The focus is on whether or not Treasurer Jim Chalmers takes the reins as Labor leader, whether that makes him prime minister or leader of the opposition.
One of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s harshest critics, commentator Niki Savva, has slammed Anthony Albanese, claiming the Prime Minister may have already “destroyed” his legacy.
If Albo loses next year’s federal elections, “he will bear much of the blame and his legacy will be destroyed,” he says.
Savva wants the prime minister to step aside, even if he wins the election, “so that the Labor Party can regenerate”. “You should count your blessings and then gracefully quit the job,” he argues.
That puts Chalmers front and center as alternative Labor leader, a label he tried to downplay last week, saying he expects Albo to serve a full second term if he is re-elected.
But the Treasurer’s Labor colleagues aren’t buying it. One simply commented “yeah right” when I mentioned the Chalmers detour.
But is Is Chalmers ready to step up if Labor needs him? Or could he be brought down by a rumor campaign about Chalmers’ past engineered by political opponents who also have plans for Albo’s job?
During Labour’s first term, Chalmers took part in a series of profile articles, which his colleagues have interpreted as laying the groundwork for an eventual tilt towards higher office.
Is Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured with wife Laura) ready to step up if Labor needs him? Or could he be brought down by a rumor campaign masterminded by his political opponents?
Attention is focused on whether or not Chalmers takes the reins as Labor leader as one prominent commentator calls on Anthony Albanese (left) to “gracefully resign from the role”.
But the Treasurer, 46, has at least one skeleton in his political closet: his excessive alcohol consumption. He claims to have put that behind him to set a better example for the young children he shares with his wife Laura.
In a profile piece late last year, Chalmers said it was hard not to get “emotional” when talking about his former penchant for alcohol, but he knew he “couldn’t keep drinking six or seven nights a week” and didn’t He wanted his children to “think that’s what adults do every night.”
The journalist who wrote the Good Weekend article noted that there had been talk of Chalmers “relaxing a bit socially in Parliament”.
Now, I’m not sure what that means exactly, but those eight carefully chosen words sent the media and political rumor mill into overdrive. They are exactly the kind of words a journalist chooses when he knows something, but doesn’t have enough evidence to say it openly.
Regardless of what was or was not implied, the Treasurer responded by saying that the gossip came from him.“Drinking too much,” but denied that this was related to his decision to give up alcohol.
Fast forward to today, with Labor trailing in the polls and the Prime Minister floundering, there is talk that a generational shift towards Chalmers could be the recipe for a government revival.
In his column, Savva notes that the Prime Minister has “lost his charm, his judgment has deserted him and if he cannot muster the discipline to get back into shape, he should exit before the election to allow someone else to take on an unbridled Peter.” “. Dutton’.
This sentiment marks Chalmers as the alternative leader. Tanya Plibersek lacks factional support and belongs to the same left faction as Albo.
With the Labor Party trailing in the polls and the Prime Minister faltering, there is talk that a generational shift towards Chalmers (pictured with his wife Laura on election day in Brisbane on May 21, 2022) could be the recipe for a government resurgence.
Right-wing factional figures such as Chris Bowen and Tony Burke are also not seen as viable alternative leaders.
But if Chalmers is the heir apparent, how could he represent a new beginning for the Labor Party when he is also the architect of its economic strategy? A strategy that has contributed to higher interest rates and inflation that remains stubbornly high compared to similar OECD countries that have already begun to enjoy interest rate cuts to help manage cost of living pressures .
As Treasurer, Chalmers has presided over two consecutive budget surpluses, a feat the Coalition aimed for but never achieved.
That said, next year’s budget will be wall-to-wall in the red, with large shortfalls around early estimates contributing to record levels of debt that future generations will need to someday pay off.
Meanwhile, the interest on that debt alone has become one of the most expensive items in the budget. Chalmers needs to take some of the blame for that, having failed to rein in public spending.
Indeed, he has taken advantage of record levels of government spending, arguing that it has been an important feature of his economic management, helping Australians manage the cost of living crisis.
Critics disagree, citing the RBA governor’s comment that state and federal government spending is making it difficult for the central bank to cut interest rates, even as the sluggish economy records sluggish growth.
Assuming rumors about his past do not interfere with his future, Chalmers may well have the opportunity to pursue a bolder reformist agenda, writes Peter van Onselen
If Albanese cannot get out of the political quagmire he has found himself in – with lasting criticism over his failed Voice referendum, among other challenges – Chalmers could be called upon to lead.
Having left the grog and cleaned up his act, if Chalmers were to take power he could well up the ante on Labour’s economic reform agenda.
Government insiders say the only reason amendments to policy areas such as negative gearing and capital gains taxes are no longer on the agenda is because a cautious Prime Minister continues to overrule his Treasurer.
That wouldn’t happen if Chalmers became prime minister.
Before entering parliament, he worked as chief of staff to former Labor treasurer Wayne Swan. That Labor government sought to introduce a mining tax, among other reforms.
As shadow finance minister before the 2019 election, Chalmers championed a series of economic reforms that Bill Shorten campaigned on as leader of the Labor opposition. I understand that the now Treasurer continues to defend many of those policies privately, even if he is required to toe the party line publicly and deny such sentiments now that Albo is in charge.
If the prime minister is as damaged as Savva claims, perhaps Chalmers has a chance to move Labor’s political setup away from the do-nothing caution that Albo has shown in pursuing a bolder reform agenda.
It might be something worthy of a (non-alcoholic) toast at the Treasurer’s house. Assuming your past doesn’t get in the way of your future.