Firstly, congratulations to Albo on becoming PM and especially congratulations to Canberra’s very own Katy Gallagher on becoming finance minister. This is the highest ministerial rank an ACT federal politician has ever attained.
At the time I write, it looks like the ALP will govern in its own right, thankfully, as the mix of crossbench groups in the parliament is interesting to say the least. In the first ACT Assembly, we ended up with six different groups from 17 people. The five ALP and four Liberals would, on occasion, get together and stop some of the crazier ideas being put forward by the others from coming to fruition. Even in federal parliament on rare occasions, Liberal and Labor do combine against others such as the Greens to prevent disastrous ideas getting momentum.
I’d remind Albo that his first duty is to ensure the security of Australia; this means having a strong defence force, but it also means things like ensuring energy security. The new Opposition must also be prepared to work with the ALP in ensuring this, so when the Greens and those wealthy, middle-aged white women from the “teals” (who can afford electricity rises of 200 or 300 per cent, unlike the battlers out in Charnwood, Isabella Plains, Cabramatta and Logan) come to him and demand he slash defence spending and close down our coal mines and gas fields by 2025, he can tell them where to get off, knowing he has the backing of the opposition if they try anything in the Senate.
I make no predictions about how this government will go, but it won’t go too far wrong if it at least does the above.
There are two wonderful human stories coming out of this election. The first is about a little working-class boy of Italian origins, brought up by a single mum in a housing trust home who worked hard to give her son every opportunity. This boy went through uni and has now risen to the highest office in the land – Anthony Albanese. He has a reputation as a decent man who looks after all his constituents in inner Sydney. He knows hardship and thrift, and the sacrifice a parent makes for their child.
The second one concerns a little girl in the NT whose grandmother gave birth to her mum under a tree in a remote community. Her mum went on to be a minister of the crown in the Country/Liberal government, and that little girl, Jacinta Price, is now heading off to Canberra as an NT senator. She is a strong, impressive, practical conservative and will do much for Indigenous Australians and, indeed, all Australians. I’d expect her to attain high ministerial rank in a future conservative government and she has the potential to end up our first Indigenous PM.
Finally, commiserations to Zed and congratulations to David Pocock. Zed has made a significant contribution to Canberra and Australia, and David shows promise.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Canberra Daily.
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