Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is prioritising housing and cost of living as he prepares for the upcoming election. With new legislation passed, he aims to address the challenges facing Australians, including rising housing costs and inflation.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shifted into election mode, aiming to regain voter trust that his government can address high living costs, particularly housing, after passing a flurry of legislation.
The 31 laws enacted during a midnight session on Thursday—including a world-first social media ban for children—have led to speculation that Albanese may call a national election before February. His centre-left Labor government, which assumed power in 2022, faces a tough race against the conservative Liberal-National coalition in an election that must take place by May 17.
Albanese’s public approval has dropped in opinion polls as households face the strain of soaring housing, energy, and food costs amid global inflation.
"We know that we have more work to do on cost of living, but we're making progress," Albanese said at a press conference on Friday. "We understand the pressure that people are under as a result of the global inflation surge." He added that the message to parents from the social media ban is: "We've got your back."
While Australian governments typically avoid election campaigns during the summer holiday from December to Jan. 26, Albanese has instructed lawmakers to begin soft campaigning.
His political standing is considered "perilous" after two years of high inflation and rising interest rates, which have increased mortgage costs, according to Mark Kenny, director of the Australian Studies Institute at the Australian National University. The central bank’s governor said on Thursday that core inflation is too high to allow for rate cuts in the near future, ruling out relief for borrowers at its next policy meeting in December.
"The government has been under extreme political pressure over the cost of living and the election will see no let-up on that," Kenny remarked. "However, Anthony Albanese ends the parliamentary year with several key wins on important pieces of legislation – most notably on social and affordable housing."
Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell announced on Tuesday that they will donate $6.25 billion to the investment accounts of 25 m...
Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev has said the government’s resignation is “inevitable” and called for early elections following mass protests ...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will likely announce his pick for the next Federal Reserve chair early next year, ahead of the exp...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has unveiled a sharp reduction to the organisation’s 2026 regular budget, proposing a cut of $577 million and...
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday as French unions staged nationwide strikes and demonstrations to press the government ...
Canberra has issued a stark assessment of the changing security landscape in the Pacific, warning that Beijing is projecting force deeper into the region with diminishing transparency, complicating the delicate balance of power in the Southern Hemisphere.
Australian far-right Senator Pauline Hanson was suspended from the Senate on Tuesday. This was prompted by her entering Parliament wearing a burqa on Monday, as part of her latest push to ban the face-covering Muslim garment in public.
Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova triumphed in women’s beach volleyball on Sunday evening in Adelaide, Australia. They secured the gold medal with a hard-fought three-set victory over the USA’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship.
Türkiye is set to host the COP31 United Nations climate summit in Antalya next year, while Australia would lead government negotiations under a compromise deal taking shape at COP30 in Brazil.
A four-part docuseries executive produced by Curtis '50 cent' Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton on Netflix is at the centre of controversy online.
Security concerns across Central Asia have intensified rapidly after officials in Dushanbe reported a series of lethal incursions originating from Afghan soil, marking a significant escalation in border violence.
Moscow and Kyiv painted very different pictures of the battlefield on Sunday, each insisting momentum was on their side as the fighting around Pokrovsk intensified.
Russia has claimed a decisive breakthrough in the nearly four-year war, with the Kremlin announcing the total capture of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk just hours before United States mediators were due to arrive in Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed critical issues surrounding Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, the role of American mediation, and European involvement during a press conference on Monday, reaffirming France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and ensuring peace in the region.
Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell announced on Tuesday that they will donate $6.25 billion to the investment accounts of 25 million U.S. children aged 10 and under.
Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev has said the government’s resignation is “inevitable” and called for early elections following mass protests over budget policies and allegations of corruption.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has unveiled a sharp reduction to the organisation’s 2026 regular budget, proposing a cut of $577 million and an 18% reduction in staffing, as the United Nations faces one of its most severe liquidity crises in years.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday as French unions staged nationwide strikes and demonstrations to press the government on its 2026 budget proposals.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met on Tuesday with delegations from U.S. energy giant Chevron and the Syrian Petroleum Company to discuss potential cooperation in oil and gas exploration projects along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment