Barnaby Joyce, a sort of Donald Trump figure in Australia and one of the major-frontbenchers for the Nationals party, has unexpectedly made a political comeback. He even introduced a private members bill to repeal Australia’s net zero emissions target. The announcement is particularly timely, given the Albanese government’s many current challenges, from overseas humanitarian assistance through to domestic health reform.
Joyce’s bill attempts to blow up the bipartisan infrastructure law, which commits the country to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. He claims the current schemes largely enrich billionaires running renewable energy projects, at the expense of everyday Australians. The proposal, which is expected to be formally introduced into Parliament soon, is a sign that Joyce intends to fuel the war on climate policy.
Political Landscape and Support
Joyce with fellow Nationals Colin Boyce, Matt Canavan, Michael McCormack and Liberal Garth Hamilton. Collectively, they want to be the ground support for his ambitious initiative. Even political coalitions are starting to recognize that the prevailing approaches to climate mitigation focus on making wealthy investors richer. This troubling trend adds to a lack of consideration for deeper economic impacts.
In a recent statement praising the expanding role of large tech companies, Joyce praised Google’s ability to police bad content. He remarked on the platform’s responsibility, stating, “The question you have to ask is why do they allow such content to go on their platform … the content that’s not informative, it’s completely toxic, completely dangerous.” This remark highlights Joyce’s larger worries towards accountability and governance as these issues continue to be discussed within the context of social media regulation.
The Albanese Government’s Agenda
While Joyce’s bill gets ready to steal the spotlight, the Albanese government is simultaneously playing defense on several other important initiatives. In particular, it’s impressive to see Foreign Minister Penny Wong and newly inducted Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek grappling with momentous global and national crises. Chief among these is the government’s much-talked-about plan to officially recognize a Palestinian state. Wong emphasized the need for progress in Palestinian governance, stating, “We need to see progress in terms of the Palestinian Authority and its moves to a more democratic and accountable governance.”
The war in Ukraine, relations with China and Iran, defense spending … it’s a heavy lift. They’re preparing to release new bipartisan legislation that will reduce the cost of medicines. So from January 1 next year, very expensive prescriptions funded by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will cost no more than $25. This project is just one piece of a larger attempt to address affordability of all essential medicines in Australia. The introduction of the legislation is anticipated as early as this week.
Humanitarian Aid and Global Challenges
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken out on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In his remarks, he underscored the need to make sure humanitarian and development organizations can work unimpeded by the realities of conflict. “So, my focus really is on how we get the humanitarian aid organisations in there, doing what they do best, and making sure that starvation is not being used as a tool of war,” Albanese stated.
In addition, he doubled down on the requirement that Hamas not be allowed to participate in any future leadership of a new Palestinian state. Albanese noted, “I think it’s appropriate for that to happen when it’s clear who will run a state of Palestine, and Hamas can have no role in that.” His tone suggests a continued desire to tackle thorny geopolitical issues even as he refocuses the administration largely on domestic policy aims.
