a decision which is legally safe. I want it to stick. 'If we can see the ongoing operation of the Karratha gas plant into the future, that would be really important.' Mr Cook also revealed he agreed with Mr Watt's plans to rebrand and repitch the controversial and dumped 'Nature Positive' laws, saying he 'hated' the name. 'I hate the name 'Nature Positive' — sounds weird,' Mr Cook said, suggesting the name 'environmental protection laws' instead.
West Australian
21-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
North West Shelf expansion: Murray Watt receives final brief ahead of May 31 decision deadline
Environment Minister Murray Watt says he has received the final departmental recommendation on whether to approve the expansion of the North West Shelf development. Senator Watt, who took over the portfolio last week following predecessor Tanya Plibersek's repeated decision delays, said he is confident he will make a decision by the May 31 deadline. With just 10 days to go and a packed two-day visit to Perth underway, Senator Watt said he now has all the necessary documentation to make the call. 'My department has now finalised a brief to me with a recommendation that I'll be going through in the next few days,' he told ABC Radio Perth. However, when asked about the contents of the recommendation, Senator Watt remained tight-lipped — declining to reveal whether officials advised extending the project for another 50 years or rejecting it outright. He said legal constraints prevented him from discussing the details publicly and noted he had not yet read the full report. 'I'm a bit limited in terms of what I can say about it, because I am in the middle of a decision making process, and whatever I say on radio might be the basis of a legal appeal,' he said. 'I have not yet gone through any of the material for this decision.' Acknowledging the challenges of the decision, Senator Watt said 'we don't live in Utopia' saying it was a complex issue that could not be made in 20 minutes. 'It's obviously a really complex project and a really complex decision, and it's not one I'm going to make in the space of 20 minutes. So, I will be giving that some thought in the coming days,' he said. 'I understand the significance of this decision for WA, I understand there are really strong views about it on both sides of the debate. 'One thing I can guarantee you is that whatever decision I make, there'll be lots of people unhappy on either side of the debate. But that's just the nature of the job.' Senator Watt arrived in Perth late Monday, met with Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday, and is expected to speak with industry representatives on the sidelines of a WA mining summit today before heading back to Canberra. The WA government has approved a 50-year extension of Woodside Energy's North West Shelf gas project after a six-year environmental assessment process. While in Perth, Senator Watt also told The West Australian he wanted all parties to 'give and take' when he launches Labor's third attempt to overhaul national environmental laws known as 'Nature Positive'. Labor's controversial legislation has already been shelved twice after intervention from Mr Cook who called it a threat to WA jobs. He described his meeting with the State Labor leader as 'very constructive' and signalled a closer working relationship going forward.
West Australian
02-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: Liberal hopes could rest on One Nation preference in WA as voters abandon major parties
Preferences could decide a swag of key election battles in WA, with a new opinion poll revealing Pauline Hanson's One Nation could be the big winner as voters abandon both major parties. Labor's primary vote has slipped 2.8 per cent and the Liberal vote is down 3.8 per cent, according to the Demos AU poll that detected a 7.1 per cent surge to give One Nation 11 per cent of first preferences. That could help the Liberal party in key seats including Curtin, after a nationwide preference swap Labor has seized on. 'Peter Dutton has sold out principles for political gain,' WA Minister Madeleine King said. 'It's up to him to explain his actions to the Australian people. He has let himself and the Liberal party down.' Teal MP Kate Chaney has accused the Liberals of 'trickery' over a nationwide preference swap in 139 seats including Curtin, Brand and Fremantle. But the Liberal party has preferenced the Australian Christians second in other key WA seats, including Tangney and Pearce. One Nation WA Leader Rod Caddies, who will take up one of two Legislative Council seats won by the party at the recent State election, said the party has its sights set on the Senate and handing the Prime Ministership to Mr Dutton would be a welcome bonus. 'I guess it's a win for Australia if you're a conservative,' he said. 'I definitely think we're a good chance for a Senate seat. One Nation hasn't been present in WA, strong enough, over the last four years to realistically feel we can win the lower house seats. 