While Albanese (who lands back in Australia on budget eve) basks in the international limelight, at home Treasurer Jim Chalmers this week has been feeling the heat of the spotlight.
Oppositions have two key jobs: to hold the government to account and prepare to take office themselves. At the moment, Liberal oppositions are failing on both counts.
Click through a timeline to make sense of Australia’s long, tumultuous years of shifting climate policies ahead of next month’s international climate summit in Glasgow.
Those on the Christian right in Australia once wielded considerable clout, but they are no longer in a position to bring the majority of Australians in line with their views.
The Green Climate Fund channels money from rich countries to help low-income countries tackle climate change and cut their emissions. But Australia stopped contributing.
Tony Abbott: the future face of UK trade.
EPA/Joel Carrett
Sometimes birthdays are best let pass quietly. The Liberals are finding the 75th anniversary of their founding another unfortunate occasion for the blood sport they thought they’d put behind them.
Nigel Farage is due to make a return to Australia at this weekend’s CPAC event, alongside Tony Abbott, Raheem Kassam and other right-wing speakers.
Richard Wainwright/AAP
The theme of the conference is ‘protect the future’, an allusion to the culture wars that conservatives are waging against the left. There are fears this could include alt-right messages of hate.
The most important reason for the Coalition’s victory was that Morrison was both liked and trusted by lower-educated voters, while Labor leader Bill Shorten was not.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
According to election results, areas with low levels of tertiary education swung strongly to the Coalition in NSW and Queensland, helping propel Scott Morrison to victory.
New South Wales, which was 100% drought-declared in August 2018, is already suffering climate impacts.
Michael Cleary
Ten years ago, politicians such as Tony Abbott would routinely voice disdain for climate science. Now, while the policy debate remains fierce, the battleground has shifted to economics and jobs.
Asylum seekers stare at media from behind a fence at the Manus Island detention centre, 2014.
Eoin Blackwell/AAP
GetUp has notched many political victories since launching in 2005. Now, independents and conservatives are trying to replicate its approach to grassroots political participation.
On Monday John Howard was lending a hand to Tony Abbott in Warringah.
Jeremy Piper/AAP
In the research’s February round, many participants hadn’t heard of Steggall. By last week – unsurprisingly given the rash of publicity – everybody had, although some knew little detail about her.
Three words, so much mileage: Tony Abbott’s anti-carbon tax refrain has been a fixture on the policy landscape for years.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
We’ve been here before. In fact we’ve been going round in circles on climate policy for decades, while the temperature (of the debate, as well as the planet) climbs ever higher.
Tony Abbott is being challenged in Warringah by Zali Steggall, who has climate policy at the centre of her platform.
AAP/Peter Rae
According to qualitative research in the seat this week, Steggall is yet to embed herself in the mind of those voters who are potentially willing to turn against Abbott.