Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will seek a third term in office as he is enjoying leading the country, but a new poll shows Australians are dissatisfied with his handling of major issues.
The Labor leader, who has fuelled housing and cost-of-living crises and damaged social cohesion by bringing in a record number of immigrants, said he would “absolutely” lead his party to the next federal election, which must be held before May 2028.
“I’ve been enjoying the job. I’m honoured to do it. I’m energised by it. I don’t think anyone sees any slowing down, and I’m optimistic about the opportunities which are there,” Mr Albanese said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
If Mr Albanese is still leading the party in 2028 it will make him the second-longest serving Labor prime minister after Bob Hawke, but when asked if he could end up in office longer, he said: “I’m not getting ahead of myself, and I take nothing for granted.”
“Winning elections is always hard, but I tell you what I’m focused on is where we are at the moment, the immediate challenges, dealing with them, but I’m also focused on where we’ll be at the time of the next election and the longer-term challenges,” he said.
Mr Albanese also hinted at major changes in the upcoming Federal Budget, saying “Labor governments always do the big things … we do the big reforms and we don’t shy away from that”, but did not directly address rumours he plans to scrap negative gearing and capital gains tax breaks.
A Freshwater Strategy poll for the Sunday Mail conducted a year after the last election found 56% of voters think Australia is heading in the wrong direction, and just 32% are satisfied with the government’s response to fuel prices, 33% to the Iran War, and 34% to the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack.
The most important issue was “cost and standard of living”, selected by 44% of those polled, followed by “housing and accommodation” on 12%, “immigration and asylum” on 9%, “managing the economy” on 8%, and “crime and social order” on 7%.
But Mr Albanese is preferred as prime minister by 44% of voters compared to Opposition leader Angus Taylor’s 38%, and Labor is winning 32% of the primary vote, followed by One Nation on 25%, the Coalition on 23%, the Greens on 12%, and other parties and independents on 8%.
Freshwater Strategy’s head of research Jordan Meyers that while 47% of Aussies were dissatisfied with Mr Albanese’s handling of the fuel crisis, it was a 14 point improvement since March.
“However, this is a reprieve, not a recovery, with Australians still more likely to say the Government has handled the fuel crisis poorly, and nine in 10 are bracing for food price rises as a consequence,” he said.
“With a Budget to deliver, the electorate is calling out for further support so that ordinary Australians are not left with the bill for a crisis they did not create.”
Header image: Mr Albanese meeting a visiting Muslim sheikh (PMO).
