Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeks political reset in rally after bruising month, vows education reform

Labor has sought a political reset after a bruising month, with Anthony Albanese holding a US-style campaign rally in Adelaide with party faithful on Sunday.

Anthony Albanese used the major pre-election event to make education a central tenet of a second term Labor Government, saying the poll would be held “next year”.

Labor used the speech to turn up the heat on Peter Dutton, with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles saying the Opposition Leader was “happy to hurt people” to get ahead.

“That’s what he thinks leadership is about,” Mr Marles said.

“Cutting and slashing instead of protecting and investing, bullying and blocking instead of building, wrecking and whinging instead of working.

“Happy to hurt people, if he thinks it can help him and prepared to send the country backwards, if he thinks that would propel him forward.

“That’s who we’re up against at the next election. That’s our contest, and it’s one we must win, because if Peter Dutton wins, the country loses.”

Speaking about the looming election campaign — which he said would be “next year” — Mr Albanese defended his first term, saying it had successfully taken action on inflation, and returned the budget to surplus.

Figures show the election, which must be held by the end of May, is set to reduce Labor to a minority government, narrowly behind with coalition on a two-party basis in a number of opinion polls.

“We can build Australia’s future stronger and fairer than ever before, and we can make sure that the people who have carried the weight of today’s challenges share the rewards of tomorrow’s opportunities,” he said, speaking under a slogan “Building Australia’s Future”.

“No one held back and no one left behind. That principle has guided me my whole life. I’ve never lost sight of that. I’ve never forgotten the people we are here to serve.”

The speech came after it was alleged Mr Albanese had previously received flight upgrades from Qantas and that he had purchased — with his fiancee — a multi-million dollar house on the NSW Central Coast.

In his speech, Mr Albanese announced a second term Labor Government would slash HECS debts by 20 per cent, and legislate 100,000 fee-free TAFE places.

But the scrapping of $16 billion in university debts was slammed by both the Opposition and economist Chris Richardson, who described it as a “reverse Robin Hood”.

“It’s a tax cut targeted to the big end of town, with money going from the less well off to the better off,” he wrote on X.

“There are many things that Australia could spend $16 billion on. This wouldn’t feature on any list that someone fighting for a fairer and more prosperous Australia would put together.”

Senior Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham said Labor was trying to “hoodwink” voters with a “cash splash”..

“This isn’t real reform,” he said. “This doesn’t change the student fees that somebody who starts uni next year pays.

“This is simply a cash splash from Anthony Albanese. An attempt at trying to corner or hoodwink an electorate ahead of an election from a government who has ultimately overseen the inflationary environment that has put so much pressure on young Australians and ultimately all Australian households feeling that inflationary pressure.”