'It's never impossible, however, you've got to be realistic. If we can increase our vote majorly, that's a step in the right direction.' One Nation's lead Senate candidate in WA is millionaire civil construction businessmen Tyron Whitten who, if successful, could ruin the Liberal party's chances of a third WA Senate seat. When asked if that was a sacrifice he was willing to make to win Curtin, Mr Dutton ignored the question. Mr Caddies listed income splitting for tax purposes and reducing alcohol excise as the party's policy priorities. 'We don't want to see people just drinking more, but we want to see them socialising more,' he said. 'We need to help the restaurants and bars and get people back out.' Mr Dutton avoided any mention of One Nation or Pauline Hanson when pressed on the preference swap in Myaree on Friday, instead turning the focus on Labor deals. 'It's about outcomes at the election,' he said. 'The outcome of the election that would be the worst for WA would be an Albanese-Bandt government, because it would mean Nature Positive which the Prime Minister won't look West Australians in the eye and tell them what it means. 'And don't forget that the teal Kate Chaney is working in lockstep with the Labor party. The Labor party is running soft in Curtin to support somebody that they know is a fellow traveller. Kate Chaney would support a Labor-Greens government and that would be bad for WA.' The Greens vote increased 2.5 per cent to 15 per cent, according to the Demos AU poll. The Liberal party is targeting Curtin, Bullwinkel, Tangney and Pearce in it's bid to claw back ground in WA after being turfed out by voters in five seats in 2022. The Demos AU poll of 4,100 voters released on Friday made for grim reading in Liberal HQ, with both major parties suffering a slump in support but Labor retain a nationwide edge, 52 to 48 per cent, when preferences were counted. Labor was even further ahead, 56 to 44 per cent two-party preferred, in WA. Anthony Albanese was ahead of Mr Dutton in the preferred PM stakes, 46 per cent to 34 per cent. But Mr Dutton received 43 per cent support from One Nation voters.
West Australian
01-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: Anthony Albanese avoids questions on details of new nature positive laws
Anthony Albanese has refused to detail his new plan for nature positive laws, while standing next to Roger Cook after the WA Premier labelled the previous legislation a threat to the State's jobs. The pair were on the campaign trail in the crucial seat of Tangney on Thursday, when the Prime Minister was asked whether a new environmental regulator would be a compliance-only model as demanded by industry leaders. Mr Albanese initially tried to avoid the question. 'What we'll have is a policy that's good for industry,' he said. 'I've met with Rebecca (Tomkinson) already from the Chamber of Minerals here in WA, I've had discussions with the Premier here, we've had discussions with conservation groups. 'What I want is something that's good for business and good for sustainability, and that's what they want as well.' Pressed a further four times on whether the new version would be 'compliance only', Mr Albanese still refused to answer. 'You'll get to see the legislation when it's done,' he said. 'What we will do is not pre-empt processes of consultation. We treat people with respect, that's what my Government does. We engage with the industry.' The Liberal party immediately seized on the non-answer and warned voters that Labor could be forced to negotiate with the Greens. 'Western Australians can't believe anything that comes out of this Prime Minister's mouth on the diabolical nature positive, mining negative laws,' WA Senator Michaelia Cash said. 'What we do know is that a Labor Government will introduce these laws that will be a disaster for the WA economy. 'If they are in a minority government with the Greens and Teals they will be even worse. Mr Albanese is a risk to the future prosperity of WA.' The Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to consult further but was wary about his promise a new bill would be 'in accordance with what was recommended by the Samuels review'. 'It is important to note the Samuels Review did not recommend establishing an EPA with decision making powers,' CME chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said. 'Creating a new federal decision maker will add yet another layer of duplication to what is already a lengthy and complex project assessment process. 'CME continues to question the need for a Federal Environmental Protection Agency given the robust procedures already in place at our independent State-based EPA.' The controversial Nature Positive legislation was shelved, for a second time, in February when Mr Albanese declared there was 'no path' left to deliver a 'sensible' national EPA days after Mr Cook declared it a 'threat to WA jobs'. 'I'm just standing up for WA jobs and I'm very pleased with the outcome,' Mr Cook said at the time. 'This is a Prime Minister that gets Western Australia, he's shown great leadership in making this decision.'
