The PM may have had the next election in mind. The ACT’s sitting Senators Katy Gallagher and David Pocock face a tougher race. Photos: George Tsotsos and Michelle Kroll.
Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has hit back at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for making a personal crack at him rather than answering a question on taxing mining companies.
Asked by Karl Stefanovic in a new podcast about claims Australians, on average, were paying more tax on beer than mining companies were for the country’s resources, Mr Albanese initially thought it was a Greens talking point.
“The Greens political party would shut down all of our industry if they had the chance,” he said.
But when he was corrected that it was Senator Pocock who had raised the issue, the Prime Minister said: “I think David Pocock is someone who seeks to promote grievance as well.”
It is a line usually reserved for the likes of One Nation.
Senator Pocock told Region that getting personal was a way for some politicians to deflect rather than address an issue.
He said he was focused on highlighting problems and presenting solutions.
“It’s been fascinating to watch how different politicians react when you’re talking about issues that a lot of Australians are concerned about,” he said.
“Rather than talking about the issue, they often get very personal as a way to deflect from having to deal with that issue.”
Senator Pocock said issues such as the petroleum emissions rent tax and gambling advertising bans were sore points for the government.
“It’s something I hear so much from Canberrans every day out and about,” Senator Pocock.
“So I’ll keep pushing both the problem and the solution, and for both of those issues, there’s a clear problem, and there’s a very clear solution.”
Senator Pocock said he had always sought to be constructive, praising the government when it got things right but holding it to account when it didn’t.
“They’ve done a bunch of good things, but when they’re ignoring issues or not doing things well, my job is to push hard on behalf of the community I represent to actually get better outcomes for our country,” he said.
“There’s a lot of things that I think we need to improve, and there’s a lot of solutions out there that just simply aren’t being implemented by either side of politics.”
Mr Albanese’s jibe may be prompted by the next ACT Senate race, where his Finance Minister, Senator Katy Gallagher, faces a tougher battle to retain her seat with a much stronger and more appealing Liberal candidate than in the last election on the ballot.
Former businessman Nick Tyrrell is already campaigning hard, buoyed by a warchest from the sale of his successful GoBoat Australia venture.
His preselection promises a competitive race for the two Senate seats, and he will look to take votes from both Senator Gallagher and Senator Pocock.
The possibility remains that the Special Minister of State, Don Farrell, will move to expand the ACT’s Senate representation to four, as recommended by a federal parliamentary committee in 2023, a move Senator Pocock has argued for.
