The US’s “retreat” from its role on the global stage on issues such as climate change and foreign aid is reshaping the world’s political order, Anthony Albanese says, warning it is unclear what the consequences would be for the Pacific region and Australia.
In an expansive interview with Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast, Albanese pledged his second-term government would go further on addressing gambling harms and violence against women if re-elected at the 3 May poll.
The prime minister also claimed critics had “weaponised” Labor’s push for an Environmental Protection Agency, saying the reform was misunderstood by opponents, and that the interests of the business community and green groups were not irreconcilable.
“We certainly live in uncertain times and some of the old assumptions have changed. What we will see, I think, over the coming months, certainly if not years, is an assessment being made of what the impact of all that is,” Albanese said.
“The United States, if they continue to retreat from the global role that they played, then that does change the global political dynamic.
“It’s unclear at this stage what the impact of the US retreat on issues like foreign aid, on climate policy – that’s so important to the Pacific – how this will all play out.”
Albanese joined Full Story during a campaign visit to Sydney, the day after the second leaders’ debate with Peter Dutton on the ABC. Labor has been putting significant resources, both personnel and financial, into the Brisbane seat of Dickson – held by Dutton on a 1.7% margin. It was the first stop of Albanese’s official election campaign and, he noted, the most marginal seat in Queensland.
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Dutton has rubbished Labor’s attempt to unseat him, saying he has often hung on in tight races against vocal campaigns. Asked if the campaign focus on Dickson was legitimate, or just an attempt to “troll” Dutton, Albanese said: “We’re very serious about it.
“I think her [Labor candidate Ali France’s] values are much more aligned with the community than Peter Dutton’s are. We’re serious. We’re serious about getting a majority government,” he said.
“I was the leader of the House when Julia Gillard was the prime minister and we did some really good things. It was a good government. I was proud to serve in it. But the truth is a whole lot of things got undone because we did not have a majority,” he said.
Most published polls – including the Guardian Essential poll – show Labor in an election-winning lead with 52% or 53% on a two-party basis. But a Redbridge poll published by News Corp shows that the most likely outcome of the 3 May election is Labor coming up just short of a majority.
That would mean deals with the crossbench to form government.
PM says ‘we need to get it right’ on gambling
Climate 200-backed teal candidates are pushing for the government to take more strident action on environmental issues, while the independent senator David Pocock wants Labor to take stronger action on gambling reform.
Albanese said “more needs to be done” on addressing gambling harms, but indicated that even if re-elected he would not rush to implement a ban on online gambling ads as envisaged in the “you win some, you lose more” report from the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
The Labor government has still not formally responded to that report – nearly two years on from its tabling in parliament – but Albanese said they had responded to many of its recommendations, though did not agree that banning online gambling ads was its central call.
“We need to get it right. It’s no good having changes that just then channel people into other forms of gambling, potentially offshore,” he said.
“In our first term, I think we have had substantial reform, but we acknowledge that there is more to be done and we’ll work through those issues constructively in our second term if we are fortunate enough to be elected.”
Labor has committed to reintroducing legislation for a new Environmental Protection Agency in its second term – a reform it had sidelined after strong opposition from mining groups to its “nature positive” plan.
Albanese said Labor stood by the plan, but has previously said that the government would adopt a new model to the one it failed to pass in this term of government.
“I’m not sure people understood what nature positive meant. It enabled some of the opponents of it to weaponise what it was, what it wasn’t,” he said.
Asked how he would balance the often competing goals of business and environmental groups, Albanese said he had held a round table with the latter in budget week and that the two groups’ goals were “not irreconcilable at all”.
“It is in the business community’s interest to ensure there are approvals where appropriate, but it’s also in everyone’s interest for there to be sustainable outcomes.”
Asked about Australia’s epidemic of violence against women – and the two women allegedly killed in recent days – Albanese called the cases “horrific”.
He pointed to Labor’s investments in domestic violence workers and payments for women and children fleeing violence – but pledging more action, including men’s behaviour change programs.
“Clearly, we need to do more and we need to do more as a society,” he said.
“One of the issues that we need to address as well is the behaviour of men and we need to have honest and open discussions about that, about how we improve.
“But this is truly as well a problem that can’t simply be solved by government. It needs to be a discussion that men have with each other, that people need to call that aspects of violence when they see it.”
