Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will tell Australian voters hit hard by the rising cost of living that he feels their pain and has not forgotten what it is like to “struggle and strive”. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
In a keynote speech today, just three days after the second anniversary of his Government’s election, Mr Albanese will say he knows “there are still people doing it tough right now”, in a frank acknowledgement that voters are hurting and unhappy, but will tell them the challenges the nation faces are too urgent to change course.
“I know that when you are living week to week, it’s hard to even find the time to think about the future, let alone plan for it with confidence,” he will say, according to an advance copy of the speech he will deliver at the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue.
The two-year anniversary speech could stoke speculation about an early election – despite the prime minister insisting he plans to serve a full three-year term, until May 2025.
The latest Resolve Political Monitor underscored the depth of voters’ discontent, with last week’s federal budget generating no bounce for the government. Labor’s primary vote slipped 1 percentage point to 29 per cent over the past month while the Coalition held steady at 36 per cent.
The budget itself was well-received, with 40 per cent of respondents believing the Budget was good for them, 39 per cent undecided and 21 per cent delivering a negative verdict.
The Prime Minister blames rising costs on two years of economic shocks and aftershocks caused by the pandemic, conflicts overseas and “the most significant international energy crisis in half a century”.
Mr Albanese will list budget measures including a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer, energy bill assistance, cheaper childcare and medicines, two increases in rent assistance and help for university and TAFE students as key policies designed to help with cost-of-living relief.
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Albanese to voters: I feel your cost-of-living pain (By James Massola, Sydney Morning Herald)
