{"id":51655,"date":"2026-07-16T05:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/51655\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T05:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:26:11","slug":"albanese-makes-ai-plan-liberals-ask-base-for-help-in-political-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/51655\/","title":{"rendered":"Albanese makes AI plan, Liberals ask base for help in &#8216;political fight&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Gina Rushton is filling in for Courtney Gould to get you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The disproportionate excitement from those in the Canberra bubble that Parliament House&#8217;s beloved Aussie&#8217;s cafe had upgraded its ageing coffee machine could have been a warning sign this non-sitting week would be a political snoozefest but in the end the freshly caffeinated press gallery was kept busy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">On Wednesday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned to his old stomping ground at the University of Sydney, minus the mullet, to reveal how Australia plans to approach era-defining technological change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">In a much-hyped speech, the PM moved to centralise oversight of artificial intelligence and announced that Australia would force data centres to minimise water use and fund their own power supply under mandatory national rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">As <a class=\"Link_link__kR0xA Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-07-15\/labor-to-set-standards-for-ai-data-centres-and-copyright\/106918380\" data-component=\"Link\" data-uri=\"coremedia:\/\/article\/106918380\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the ABC&#8217;s chief digital political respondent Clare Armstrong reported<\/a>, Albanese said Australia had a narrow window of opportunity to establish AI&#8217;s &#8220;social licence&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Artists have taken some heart from the PM&#8217;s promise they will retain control over how their works are used by tech giants, but <a class=\"Link_link__kR0xA Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-07-16\/ai-office-urged-to-include-artists\/106920388\" data-component=\"Link\" data-uri=\"coremedia:\/\/article\/106920388\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told Armstrong they want a seat at the table<\/a> in his new office for AI just to make sure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">It is a silver lining for Aussie music and books, but as the <a class=\"Link_link__kR0xA Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-07-16\/albanese-artficial-intelligence-speech-sydney-university\/106917888\" data-component=\"Link\" data-uri=\"coremedia:\/\/article\/106917888\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ABC&#8217;s national AI reporter Cam Wilson pointed out<\/a>, &#8220;there was little new in the speech about how we&#8217;re going to handle the society-wide impacts of AI outside of data centres&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Angus Taylor\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b3ddda6980b5d4724cb537903421d766.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">The Liberal Party has launched a review urging members to rethink the party&#8217;s future after consecutive election losses, warning its aging base must appeal to younger and more diverse Australians. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)<\/p>\n<p>Liberals circulate ideas to rejuvenate ageing base<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Meanwhile on Wednesday, <a class=\"Link_link__kR0xA Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-07-16\/gender-quotas-revived-in-liberals-soul-searching-mission\/106920398\" data-component=\"Link\" data-uri=\"coremedia:\/\/article\/106920398\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Liberal party sent its supporters a discussion paper<\/a> canvassing options to modernise itself following rolling electoral defeats and a loss of support among professional women, people with Chinese ancestry, and those from suburban electorates with high multicultural populations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">By the next election, the paper noted, one in five voters will have been born after the year 2000 with &#8220;no historical memory of September 11, the Howard government [or] a world without smartphones&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">After the most recent federal election loss, the party established a commission to help generate ideas to win back voters chaired by Queensland senator James McGrath. In the email McGrath said the party was in the &#8220;political fight of our lives&#8221; as &#8220;core demographics continue to turn away from us without looking back&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The paper about the party&#8217;s future was circulated amid a flurry of condemnation that echoed an episode from the party&#8217;s past.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Liberal Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was rebuked for <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/nation\/politics\/liberal-frontbencher-jacinta-nampijinpa-price-shares-false-indian-migrant-claim-again\/news-story\/7712fa1fe2d908cab526350dce314c33\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sharing a clip on social media<\/a> that falsely claimed Labor was &#8220;importing&#8221; Indian migrants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Price was sacked from the shadow cabinet in September last year for suggesting the government&#8217;s migration program favoured Indians in order to help its electoral fortunes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Liberal leader Angus Taylor has said he would review the Northern Territory senator&#8217;s social media use.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Andrew Hastie stands in a crowd of people wearing a suit and tie with a sticker showing his name.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9eb6b124664142184cddf9ca566b45c5.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Andrew Hastie is the latest politician to reportedly sign a book deal. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives booked and busy<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Taylor&#8217;s biggest political rival, Andrew Hastie, is the latest politician to <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/andrew-hastie-signs-book-deal-to-set-out-political-convictions-20260710-p60ed4.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reportedly sign a book deal<\/a>, telling The Sydney Morning Herald that publisher Allen &amp; Unwin approached him after he began writing on Substack about his convictions and &#8220;the direction of Australia&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Not to be outdone, another politician vying to be the face of Australia&#8217;s right, Barnaby Joyce, <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/one-nation-s-radical-plan-to-lower-inflation-20260711-p60ei8.