CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | Contact
NDIS minister and former ALP leader Bill Shorten has today delivered his farewell speech in Australian parliament, ahead of his retirement from Federal politics.
Shorten began with thanks to his families, and began reminiscing on his time as Labor leader, an era of Australian politics that saw him lead the party to two elections.
“I stand here neither defeated or disposed, lucky to have served, fortunate to be able to say goodbye.” said Shorten.
Shorten has been praised from both allies and adversaries for the graciousness he has shown in his valedictory address, especially to a Parliament that has white-anted him from both sides.
His election loss to Malcolm Turnbull in 2016 was much closer than most had expected, after he gained considerable ground over the sugar hit that the Liberal Government had enjoyed after replacing Tony Abbott with a much more moderate leader.
However, it was his election loss to Scott Morrison that came as a shock. Voters rejected his policies that aimed to eradicate tax loopholes for boomer wealth hoarders – and dismantle the Australian property pyramid scheme by scrapping negative gearing benefits.
His commitment to economically progressive policies that would aid both the working class and younger Australians were dismissed as ‘retiree taxes’ by a hysterical political class that were terrified of having their generational wealth diluted by a fair and sensible housing correction.
Six years later, the Labor Party has eventually been able to get elected, but now must contend with extreme economic distress, and a full blown housing crisis that could’ve been avoided with the type of long-term vision that was dismissed as leftie rubbish in 2019.
Bill Shorten became as a household name during the Beaconsfield mine collapse, where he fronted the media as the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, who stayed on the scene for two weeks until they had rescued the survivors who were trapped one kilometre underground.
His experience in navigating public emergencies also probably would’ve come in handy during the bushfires that ruined Scott Morrison’s reputation, and the subsequent pandemic that ruined Australia’s economy.
