Australian politics have changed following Anthony Albanese’s election as Prime Minister and the first Labor government since 2013, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr believes.
“It signifies a dramatic shift in Australian politics, the likes of which many people will not have seen in their lifetimes,” Mr Barr said on Monday.
He compared it to Gough Whitlam’s election 50 years ago, which ended 23 years of Coalition government.
“It’s got all the hallmarks of the 1972 ‘It’s time election’ in terms of sweeping away a tired old conservative government and bringing in a new era of politics in Australia.”
Mr Barr believed the election held clear lessons for all political parties and players.
“People want action on climate change. People want to see cheaper childcare. They want to see an end to so many of the social political wedges: the attacks on transgender people, on gay and lesbian people, on people from different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. All of that wedge politics has been shoved in the bin by this result.”
Labor would form a majority in the lower house, Mr Barr expects, but would need to negotiate with Green and independent crossbench senators.
“That’s the nature of federal politics from here on in. No one party will control both houses.”
Here, ACT Senator Katy Gallagher’s decade’s experience negotiating with the Greens party in the ACT would be useful, Mr Barr thought.
“It’s much more complex federally, obviously, than it is in the local environment, but it can be done. It necessarily involves compromise at times. But politics is all about compromise. We’ve got to understand and respect that the parliament that people voted for on Saturday involves Greens and crossbench MPs and senators, and so they need to be part of the political process, and inevitably they will be.
“But equally, Labor made a series of important commitments that it needs to deliver on, that obviously a majority in two-party preferred terms have voted for. And in the end, it’s not votes, it’s seats in parliament that matter. And Labor is the biggest party in parliament, by a long way, because of what the teal independents have done to the Liberal party, effectively decimating their moderate wing. It’s a very different set of circumstances, but some of the principles are the same: talk to people. That’s the outcome that Prime Minister Albanese is seeking: to drive consensus, where he can.”
At least nine independents have been elected to the House of Representatives, many in previously safe seats, while the Greens are likely to claim four (possibly five) lower house seats, mostly in Queensland.
“That you have such a strong crossbench in the federal parliament now is reflective of dissatisfaction with major parties in some parts of the country,” Mr Barr said.
In the ACT, he remarked, Labor achieved a primary vote of 45 per cent in the House of Representatives, and a four per cent swing to Labor on primary votes.
“That’s the highest vote achieved by any political party anywhere in Australia in any jurisdiction.”
According to the ABC’s latest figures, there was a 4.7 per cent swing (first preference) to Labor in Alicia Payne’s seat of Canberra, with 45.2 per cent of the vote (62.8 per cent total); a 4.1 per cent swing in David Smith’s seat of Bean, with 42.2 per cent of the vote (63.2 per cent); and a 3.9 per cent swing in Dr Andrew Leigh’s seat of Fenner, with 48.7 per cent of the vote (65.9 per cent total).
In the ACT, there was a primary vote swing to the Greens of 1.8 per cent in Canberra (Tim Hollo getting 25.1 per cent of the primary vote), 2.2 per cent in Fenner (16.6 per cent), and 1.4 per cent in Bean (14.5 per cent).
The Liberals suffered a vote swing against them of 6.8 per cent in Fenner (27.9 per cent primary vote), 6.4 per cent in Canberra (21.4 per cent primary vote), and 1.8 per cent in Bean (29.7 per cent primary vote).
In the Senate, Katy Gallagher received 33.5 per cent of the votes, but a 5.8 per cent swing against her. Liberal Senator Zed Seselja received 24.7 per cent, and a 7.7 per cent swing against him. Independent candidate David Pocock received 21.4 per cent of the vote, and preferences are expected to push him to win.
“The Coalition tried every tired old political tactic during this campaign,” Mr Barr said. He dismissed Advance Australia’s smear campaign against Mr Pocock as “vicious but ultimately pointless”, and was proud the community “outright rejected” those attempts by “Zed Seselja’s mates”.
What the Labor election means for the ACT
Mr Albanese’s election has removed many roadblocks to significant reforms for the ACT, Mr Barr argues, including the ban on territory parliaments legislating for voluntary assisted dying.
Two days before the election, former prime minister Scott Morrison had refused to allow the ACT and the Northern Territory the right to vote on euthanasia, despite it being legal in every other jurisdiction as of last week. Mr Barr suspects there will be a bill before parliament by the beginning of next year.
“I look forward to that being removed in the Commonwealth Parliament sooner rather than later, but definitely in this parliamentary term,” he said. “Having two ACT Senators who would vote for territory rights is going to be a significant shift in the dynamic in that chamber.”
Senator Seselja opposed voluntary assisted dying, whereas Mr Pocock, increasingly expected to take Senator Seselja’s seat, pledged to fight for Territory rights.
“We’re also going to see the climate wars ended; we’re going to have a debate now on how we deliver on some very ambitious targets,” Mr Barr said.
Labor has set a 43 per cent reduction in 2005 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2030, and net zero by 2050 – more than the Coalition’s target of 26 to 28 per cent by 2030.
This is in line with state and international targets, the University of Melbourne states. However, the Greens (who set a target of 75 per cent reductions by 2030) and independent crossbenchers are likely to push for more, The Conversation states.
The ACT Government set and achieved a 40 per cent reduction from 1990 levels by 2020, and has set a target of 65 to 75 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2045.
“The ACT has been a national leader in that regard, and we will continue our work in that area,” Mr Barr said.
The federal government, he said, would support the ACT’s initiatives: community batteries, electric vehicles, investment in the energy network, and reduction in emissions.
Labor committed to infrastructure for the ACT, including revamping the AIS arena, the youth foyer at CIT Woden, the garden city cycleway, and the Weston Creek tennis club.
“There are projects and commitments right across Canberra at a variety of different scales, but we look forward to being able to work in partnership with the Commonwealth to deliver that,” he said.
Responding to criticism that Labor commitments ‘rehashed’ his own 2020 election promises, Mr Barr said he had submitted a list of projects to the Commonwealth for funding.
“Any Commonwealth contribution into our infrastructure program frees up capital for us to invest in other projects. What they were looking for were well-scoped projects that had community support, that could be delivered in this parliamentary term.”
Light rail will also travel more smoothly on its journey to completion, Mr Barr hoped. “We’ll have a much more supportive environment in which to progress the project through the next stages of its Heritage and Environmental Assessments.”
Stage 2B (Commonwealth Park to Woden) would travel through the Parliamentary Triangle, over Commonwealth-owned land. The Federal Government, Mr Barr believes, “stands to benefit the most from having an efficient public transport system that delivers all their staff into those key buildings in the city”.
Similarly, Mr Barr hoped the Commonwealth would finance hundreds of additional social and affordable dwellings over the next three years.
“It is a very big agenda. There’s a lot of work to be getting on with. I’m very conscious that, combined with the commitments I made in 2020, the delivery of these federal commitments where it involves the Territory government will see us be very busy on the implementation side.
“But what it is, is a shared agenda to make a difference in the areas that people voted on Saturday for their governments to take seriously and to make a difference. That’s what we intend to do.”
