Albanese Rejects Midterm Slump Talk, Says Labor Will Stay Focused

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected suggestions that his government is in a midterm slump, telling ABC News his focus is on cost-of-living pressures and building the economy for the long term.

Asked about reports that some Labor MPs are nervous, Mr Albanese said he had told colleagues in caucus to keep "kicking with the wind in the fourth quarter", a phrase he also used before the previous two elections. He denied it was an attempt to rally a restless backbench, saying the message was about staying focused on the needs of Australians.

He said the government had to deal with immediate pressures, including bringing inflation down, while strengthening the economy. As examples he pointed to free TAFE, which he said cuts costs for students while building the skills base and apprenticeships businesses need. He also flagged artificial intelligence as a major opportunity for productivity gains, and urged the government to look beyond the 24-hour news cycle to where Australia will be in one, five and ten years.

The Prime Minister said his MPs were working in their electorates on Medicare, education funding from early childhood through to universities, and jobs. He noted that 1.3 million jobs have been created, and argued that global inflation and rising interest rates across the developed world made for difficult conditions.

Mr Albanese used the interview to sharpen his contrast with the Coalition. He said Labor was now the only mainstream party seeking to govern in its own right in the national interest. He accused opposition leader Angus Taylor of telling the CPAC conference in Brisbane that the Liberals were no longer a centre-right party but a right-wing one, and of walking away from net zero and wanting deep cuts to immigration. He claimed the Coalition was in a "race to the bottom" with One Nation's Pauline Hanson, and said Josh Frydenberg was openly "stalking" Mr Taylor.

Turning to climate, Mr Albanese confirmed he will attend the COP climate conference, saying the trip had been in his diary for some time. He said he was specifically invited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and that the arrangement, in which Turkey and Australia share leadership of the summit, sends a strong message about countries with different economies and cultures working together.

He said climate change is real and that science had predicted more frequent and more intense extreme weather. While no single event can be pinned on climate change, he said, the trends are clear, and a "super El Nino" expected this summer will keep the issue in the public mind.

The Prime Minister argued that Australians are already acting, both to cut emissions and to reduce household bills. He said about 540,000 households have taken up the government's cheaper home battery program, that Australia has more rooftop solar per capita than any other country, and that electric vehicle uptake is growing quickly. He contrasted this with Scott Morrison's claim, made three elections ago, that electric cars could not tow a boat or a caravan.

Mr Albanese said such policies show how short-term action that helps people can also deliver lasting benefits for the country.