Today is the first anniversary of the election the Liberal-Nationals Coalition government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
At the elections on September 7, 2013, the coalition parties defeated Kevin Rudd’s ALP government, winning 90 seats out of 150 (60%) in the House of Representatives. From a primary vote of 45.55%, the Coalition polled 53.49% of the two-party-preferred vote.
One year on, the government has fulfilled two of its key election promises: abolition of the carbon tax and abolition of the mining tax. The government’s promise to “stop the boats” is generally considered to have been fulfilled, although criticism of the off-shore processing regime is still apparent. The government points to infrastructure spending to claim it is also fulfilling Abbott’s promise to “build the roads of the 21st century“.
Opposition to particular measures in the government’s first Budget, especially the proposed Medicare co-payment and changes to unemployment benefits for young people, continues to frustrate the Coalition. It is widely accepted that the government has failed to “sell” its Budget. Perceptions of unfairness abound. However, in the past few weeks, Abbott ministers seem to have accommodated themselves to the need to negotiate with the Senate crossbenchers, particularly Clive Palmer’s group.
The next election must be held by January 14, 2017. In practice, this means that the election must be held by December 2016. It is most likely to take place between September and December 2016. The government can opt for a double dissolution until May 11, 2016. The last possible date for a double dissolution election is July 16, 2016.
The Prime Minister talked about his government’s achievements in his weekly video message released today. The Liberal Party has also released a booklet titled Building A Stronger Australia that outlines the government’s achievements.
The Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, released a video in which he accused Abbott of breaking promises. “Labor can’t and won’t support these broken promises,” he said.
- Download Building A Stronger Australia (PDF)
- Watch Abbott’s message (2m – transcript below)
- Watch Shorten (2m)
Transcript of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s remarks on the first anniversary of his government.
This weekend marks one year since the Australian people entrusted the Liberal National Coalition with the job of building a stronger Australia.
Since then, we have been working to deliver on our commitments to you and to make decisions that are in the best long-term interests of our country.
Our focus has been building a strong, prosperous economy and a safe and secure Australia.
We are making progress:
The Carbon Tax is gone;
The boats are stopping;
Our record $50 billion roads and infrastructure programme is underway;
We’ve given environmental approvals to big new projects worth over $800 billion;
We’re boosting exports and jobs with Free Trade Agreements with two of our major trading partners;
We’re reducing Government debt and getting the Budget back under control;
And importantly, over 100,000 new jobs have been created since the end of last year.
But this is just the start.
As a nation, we’ve also faced serious challenges in the past year because of the increasingly uncertain world in which we live.
Events in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, and the rise of violent extremism has tested Australia, as it has tested other nations.
The Government is implementing a detailed set of polices to keep our country safe.
In an increasingly uncertain world, we are determined that our nation will be secure.
Over the next two years, the Government will continue its work building a stronger economy because that means more jobs and more prosperity.
Building roads, ending rip-offs, protecting the vulnerable, repairing the Budget and ensuring that our country is strong and safe: that’s the mission of this Government.
