Anthony Albanese’s re-election strategy

When Dan Andrews was Premier of Victoria, there was a lot of talk about how important level crossing removal was to his success. Those of us who lived elsewhere found it puzzling. When I moved to Melbourne the mystery became clearer. When you drive through the suburbs, you see railroad crossings or replacements everywhere. Every remote thing makes life easier.

Tony Barry, a former Liberal official and director of the Redbridge polling company, recently explained to me another of their influences. In these times of declining confidence, voters find it difficult to accept the reality of what leaders are saying. Getting rid of railroad crossings solved that problem for Andrews. Each project served as proof that his word meant something. Because their impact was (literally) concrete, and new bridges and unblocked roads were visible every day, they were a constant reminder of its effectiveness. His promises in other areas made more sense; his words carried more weight than those of his peers.

This may sound like the old reluctance to believe everything politicians say. Its modern version is more total: meaning in a world that has become abstract – and there are many strands to this, including the way we experience so much virtually, our inability to grasp the number of facts we encounter, the way money has become something what we see on the screen and do not hold – nothing is solid.

This could serve as a summary of the activities of the Alban government. We are lost among the overwhelming number of his moderate achievements, not remembering a single one. Everything seems abstract. This must surely give something – but what?

When experts talk about how important lowering interest rates can be for government welfare, this is key context. This would do more than just cheer up voters. This could be a concrete sign that the government’s economic plan, whatever it is, is working: Barry calls it possible “proof”. This may signal that the government’s other words, no matter how convoluted and long-term their promises may be, mean something real.

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So the government would have had a mixed reaction to news of job growth last week. On the one hand, it can now be said that a million jobs were created during this period: each of them is a concrete contribution to someone’s life. On the other hand, rate cuts seem to be pushed back further.

A potential replacement for this cut has come into the spotlight following recent government announcements about credit cards and supermarkets. As my colleague David Crowe explained last week, they have a chance to break through because, like railroad crossings, they involve daily frustrations. But unlike Andrews’ policies, they have not yet addressed these frustrations.

However, it is a rare example of Labour’s harsh tactics. One way to view the fight between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese is as a battle between tactics and strategy. On numerous occasions, Dutton outclassed Albanese tactically. He turned the High Court’s detainee ruling into a political crisis and fatally opposed Indigenous Voice in Parliament. For weeks, Dutton managed to steer the national political debate on topics of his choosing. On Saturday, following the turmoil surrounding the purchase of Albanese’s house, Dutton announced a housing policy.