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">also this week revealed<\/a> he&#8217;ll publish a book before Christmas offering an inside view of One Nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Time will tell if it will chart better than his 2018 memoir, <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/the-1570-people-who-haven-t-had-enough-of-barnaby-joyce-20180907-p502gu.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">which sold 1570 copies<\/a> in the first month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afr.com\/rear-window\/josh-frydenberg-s-memoir-has-makings-of-a-classic-20260713-p60euk\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">release date<\/a> for former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg&#8217;s memoir, co-written by cricket writer Gideon Haigh, was also revealed this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The ABC understands he was sending the pre-order link to friends and former colleagues following the announcement.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson 2026-06-18\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/061cdd1b2c515a97be909013a22c224e.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Pauline Hanson was spotted at Sicily&#8217;s Grand Hotel San Pietro relaxing with billionaire Gina Rinehart this week. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)<\/p>\n<p>Pauline poolside while pundits ponder polls<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">When he&#8217;s not writing his book, One Nation&#8217;s treasury spokesman has been arguing the RBA should be able to direct the government&#8217;s economic policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The two-time deputy prime minister&#8217;s attempts to establish One Nation&#8217;s economic credentials this week were somewhat overshadowed by the views of his party colleague Senator Malcolm Roberts <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/he-s-earned-my-respect-one-nation-senator-praised-putin-over-ukraine-invasion-20260714-p60f76.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">whom Joyce was pressured to condemn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The senator attracted criticism after the re-emergence of comments he made about American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who he said was a &#8220;beacon of hope around the world&#8221;, and Russian president Vladimir Putin, who had &#8220;earned his respect&#8221; for invading Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Just because one member of One Nation says something, it doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s policy,&#8221; Joyce said, distancing himself from Roberts, who also this week came under fire over an essay in which he promoted the works of a holocaust denier and <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/fresh-condemnation-for-malcolm-roberts-over-notorious-antisemitic-mural-post-20260715-p60fh4.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">an image of an antisemitic mural<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The headlines came in the wake of the latest round of polls, which proved <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/mixed-bag-for-one-nation-in-latest-polls-as-voters-show-wariness-around-some-policies-287180\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a mixed bag<\/a> for One Nation but were certainly a shift after the consecutive boosts from surveys earlier in the year.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/subscribe\" data-component=\"FullBleedLink\" class=\"RelatedCard_link__rsgR9 FullBleedLink_root__lTw_U interactive_focusContext__yRhc_ interactive_defaults__AKxUU FullBleedLink_showVisited__g3Xvz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ABC Politics in your inbox<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP RelatedCard_synopsis__cFwMW Typography_sizeMobile14__u7TGe Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Sign up to the ABC Politics newsletter with Courtney Gould<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\"><a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/politics\/federal\/the-varnish-has-come-off-support-slips-for-hanson-20260712-p60el9.html\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A Resolve poll from the Nine newspapers<\/a> this week showed support had slipped for the party and <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.capitalbrief.com\/newsletter\/pauline-hansons-agenda-takes-a-hit-in-new-poll-701d8498-f9f1-43f6-ab7c-dd8d236dfa78\/\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a DemosAU\/Capital Brief poll published on Monday<\/a> showed voters weren&#8217;t very impressed by Pauline Hanson&#8217;s appearance at the National Press Club last month. They were still receptive to her vision to decrease migration but were less swayed by her calls for a monoculture and attacks on the public broadcasters.This echoed a June Redbridge\/Accent poll that found Hanson&#8217;s net favourability rating had dropped in that month as had the party&#8217;s primary vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">In contrast, this week, <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.roymorgan.com\/findings\/10283-federal-voting-intention-july-13-2026\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a Roy Morgan poll<\/a> showed One Nation&#8217;s primary support was up and now ahead of the Labor party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">It is hard to say whether Hanson is bothered by the polling or press but she <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afr.com\/rear-window\/pauline-hanson-s-secret-italian-rendezvous-with-gina-rinehart-20260715-p60fk9\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">appeared relaxed in a series of Instagram stories from an Australian<\/a> in Sicily&#8217;s Grand Hotel San Pietro where the One Nation leader was spotted relaxing with billionaire Gina Rinehart this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Bellissimo!<\/p>\n<p>Loading<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Gina Rushton is filling in for Courtney Gould to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51656,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1131,16786,468,1132,22,4917,21,4918,36447,24658,148,1928,10165,2577,156,4806,19814,29567,5112,1955,3217,1926,36448,20688,9754,3325],"class_list":["post-51655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-ai","tag-andrew-hastie","tag-angus-taylor","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-au","tag-auspol","tag-austrlia","tag-barnaby-joyce","tag-book-deal","tag-copyright","tag-federal-politics","tag-gina-rinehart","tag-jacinta-nampijinpa-price","tag-josh-frydenberg","tag-labor","tag-liberals","tag-malcolm-roberts","tag-memoir","tag-nationals","tag-one-nation","tag-parliament-house","tag-pauline-hanson","tag-politics-wrap","tag-polling","tag-the-liberal-party","tag-university-of-sydney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}