Albanese is the opposite of Rudd and that comes with its own risks

analysis Anthony Albanese is a dominant force in cabinet and that comes with risks Mon 10 Aug 2026 at 4:45am It's a tale of two prime ministers. When Kevin Rudd was prime minister, the standing joke among colleagues was that they would line up and rush to get their work ticked off whenever his deputy, Julia Gillard, was acting PM. It was one of the early signals that despite a landslide election victory, Rudd's autocratic style and habit of labouring over decisions was eroding his authority. This week a senior government source told me the opposite was now the case. Ministers instead look to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese whenever there is a contentious or difficult decision to be made. That was on full display last week, with the cabinet unable to land a position on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's proposal on immigration cuts. Instead, members of cabinet decided to defer a decision until the PM was back on deck, a measure of Albanese's dominance. The leak of the cabinet stalemate over immigration policy was a rare lapse in discipline for the government. That it happened while Albanese was away shows how firm his grip on the party is, even if some of his colleagues are already thinking about becoming his successor. The policy dispute has already been framed by some as a left-right brawl. But in reality, it's about the budget, stupid. Migration and economy linked Cuts to migration and tighter visa rules have a material impact on the budget bottom line. Fewer people in Australia potentially means fewer taxpayers than forecast. In the feverish debate about immigration, the economic cost is often ignored, yet that part of Burke's proposal proved most contentious among some ministers. Asked this week about the impact of migration cuts on business, Pauline Hanson said she did not care. "I don't care what people think. Whether it's going to affect their businesses [because] they're not going to sell that many products," Hanson said on Thursday. The Australian Chamber of Commerce said such a move would deter skilled migrants from coming to Australia, undermine the migration system and hurt the economy. Labor doesn't have the luxury of not caring what business thinks or what impact immigration cuts may have on the economy. The ALP has gone to great effort to put the issue of migration back in a box, including keeping the Liberal government's policy architecture of offshore detention and boat turnbacks, much to the discomfort of many rank-and-file members, as well as some in caucus. That last week's cabinet debate was over that issue and the fact the policy remains seemingly unresolved proves a messy and unwelcome return to Labor being under scrutiny on immigration. Two alternatives line up Parliament resumes on Tuesday and the tale of two prime ministers will become a tale of two alternative leaders: Angus Taylor and Pauline Hanson. Taylor might be the official opposition leader, but Hanson is the de facto. For Taylor, this week will be a test of whether he can take paint off the government. Hanson's job will be easier: any day migration is the main story she can deploy her skill of tying the issue to housing and broader cost-of-living pressures. For Albanese, the ministers who rely on him to make the call on key cabinet decisions will be again looking to him to clean up last week's mess. Migration is no longer a social policy argument. It is now seen through the prism of being about roads, rents and the cost of living. This has given Hanson and One Nation room to be an alternative voice to government. Albanese will have to show Labor understands those pressures while ensuring the government's policy doesn't risk the ire of parts of multicultural communities. The PM will also want to avoid looking like this isn't a response to Hanson. If Albanese can't get hold of this issue, he risks opening a flank the two leaders, Taylor and Hanson, will happily spend the parliament sitting week trying to make even wider. LoadingLabor rolls dice on gambling bill Then there is gambling. The PM will be trying to sort out the mess the government's long-awaited gambling legislation is becoming. The most direct path to pass the legislation needs the support of either the Greens or Coalition and as it stands both want the reforms to go further. Albanese's allies often evangelise his political instincts. He will need them to broker a deal to get the legislation passed and off the government's to-do list. Gambling reform might not shift many votes, but it tells voters whether the government can stand up to corporate giants like the betting industry or continue to bend to their power. It will again be Albanese that will make the call on what compromises the government is up for. Being relied on to make the tough calls reinforces his authority, but it also leaves him carrying all the risk and, if things go wrong, all the blame. Patricia Karvelas is host of ABC News Afternoon Briefing at 4pm weekdays on ABC News Channel, co-host of the weekly Party Room podcast with Fran Kelly and host of politics and news podcast Politics Now.