Nationals leader Matt Canavan has called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “Captain Status Quo” before insisting Australians have “legitimate grievances” under Labor.
Mr Albanese is expected to speak at the second day of NSW’s Labor conference and is set to call the One Nation, Liberal and Nationals parties the “axis of grievance”.
“It is the race to the bottom that all three right-wing parties are caught up in,” Mr Albanese is expected to tell Labor delegates on Sunday morning.
“They are the axis of grievance. Each trying to be more anti-fairness, more anti-worker, more anti-aspiration.”
Speaking to Sky News Sunday Agenda, Mr Canavan said if those comments were accurate, it shows how much of a “tin ear” the Prime Minister has.
“The Australian people do have some legitimate grievances. Under (Mr Albanese’s) watch, real wages have dropped 15 years, back to 2011 levels. Under his watch energy prices have skyrocketed and we’ve lost our nickel, our plastics, our flat glass,” Mr Canavan said.
“There are legitimate grievances out there and what is the Prime Minister’s response? Well I would argue the Prime Minister is actually captain status quo.”
Mr Canavan said the Prime Minister had kept “doubling down” on net zero, increasing government spending and taxes.
“That is the status quo, the Prime Minister is Captain Status Quo,” Mr Canavan said.
“We are offering this change that will scrap net zero and have cheaper energy, that will give you your tax back when inflation occurs rather than the government pocketing it and getting bigger and bigger.
“And we will actually deal with, again, the legitimate grievance people have that there are too many migrants coming to this country. Two thirds of the Australian people say migration has to come down. And the Prime Minister says no.”
Mr Canavan said the Prime Minister wanted to keep the “status quo of 300,000 people” arriving in Australia annually.
“No, no, no. We say that’s got to come down, and we’re going to have fewer migrants as well,” the Nationals leader said.
“So as I come back to where I started, cheaper energy, lower taxes, fewer migrants. That is a change for Australia. There’s a change from the status quo. The Prime Minister is offering more of the same.”
Mr Albanese’s “axis of grievance” comments come as a response to federal Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh’s calls last week that the party needed a “rebrand” amid dire polling.
In response, Ms McIntosh told Sky News the Liberal Party needed to modernise the way it presented itself, while remaining true to its core values.
“I think it’s time, I’m putting myself out on a limb a little bit, I think it’s time for the Liberal Party to rebrand itself,” she said on Monday.
“Some people think that we’re stuck in the past and our policies need to resonate with Australia of today and the future.”