Newspoll Snapshot: Voter Sentiment Swings Against Labor

‍Fuel prices and a flurry of early Budget announcements dominated April, as the Government worked to finalise a Budget against a backdrop of geopolitical volatility and energy insecurity.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industry Minister Senator Tim Ayres led with a $6.15 billion release from the National Reconstruction Fund, positioning the funding as a stabiliser for businesses grappling with sustained energy and fuel supply pressures.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles flagged an additional $53 billion in defence spending over the next decade, locking in a trajectory that lifts defence outlays to around 3 per cent of total government spending, compared with the current 2.8 per cent.

In another early announcement, Disability Minister Mark Butler outlined significant changes to rein in cost growth in the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The proposed reforms would tighten eligibility and reassessment processes, require more provider registrations, and change the way social and community participation is funded. The changes will see 160,000 current participants lose access to the NDIS, reducing the long-term structural pressures on the Budget. 

Prime Minister Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have also begun preparing the ground for changes framed around “intergenerational equity”, signalling reforms to tax and spending settings perceived to privilege older Australians over working-age people. The Government has indicated it is willing to address politically challenging topics such as capital gains tax and negative gearing, in an effort to improve housing affordability for younger people.

With a commanding majority in the House of Representatives and roughly two years still to run in the parliamentary term, the Albanese Government finds itself in a rare position. It has both political capital to spend and enough time to convince Australians that difficult decisions can deliver results needed to steer Australia in the right direction. This should see a bold and challenging Budget from the Albanese Government. 

‍Also in Pulse..

• The Greens are leading a parliamentary inquiry into the gas export tax, backed by groups such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Council of Social Services. The inquiry had hearings, where executives from oil and gas companies faced strong questioning from Senators. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ruled out a gas export tax on existing contracts to the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia. 
• The Albanese Government announced new leaders for Defence, with the Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO RAN to be appointed as the Chief of the Defence Force. Lieutenant General Susan Coyle AM CSC DSM will be the new Chief of Army, the first woman to be appointed to the role. Meghan Quinn will be the new Secretary of the Department of Defence, replacing Greg Moriarty who recently became the Australian Ambassador to the United States, and will also be the first woman appointed to the role. 
• Opposition parties began making policy announcements, with Liberal Leader Angus Taylor announcing his ‘Australian Values Migration Plan’. The plan is intended to reduce the overall number of migrants to Australia, place greater weight on tests of Australian values, and ‘crack down’ on individuals who overstay their visas. Meanwhile, Nationals Leader Matt Canavan announced the Nationals would push for a doubling of Australia’s fuel reserve at a cost of $800m.  

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