Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s penchant for the deal is undermining the national interest. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Is Anthony Albanese the ultimate political pragmatist or is he just not up for a fight?
Backed by a huge majority and the Opposition in tatters, Mr Albanese should be taking on the big issues and winning, especially in matters of the national interest.
Instead, it appears his idea of leadership is about cutting deals. But if that is all he is doing, how long before he deals himself out of the game?
Carve-outs, exemptions, special circumstances. Everyone’s a winner as the PM finds a trade-off to get the deal done.
Last week, national uniform standards for data centres were on the table at National Cabinet, including a requirement for the industry to use and supply renewable energy sources, and other sustainability issues such as water.
Both the Commonwealth and the data centre industry sought common ground rules across the country to ensure certainty and a clear development pathway.
The industry was already on board for renewables, but Queensland and the Northern Territory weren’t about to sign up, deploying a bit of old-fashioned Canberra-bashing in the process.
They want to be able to use coal and gas-fired electricity. Both Queensland and the NT have gas fields they want developed.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the Commonwealth could legislate national standards to override their wishes, but the outcome was, of course, a deal acknowledging their special circumstances, including Queensland’s so-called energy-agnostic approach.
Mr Bowen tried to save face the next day by saying that coal or gas would have to be cheaper than renewable sources, and Queensland and the NT would still need Commonwealth approval.
But the door is ajar and the devil will be in the detail.
The situation encompassed arguably the two most pressing issues of our time — the need to transition away from fossil fuels due to climate change, and the promise, and challenge, of artificial intelligence.
With the northern hemisphere still burning, the oceans the warmest they’ve ever been and glaciers melting, Mr Albanese cut a deal that will probably ensure more greenhouse pollution is pumped into the atmosphere, exacerbating already alarming levels of global warming.
He also allowed Queensland and the Northern Territory to undermine a united approach to how this new and demanding industry will pay its way in Australia.
That’s a lot of unfinished business. The PM may have avoided a fight he didn’t want to have, but at what price?
His authority on nationally important issues such as this can’t help but be damaged, and clearly climate change no longer holds the urgency it once had.
The other federation issue that needed to be dealt with was Scott Morrison’s dud of a GST deal that is enriching an already well-endowed Western Australia at the expense of the rest of the nation.
The Productivity Commission confirmed what everybody knew was a bad deal for the nation, but Mr Albanese, already eyeing a third term, wasn’t prepared to do the right thing by the rest of us by rebalancing the national finances.
Once again, the national interest gave way to the sectional, and was trumped by political calculations. But it too will have to be dealt with eventually.
Politics is often about compromise. Look what the Greens set in motion when they helped kill the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in 2009.
But it should also be about leadership. The PM is burning through political capital every time he compromises, cuts a deal or isn’t prepared to take on the selfishness of states or industry lobbies.
From gambling to climate change, the question that will keep being asked more and more will be: “What does Mr Albanese stand for?”
Original Article published by Ian Bushnell on Region Canberra.
