Sometimes it’s the ones you least expect.
Just as longtime centrist Joe Biden has surprisingly blossomed into an FDR-inspired “big government” president, an unlikely member of Anthony Albanese’s cabinet finishes 2023 as its most successful prosecutor of progressive causes: Tony Burke.
Like Biden, machine man Burke will never be an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-style firebrand, but standing beside colleagues timid and wavering, and activists righteous but lacking influence, his pragmatic wins are a modest silver lining to an underwhelming year.
When Burke was given the Industrial Relations (IR) portfolio, some on the left were sceptical. He began his career as an organiser for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association — the most conservative of Australia’s unions, accused of “selling out” workers with cozy enterprise deals while pulling Labor to the right on social issues like marriage equality. Would he really have the mettle to confront obstinate employer groups and legislate to bolster workers’ rights?
As it turned out, he did. Last week, Burke secured the passage of his second major IR bill, containing “same job, same pay” rules for labour-hire workers, the criminalisation of wage theft, and other provisions.
It was no clean victory — he had to split his initial bill to advance passable elements while continuing to work with the crossbench on more contentious matters like converting casual workers to permanency and protecting gig workers. But reports suggest he’s close to a deal on these matters too. There’s still plenty to do in the IR space, but these are meaningful steps.
It was a badly needed win for Labor which otherwise ends the year poorly, with missteps piling up and polls starting to sour. But the IR bill’s passage was more than a relieving goal before half-time; it marked a fleeting gear shift. Labor’s IR achievements have been one of few areas where ministers didn’t simply “govern” but actually progressed real reform; steered through choppy waters rather than being buffeted by them; took ground rather than managing retreat.
The government’s moves elsewhere courted less controversy by being concertedly modest — often to the point of going unnoticed. But on IR, Burke backed himself and stared down a $24 million campaign by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), which is vowing to prosecute with a “mining-tax style campaign”. And he didn’t do so shyly, telling the MCA, “If you had a choice between spending money on ads or paying your workers properly, the message is pay your workers”.
The only area in which the government showed comparable courage was in backing the Voice, though with far less to show for it. Such progress is important internally, as ALP members tire of Albanese’s “small target” approach. They want to see brisker movement towards the light on the hill.
Director of the John Curtin Research Centre Nick Dyrenfurth, himself on the party’s right, recently surveyed a broad cross-section of Labor thinkers in search of “the Albanese doctrine”. “Tellingly, not a single person interviewed for this piece could identify a campaign narrative, let alone suite of policies, that Labor would take to the next election,” he wrote in The Saturday Paper. The piece ended with a quote from Labor-aligned business leader Sam Almaliki: “We can’t afford more of the same.”
Albanese might retort that party members are always over-ambitious, but parliamentary leaders mustn’t move too fast for the broader electorate. But the softly-softly approach is increasingly rankling swing voters too. Recent polling from Redbridge of “soft voters” in Queensland and South Australia revealed “concerns that [Albanese] lacks strength”, with some voters describing him as “weak” and “missing in action”.
Elsewhere, Burke has helped the party straddle a growing division between its members and parliamentary leaders: support for Gazan victims of Israel’s war. Albanese stood firmly with Israel after Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on Israel to exercise restraint — but only occasionally implied Israel hadn’t done so.
Conversely, Burke, whose electorate has one of the highest proportions of Muslim voters in the country, intervened with more empathy, noting the toll of casualties on families and the daily discrimination Palestinians face. He also stood up for a local council and theatre company (in his capacity as arts minister) during conservative backlash over pro-Palestinian protests. Such moves are hardly revolutionary, but they acknowledge those condemning Israel’s actions with more than vague platitudes.
Leaders’ agency is bounded by community pressure and electoral maths. Burke’s makeover may not have occurred were he representing a less multicultural electorate, and were the union movement not demanding more from their kindred party than in previous decades.
And he hasn’t been entirely immune to his cabinet’s reflexive flaccidness. The employment services inquiry — chaired by MP Julian Hill, but camping on Burke’s turf — has outlined some positive steps away from the punitive and privatised status quo for job seekers, but stopped short of ditching “mutual obligations” and the private provider model entirely. Those left behind amid increased employment opportunities and enhanced workers’ rights — namely, those with reduced working capacity — remain a wilful blindspot.
Nonetheless, Burke deserves credit from workers, particularly insecure ones. And if his colleagues are jealous, perhaps they should embrace a Burkian approach in the new year. That means being prepared to take on vested interests. Sure, you might eventually need to horse trade to get things over the line. But you won’t get anywhere by chickening out from the get-go.
Have you been impressed by Tony Burke? Underwhelmed by Albo? Readers, we want to hear from you — especially while our comments are closed due to our website upgrade. Send us your thoughts on this article to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
May the rest f the cabinet take their cues from Burke. He’s always been an impressive performer and cuts the opposition to ribbons – not hard to do, but necessary.
When Albanese decides to go, I’d like to see Burke get the top spot.
Absolutely agree with you Bill! He’s articulate, persuasive and gets things done. I would like to see him as a future leader .
I have always been impressed with Tony Burke. I thought he would be the leader after Kevin Rudd. He argues a position with authority but can also speak with kindness.
It will always be harder for Labor to govern because they have to deal with the appalling Murdoch Press and also the ignorance of the electorate.
I know so many people who take no interest in politics.
I have a friend who barracks— sorry votes Liberal because her dad voted Liberal.He voted for Bob Menzies.What the——-!
If we all took more interest and educated ourselves about what is ahead because we have very difficult times to come and that makes it so easy for the Liberals to talk absolute nonsense.
In addition I have always thought we should have 4 year fixed term and stop or minimise political donations.
Regards Rae
Jason Clare was very impressive in the first week of the election campaign, when Albo caught covid and was fortunately not able to continue to stumble through the campaign. He had good cut through simple sound bites and is tall, good looking and would have the Bob Hawke appeal to people who are not that interested in politics. Elections are won through appealing to such people, not by the complex policy analysis that Labor tried in 2019 and was outflanked by Scummo. While Tony Burke is great, I am not so sure he would have the same appeal to people without a university education, who progressive people continually make the mistake of thinking are the people who count. The Yes campaign tried telling people they were either stupid or racist.
I am impressed by Burke’s character. He is basically compassionate and talks like an adult. I had an interaction with him when Tanya Lawrence, one of WA’s Mining and gas candidates was launching her campaign. I pointed out that she was a policy adviser to Liberal governments and a Woodside manager. I also pointed out that I had modelled 90% renewable energy in the State as being cheaper than the existing fossil fuelled mix and asked if she could be trusted to back renewables to ensure WA would do its share. She was unconvincing but Burke calmly came in and said 43 percent by 2030 would be legislated and all states would be reducing emissions. He certainly allayed my fears at the Federal level. But 2 years later the WA State Labor Cabinet still backs mining and gas over what the people want and lags in climate action, having not started building out wind and transmission and continues to back new gas projects. Minerals Council of Australia knows ‘buy the Cabinet (Lib or Lab) and you own the State’. Maybe Burke, who was not a resources union operative may make some moves at the Federal level against this chronic corrosive phenomenon.
He’s excellent all round. A good local member who cares for his electorate and an excellent parliamentary performer. I hope and trust Albo improves this year. Always more of a back room dealer, his campaigning weakness and policy timidity is now counting against the government as a whole. Bad. Because it is a good government with good Ministers, but no overarching ‘message’ and an inability to ‘cut through’.