Australia news live: ‘arrogance’ cost Coalition power in 2022, Howard says; $843m remote services funding for Indigenous communities
John Howard says ‘arrogant attitude’ cost Liberals in 2022
Martin Farrer
As his latest successor as Liberal party leader plots his strategy to win power this year, the former prime minister John Howard has advised Peter Dutton and other centre-right politicians to make sure they can deliver on the key promise of less tax and less government.
Writing in the UK Daily Telegraph, Howard ruminates on the difficulty faced by parties to attract support from young people in the face of a challenge from the populist right, and the challenge of finding new members in an age where people have stopped “being joiners”.
He says the the challenge is to scoop up increasing numbers of floating voters while not alienating the base. But he says a trap lies in wait, because taking conservative voters for granted cost the Coalition power last time out:
It’s a huge mistake for a centre-right party to assume that a disgruntled conservative has “nowhere else to go”. That arrogant attitude cost the Liberal party in Australia dear in the 2022 election. In the UK they now have Reform to go to.
The way to do it, Howard says, is to “stand for less government, either in the form of state ownership or excessive regulation, and lower taxation”, along with stronger defence.
These are the invariable default definitions trotted out. Yet the reality often falls short, and that creates a credibility deficit. The voting public will no longer accept the excuse that taxes would be higher under leftwing governments as a substitute for actual tax relief under conservative ones.
Central to the success of future centre-right governments will be their capacity to actually deliver on tax and smaller government – and not just talk.
You can find his whole piece here – although it is behind a paywall.
Key events
Starmer says he wants to build fleet of nuclear power stations of same design touted by Dutton
Staying in the UK and with Peter Dutton, prime minister Keir Starmer made an announcement yesterday that he wants to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations of the same design touted by the Liberal leader.
Britain already has nuclear power stations and is in the process of building an extremely expensive new one at Hinckley Point in Somerset. But this time around, Starmer wants to build small modular reactors which will provide a base power load for the country’s push to develop its AI industry.
Here’s the full story from our UK team:
And you can read an explainer on SMRs here.
Dutton coy on what public servant jobs he will slash if he wins election
Peter Dutton, of course, says he wants to cut the size of the federal government and has promised to slash civil service jobs in what appears to be an attempt to live up to the Howard dictum.
Making a rare media appearance in Canberra yesterday, Dutton said he “plans to get the “economy back on track” through slashing government jobs and other “wasteful spending”.
However, he was careful not to give any actual details of the plan and which jobs he would cut, as many critics were only too happy to point out.
Read more from Sarah Basford Canales and Josh Butler:
John Howard says ‘arrogant attitude’ cost Liberals in 2022
Martin Farrer
As his latest successor as Liberal party leader plots his strategy to win power this year, the former prime minister John Howard has advised Peter Dutton and other centre-right politicians to make sure they can deliver on the key promise of less tax and less government.
Writing in the UK Daily Telegraph, Howard ruminates on the difficulty faced by parties to attract support from young people in the face of a challenge from the populist right, and the challenge of finding new members in an age where people have stopped “being joiners”.
He says the the challenge is to scoop up increasing numbers of floating voters while not alienating the base. But he says a trap lies in wait, because taking conservative voters for granted cost the Coalition power last time out:
It’s a huge mistake for a centre-right party to assume that a disgruntled conservative has “nowhere else to go”. That arrogant attitude cost the Liberal party in Australia dear in the 2022 election. In the UK they now have Reform to go to.
The way to do it, Howard says, is to “stand for less government, either in the form of state ownership or excessive regulation, and lower taxation”, along with stronger defence.
These are the invariable default definitions trotted out. Yet the reality often falls short, and that creates a credibility deficit. The voting public will no longer accept the excuse that taxes would be higher under leftwing governments as a substitute for actual tax relief under conservative ones.
Central to the success of future centre-right governments will be their capacity to actually deliver on tax and smaller government – and not just talk.
You can find his whole piece here – although it is behind a paywall.
PM to announce $843m remote services funding
Dan Jervis-Bardy
A six-year, $843m agreement to deliver services in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory has been inked by the commonwealth and territory governments.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will make the announcement in Alice Springs on Friday morning alongside the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro.
The funding will ensure continuity for essential services, including policing, women’s safety, education, alcohol harm reduction as well as hearing and dental programs.
The commonwealth will fund the entire $843m, which will shore up 570 jobs, including more than 278 for First Nations workers.
The prime minister said:
Australians want to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Australians believe in the fair go. The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities.
My government remains determined to seek better results for Indigenous Australians and help Close the Gap.
Welcome
Martin Farrer
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Emily Wind with the main action.
It has been a busy week in the federal parliament, where the government introduced legislation mandating prison sentences for hate crimes.
In Sydney today, a pro-Palestine rally is planned outside Town Hall to protest against Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US could seize control of Gaza. Organisers have criticised Peter Dutton for “legitimising” the idea, so things could get lively. More on that later.
John Howard says the Coalition lost power in 2022 because they took for granted that conservative-minded people would vote for them. Writing for the UK’s Telegraph in a tribute to Margaret Thatcher becoming Tory leader 50 years ago, Howard has issued a challenge to Dutton and centre-right politicians around the world that they must focus on delivering on the key aims of lower taxes and smaller government.
And Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful termination claim against the ABC, which was due to finish hearing evidence today, is running at least a day behind schedule and will not conclude this week – but we’ll be following along in court, with a separate blog later.
More coming up.
