Labor's cram session
The Albanese government's rush to cram through a huge amount of legislation on the last sitting day of the year has heightened speculation of an early election.
Labor's mad scramble to ram through more than 30 bills on Thursday had a distinct ‘student who left their homework until the last minute’ feel.
And adding another day to the sitting calendar only supported the view that Anthony Albanese is planning to call an election before Parliament is scheduled to rise again on 4 February. If Parliament is definitely returning in February, why the need for more time now?
The Greens rolled over on the government's Help to Buy scheme without extracting concessions, a further sign that poor results in the ACT and Queensland elections, along with a more feisty Housing Minister in Clare O’Neil, are starting to bite.
Then, in a more significant development, the Greens backed the government’s Future Made in Australia (FMIA) legislation, its long-stalled Reserve Bank reforms and tougher penalties for supermarkets for breaching the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct. In exchange, the government pledged an extra $500 million for social housing upgrades and guaranteed FMIA will not invest in new coal or gas projects.
