Federal Government’s cup – and team – runneth over as second term agenda takes shape

When the Federal Parliament resumes on 22 July, it will come with a glaring visual reminder of the size of Anthony Albanese’s election victory. Labor returns to Parliament with 94 House of Representatives Members, but the seating configuration in the chamber will only accommodate 87 MPs on the government benches.

So significant was Albanese’s victory that seven of his MPs will find themselves sitting across the aisle from their colleagues, wedged alongside independents and one Greens member, with the Coalition reduced to a much smaller slice of real estate further along the Opposition benches.

While the seating arrangements will be a daily reminder of the Government’s commanding position in the Parliament, there are also other signs of Labor’s confidence as it shapes its second-term agenda.

On the policy front, an emboldened Albanese Government is showing no signs of bowing to pressure on controversial aspects of its policy agenda, such as taxing unrealised capital gains in superannuation funds and potentially even reviving the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

On the political front, Labor has continued its election-night torment of the Greens by luring West Australian Senator Dorinda Cox across to the government benches, and it must have been delighted to watch the conservative parties warring for weeks over the Coalition agreement. Expect to see the Prime Minister making plenty of political mileage out of the Liberal and National Parties’ temporary trial separation.

The SAS Group’s federal government engagement specialists – the Hon Bernie Ripoll, Johnathon Baque and Winston Harris – will all be in the national capital in the early weeks of the new Parliament to cement existing relationships and create new ones. As always, our team is here to help you navigate the Canberra corridors and make your voice heard.  Please get in touch if we can support you with your government engagement and advocacy needs.