EDITORIAL: Albanese needs to deal with One Nation
With Parliament set to resume next week, Labor will be hoping Anthony Albanese is refreshed and at the top of his game because he has plenty on his to-do list.
Anthony Albanese was still dealing with the fallout from his crass podcast comments about women last month when he declared he had the flu and hadn’t had a day off all year.
It came across for all the world like a plea to cut him a little slack because he had been so busy.
It followed stinging criticism for the jokes he made about his sex life, innuendo about the Japanese Prime Minister, and his participation in a game of “shag, marry, date” in which he chose Kylie Minogue to “shag”.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Albanese finally got some time off after he went on leave last Friday.
He returned to work on Thursday. And with Parliament set to resume next week, Labor will be hoping he is refreshed and at the top of his game because he has plenty on his to-do list.
The single most important item to attend to is bedding down Labor’s immigration policy.
Concern about immigration is by far and away the biggest issue driving the surge in support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
It was for a long time the sort of issue which was approached with caution by many out of fear that to express concern about the level or make-up of the immigration program was to invite sneering and fierce attack from the Left.
Senator Hanson was ostracised from mainstream political debate for years. But things have changed.
The notion that Australia is a harmonious society far from the problems and enmities of the old world has come under increasing challenge amid a tide of anti-Semitism and the Bondi massacre.
For many Australians the direction of the country is deeply unsettling.
The shifting sentiment showed up in a January Newspoll which showed One Nation outpolling the Coalition at the Federal level for the first time in Australian political history.
And while Labor was returned in the South Australian State election in March, One Nation picked up four seats.
Then came the Federal by-election in Farrer, in regional NSW, in May. One Nation romped in.
Sensing that it is not immune from this surge, the Albanese Government has been working on a migration policy in a bid to stop the bleeding.
A meeting of Cabinet on Monday chaired by Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles is understood to have given broad approval to the policy.
But Labor’s leadership group then decided more work was needed and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke abruptly pulled out of a key speech on Thursday in which he was due to unveil changes.
Labor is working to force down the net overseas migration rate.
The Cabinet meeting had reportedly considered measures including tougher family visa rules, backpacker numbers and asylum seeker work and appeal rights.
Mr Albanese needs to take control of the issue.
Failure to do so will continue to allow the issue to rage.
And voters will continue to turn away from any party they do not think is hearing them.
Including Labor.
Which would mean the One Nation surge would continue, taking the nation into unchartered political territory.
