Share and Follow
The final question of Albanese’s press conference ended on quite an emotional note.
The prime minister was asked about his comments before the last election that Labor would need at least two terms in power to embed big reforms, and whether winning majority tomorrow night would provide a mandate for more ambitious policies.
While he began by rattling off a string of government policies, he then became emotional talking about the Coalition’s policy platform, taking aim at the nuclear power plan, defence spending promises, and budget cuts.
“You can have this absolute nonsense, treating the Australian people with contempt, sitting back wherever he was sitting, whatever he was doing, for three years not coming up with any alternative policies, giving budget replies without any costings,” an unusually fired-up Albanese said.
“Doing a defence policy with no detail, $21 billion – did you notice yesterday that $9 billion of that is cut is outside the forward estimates?
“Give us $21 billion, cut health and education, but we won’t tell you what it’s for and then we’ll push it off into the fifth year (of budget forecasts).
“I mean, these people are just not ready. They are just not ready for government.
“Australia deserves better and I’ll give them better.”