Source : Perth Now news
The Prime Minister will defend his government’s budget, reject calls for capital gains tax changes and push back on the threat from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in a major speech on Friday.
Anthony Albanese will speak at Australia’s Economic Outlook 2026 summit, jointly hosted by Sky News and The Australian, as business demands amendments to the capital gains tax and negative gearing changes passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
“As we have said all along, we will engage in good faith on the detailed design of the legislation that will follow,” he will say in a speech provided to The Australian.
“Over the last four years, my door has always been open to discussions with business, but this is not going to be a long, drawn-out process that ends with fiddling around the edges of the status quo.
“Because this moment presents a bigger opportunity for deeper co-operation.”
The Prime Minister will also reject claims the tax reforms would deter international investment and encourage entrepreneurs to move overseas.
“Whenever I meet with investors in New York, or Abu Dhabi, or Jakarta, or the EU, they want to do business here in Australia,” he will say.
“Because whether they are building a data centre or opening a retail chain they recognise that investing in this country means buying in to a stable democracy with a skilled workforce, with an abundance of clean, cheap energy.”
Mr Albanese will also address the concerns of Australians that has led to the rise of One Nation after recent polling showed Pauline Hanson’s party could be the biggest threat to Labor at the next federal election.
Without mentioning One Nation, he will say Australians deserve “practical solutions, not slogans” as One Nation’s surge threatens to follow sustained increases in right-wing support across Europe and the US.
“If you look around the world, you can see what happens to countries and economies when people make up their minds that the system is broken beyond repair,” Mr Albanese will say.
“The decision for Australia is clear.
“We can choose whether the social and economic dislocation we see overseas is a warning that we act on or a preview of what is to come.
“Our government has no intention of standing around and wringing our hands about the consequences of a system that isn’t working for people. Instead, we are acting to fix it.”
Senator Hanson said on Monday she was still fit to be in parliament despite turning 72 last week.
“My staff are flat out keeping up with me from eight o’clock in the morning till 10, 11 o’clock at night,” she told 2GB radio.
“I can still run down the halls of parliament in my heels when I have to get to the chamber, so don’t underestimate me,”
It came after she told Sky News over the weekend that she had the ability to be prime minister.
Mr Albanese will say it’s justified for Australians to feel like the economy isn’t “working for them”, as more voters consider One Nation over the major parties.
“This sentiment hasn’t come out of nowhere; it is pressure that has built up, over years,” he will say.
“And it’s not just a vague feeling; it’s a reality that working Australians are up against. It’s something they can see for themselves. It is a logical response, not just an emotional one. And it deserves practical solutions, not slogans.”
