As the first Parliament week of the year draws to a close, one thing has become clear: Albo has regained his mojo.
The Prime Minister, historically known for his friendliness and easy-going nature, was clearly nervous at the end of 2023.
He had waged a long (and ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to introduce an Indigenous Voice in Parliament, and was under intense pressure after an ill-timed High Court decision freed 141 criminal asylum seekers.
But the summer holidays were clearly rejuvenating for the Labor leader.
He got to work with his senior team, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, and developed a strategy to help alleviate some of the cost of living pressures Australians face every day.
The Prime Minister welcomed the new year with open arms and arrived in Canberra in high spirits after his new tax policy was welcomed by the general public.
Towards the end of 2023, the Prime Minister looked exhausted and deflated (pictured after the Voice referendum loss)
The decision they reached was never going to be an easy conversation to have with the public.
Breaking an election promise he had made no fewer than 36 times since assuming the top job (and up to 100 times during the campaign) exposed him to an unprecedented level of scrutiny.
Opponents have been as scathing about the decision to modify the Stage Three tax cuts as the Prime Minister’s inner circle expected.
But he has caught them and they know it. Not supporting this policy, which puts money back into the pockets of 90 per cent of taxpayers, would hurt the Coalition.
And Albanese has spent the week urging them to do just that.
“If you were fair, you would vote against our measure and commit to repealing it,” he boasted on multiple occasions.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton returned to Canberra on Tuesday and revealed he would support changes to help Australians. He promised not to reverse them if he is elected, but said he will reveal details of a new tax policy in the coming months.
The Prime Minister, known historically for his friendliness and easy-going nature, was clearly nervous at the end of 2023 (pictured in December 2023).
The Labor Party, not just its leader, knows this is a victory and has used the Coalition’s support as a rebuttal repeatedly during question time in both the House and Senate.
“I find it interesting that the opposition is complaining and complaining so much about a policy they actually support,” said Senator Katy Gallagher.
‘You (said) this was a betrayal, betrayal or deception and now you are voting for it. “If they really thought this was wrong, they would vote against it and say they would repeal it,” added Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.
‘If you think we are wrong on this, why don’t you vote against them in Parliament? They have learned nothing from their decade of division. They are trying to revive Morrison-era politics. “That’s not a policy, that’s a defibrillator,” Dr. Chalmers said.
But no one is happier than Albanese himself.
He got to work with his senior team, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, and developed a strategy to help alleviate some of the cost of living pressures Australians face every day.
Peter Dutton had no choice but to support the changes.
He risked his reputation with this policy and all early indicators suggest it has paid dividends.
The real test will be the upcoming Dunkley by-election, which Dutton and his team say was the catalyst for these changes.
Towards the end of last year, the Prime Minister’s responses to questions and criticisms were sarcastic, tired and poorly structured.
He often talked out the criticism entirely, reverting to a well-worn complaint about “the mess we inherited.”
Not anymore.
In the first exciting week of Question Time, Albanese was witty, well-informed and in touch with his audience.
He first compared Mr Dutton to Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining in a bold critique, brandishing an imaginary ax while shouting: “Here’s Peter.”
And on Thursday he said that “they can change the way they vote, but they will never change who they are.”
Albanese made several jokes about the ABC series Nemesis, which is revisiting the Coalition era of governance, and Dutton’s scathing one-word description of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as a “thug”.
“You’ve almost used up Gina Rinehart’s table,” Mr. Albanese joked.
When Dutton attempted to question the relevance of Albanese’s comments, the prime minister simply dealt another blow.
“Having such thin skin makes it very easy to see the glass jaw,” he said.