Justice and equity first priorities in Albanese’s election night speech

Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put Indigenous recognition and equality of opportunity first for the new government

PRIME MINISTER-ELECT Anthony Albanese’s first statement on election night was unambiguously ideological.

After acknowledging the traditional owners, he declared, “On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.”

In beginning with a commitment to constitutional recognition of the First Australians through a voice to parliament, Albanese set an agenda for his new government which is based on justice and equity.

For Australian Jews, as for all non-Indigenous Australians, recognition of the primacy of First Peoples is not only a matter of establishing an honest foundation for our nation, it also clarifies the basis on which we live in this land of migrants.

In the face of 60,000 years of settlement, those descended from the First Fleet, those who came as refugees after World War II and those who arrived from Sudan or Ukraine last week are equally newcomers.

 Acknowledging that the rest of us are all ring-ins should be a guard against racism and hate, and should support the role of Australians from all backgrounds in shaping our nation.

The opening statement drew a clear line under the Morrison government, which refused to engage with the Uluru Statement, and offered a welcoming  bridge to the large number of Independent and Green MPs whose support will be essential for Labor if, as seems likely, Albanese leads a minority government.

Albanese’s victory speech also placed social justice at the centre of his government. He put equality of opportunity firmly back on the agenda, making it personal by invoking his journey to The Lodge from a childhood in public housing with a single mother on a disability pension.