Albanese says:
We can do better than this. So much better than this.
We will look after the young, we will look after the sick, we will look after our older Australians.
No one held back. No one left behind.
Albanese is getting a lot of whoops and hollers as he talks about aged care.
It is economic reform not welfare that grows the economy. Older Australians built this great nation. You deserve dignity and respect in your later years, not neglect. More carers, more time to care. A pay rise for aged care workers. Tastier, more nutritious meals for residents. New accountability and reporting measures, so that every dollar we invest gets better care, not bigger profits. And critically, Labor will put the nurses back into nursing homes 24/7.
He gets a good laugh for saying prime minister Scott Morrison only offers “smirk and mirrors”.
“Labor will always protect Medicare,” Albanese says, hitting one of the hot button points for Labor.
[And] we will bring the principles of universal, affordable and quality service to childcare and to aged care.
Childcare is unaffordable, and “the neglect in aged care is just unconscionable”, he says.
Albanese has consistently cited his mum, who brought him up on her own in a council estate, as one of his biggest influences:
Now, growing up, my mum always told me that a good education was my ticket to a better life. Education remains the most powerful weapon we have against disadvantage and the best investment we can make in the future of our country. That is why we’re going to fund university places and 465,000 fee-free places at public TAFEs. And we will create a new national authority – Jobs and Skills Australia – to ensure that the needs of the labour market can be met by Australians, a growing economy with more skilled workers for more good jobs – that is my vision.
“Women workers” have had a tough time, Albanese says, and need more than thanks and applause:
Care workers are the arteries of our nation, our region, as it is, our suburbs. We must give them the respect and give them the investment that they deserve.
Albanese says on that gender pay equity pledge mentioned below:
If you want to represent the whole country, best not to leave more than half of the country out of it.
Albanese is setting out five key policy areas, and there’s some detail on each of them. I’ll do a summary first, then revisit each in a bit with some more context.
Albanese says Labor will spend $1bn in a national reconstruction fund to process lithium and nickel into electric vehicle batteries. There will also be a a focus on infrastructure investment, a focus on secure work, and a pledge to make gender pay equity an “objective of the Fair Work Act”.
‘You’ll be able to drive an electric vehicle across the country’: Labor pledges charging stations
Labor will build more electric vehicle charging stations, closing the gaps in the network, Albanese has announced. “That means you’ll be able to drive an electric vehicle across the country.”
(And yes, you can drive on the weekends too, he says, getting a laugh after the Coalition said EVs would mean the end of the weekend).
Labor to cut cost of medications on PBS by $12.50, Albanese says
Albanese says Labor will reduce the cost of medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme by $12.50, “making it cheaper for general patients”.
(The Coalition announced a $10 reduction). Albanese says that means the maximum cost for PBS medicines will be $30.
Albanese says being in isolation for the past week was “not ideal”, but that it gave his team time to shine:
It also gave me a moment of sympathy for Scott Morrison. Do not worry, it passed quickly. You see, I know I can count on Penny and Richard, Katie and Jim, and so many others to make the argument for Labor. But who has he got? Alan Tudge and Peter Dutton. The unspeakable and the unthinkable. And then of course, there is Barnaby Joyce, the inexplicable.
Albanese says:
You can choose a future where Australia makes things here again, a stronger, more diverse, more self-reliant economy. Or a government which dared the car industry to leave our country … You can vote for more secure work, better pay, and meaningful help with your cost of living, or a prime minister who says ‘it is not my job to lift wages’.
You can choose a government that seizes the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower, driving new industries, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in other regions, and acting on climate change. You can choose a government that recognises that national security is above politics, and invest in cyber security, energy security, [and] defence capabilities. You can choose to restore integrity to politics, to [end the waste and the rorts] …
I know Labor can do better, and I know Australians deserve better.
Albanese addresses Labor campaign launch: ‘You can vote for a better future’
Labor leader Anthony Albanese clears his throat (remember, he is very recently out of isolation), and begins by greeting the crowd, with a special nod to Malinauskas. He says:
My fellow Australians, in just 20 days time, you can vote for a better future, you can choose cheaper childcare, stronger Medicare, and fixing the crisis in aged care. Or, you can have more of the same.
He also says the Coalition “dared” the car industry to leave the nation, which is an interesting throwback to 2013, when then treasurer Joe Hockey taunted Holden (who did subsequently leave the country).
