He backed Trump’s war on Iran, Australians are paying the price. AUKUS faces fresh scrutiny and One Nation has edged ahead of Labor in Newspoll. How can Albanese claw back political control?
Anthony Albanese was among the first world leaders to welcome Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran. Nine months later, he wants the war wound down. So what did Australia get for backing Trump so quickly? Trump’s tariffs and the war’s impact on energy prices have added to inflation, and Australian households are paying for decisions made in Washington.
After the Republicans’ defeat in the US midterm elections, Albanese says his approach to Washington will stay the same. We compare his courtship of Trump, from the United Nations selfie to the US–Australia critical minerals deal, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach. What did each leader get for their country? And what would a reset of the Australia–US alliance look like now that Labor backbencher Ed Husic is calling for one?
A reset would put AUKUS on the table. If there’s an independent inquiry led by Peter Garrett and former defence chief Chris Barrie, why the Australian Parliament shouldn’t scrutinise the nuclear-powered submarine deal, especially now the US Congress is prepared to take another look? How much will Australia pay? What happens if the US can’t deliver the submarines on schedule? And who gets to decide how Australia uses them?
Back home, Albanese has appointed former Liberal leader Peter Dutton to the Australian War Memorial Council, a captain’s call that gives Labor voters another reason to ask what changed since the Coalition lost office in 2022. And with the latest Newspoll putting One Nation on 28 per cent of the primary vote and Labor on 27 per cent, we ask how long a party with 94 seats can take comfort in its parliamentary majority. At what point does the Labor caucus decide that Albanese’s judgement is part of the problem?
