Labor faces a potential leadership stoush ahead of next year’s federal election after Anthony Albanese fired the starting gun on a challenge for Bill Shorten’s top job, the coalition says.
Labor has emphatically denied any rift between the pair, who last went head to head for the role of federal opposition leader in the 2013 leadership ballot.
The speculation was fuelled when Mr Albanese delivered the Whitlam Oration on the New South Wales South Coast on Friday night, in which he set out an agenda for reforming the party and broadening the party’s appeal to non-unionists and the business sector.
Labor has denied there are tensions between party leader Bill Shorten (left) and Anthony Albanese
‘Labor doesn’t have to agree with business on issues such as company tax rates, but we do have to engage constructively with business large and small,’ he said.
Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne said Mr Albanese had directly contradicted Mr Shorten’s ‘war with business’ approach and placement of unions at the centre of public policy.
‘Anthony Albanese has fired the starter gun on the Labor Party leadership contest,’ Mr Pyne said in Adelaide.
The cabinet minister said Mr Shorten’s leadership had failed.
‘We know where it’s going to end, it will end in a ballot of the Labor Party membership and the caucus, and the sooner Bill Shorten gets on with it the better,’ Mr Pyne said.
‘Anthony Albanese has fired the starter gun on the Labor Party leadership contest,’ Liberal minister Christopher Pyne (pictured) said
Labor faces a potential leadership battle between Anthony Albanese and current leader Bill Shorten (pictured together)
‘We’ve never been stronger and more united than we are under Bill’s leadership,’ Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek (pictured) told reporters on Saturday
Labor will contest five by-elections on July 28, where it aims to retain the seats of Braddon, Fremantle, Perth and Longman and pick up Mayo in South Australia.
A government has not won a seat from the Opposition in a by-election for a century.
But the government win on personal income tax cuts on Thursday could give Liberal candidates a popularity boost it desperately needs.
There has been speculation if Labor loses one or two seats there could be pressure on Mr Shorten’s leadership.
Mr Pyne said there was ‘absolutely no expectation’ the Liberals would win any of the by-elections, but if Labor lost it would put its leader ‘in very serious strife’.
Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek tried to downplay the speculation by telling reporters that Labor was focused on policy rather than personalities.
Bill Shorten’s (pictured) four year stint as Labor leader has exceeded the leadership stints of former prime ministers Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard
‘Bill Shorten is a fantastic leader of the Labor party,’ she said.
‘We’ve never been stronger and more united than we are under Bill’s leadership. We’ve got fantastic policy out there. We’ve got fantastic people.’
Labor has led the Coalition in 34 consecutive Newspolls.
But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity is at its highest level in two years after latest the Newspoll, published by The Australian this week gave him a 40 per cent approval rating, the highest since 2016 federal election.
Mr Shorten recorded a personal rating of 33 percent while the Coalition trailed Labor 52-48 on a two-party preferred basis.
Mr Shorten’s four year stint as Labor leader has exceeded the leadership stints of former prime ministers Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
Only Kim Beazley has been leader for longer in the days since Bob Hawke in 1980s and early 1990s.
Anthony Albanese (pictured left) lost a leadership challenge to Bill Shorten (right) in 2013