While I’m still feeling a little bit upbeat after the Christmas/New Year period – OK, not about the world, but after having a wee break – I thought I would be gracious and offer up some summer suggestions, some holiday hints to our dear leader, Albo. What’s more, no charge is involved.

(Did Speccie readers notice that the new Argentinian president, Javier Milei, has declared that ‘free’ will no longer be used to describe government services provided without charge? Fantastic, I say, even though the mainstream media sees this initiative as a small part of his ‘far-right’ plot. Of course, these journalists totally ignore the extent of the economic calamity facing Argentina.)

It’s fairly obvious that the much-travelled Albo – better than a Women’s Weekly World Discovery Tour with a few Kontiki side-excursions – began to lose his mojo towards the end of the year. While declaring his personal lack of blame for the Voice referendum result, the truth is that it was a bitter blow to a man who had so misread the mood of the Australian people. Gosh, his advisers had told him that Aussies had turned green-tinged woke, so surely the referendum outcome was a shoo-in?

Not so fast, as Maxwell Smart would say. Notwithstanding the expenditure of some $450 million to conduct the referendum – and that was just the direct expense, the overall cost was much, much higher – it was worth every dollar to achieve a universal gauge of what people, in the privacy of the ballot box, actually think. This point was made by Speccie editor, Fraser Nelson, who declared that the referendum was one of the first true tests of identity politics in the world.

It’s astonishing that Albo still hasn’t decided to reshuffle his ministry, something that is within his gift subject to adhering to Labor’s factional deals.  Let’s face it, Linda Burney’s abysmal performance during the period up to the referendum vote must surely have contributed to the outcome. You can see better performances at pretend youth parliaments organised by various groups, including the United Nations.

Who reads answers to questions that don’t actually relate to the questions? That would be our Linda, a member of the cabinet. Towards the end of the referendum campaign, the Labor party pushed Northern Territory Senator Malarndirri McCarthy onto the stage and she actually performed creditably.

Another weak link in the ministry is Andrew Giles, the Immigration Minister. He is a deeply unimpressive person who completely botched the enforced release of migrant detainees with criminal records who cannot be deported. He is a member of the Left faction.

In reality, there were many on the left of the Labor party who were happy with the High Court’s direction to release these dodgy types. They had never been in favour of indefinite detention and here was the ideal opportunity to get these oppressed asylum-seekers released while sheeting the blame for any downside – like dangers to the community – to the High Court. It worked for about five minutes.

It was simply a case of complete bureaucratic and ministerial incompetence. It was clear that the High Court decision was a possibility, even though department officials thought it unlikely.  There was a need to prepare draft legislation to be on the front foot.

It’s not clear that Giles – or the more senior Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil – even have front feet. This issue will continue to dog the Albanese government, which can be made to look weak on border control, particularly compared with the Liberal Party.

In addition to the need to reshuffle the ministry – the current message is that the team is the best they have which sits rather uneasily with the lived experience of many Australians in 2023 (yep, I can get with the lingo) – Albo needs to implement a range of policies in order to hang on to government.

The first is to forget specific cost-of-living measures. On the face of it, this may sound like strange advice but the reality is that all these piecemeal subsidies please only a section of the electorate while potentially stalling the fall in inflation to the target range of 2 to 3 per cent per year. In turn, any reduction in interest rates is pushed further into the future.

You don’t have to be an economist, or indeed Javier Milei, to understand that subsidies have to be paid for, and relieving some consumers of some costs simply means they can spend the freed-up cash on other things, which generates ongoing demand pressures on inflation.

The migrant numbers are also a big policy concern that Albo needs to address in a much more fulsome manner than demonstrated by the responsible ministers, O’Neil and Giles. Over the year ending in June 2023, net overseas migration (long-term arrivals minus long-term departures) was 518,000. Just think about it: that’s more than the entire population of the ACT or just under half the population of Adelaide. Most of the migrant arrivals are international students.

Survey after survey indicates that the population at large wants to see the migrant intake significantly reduced. It’s a no-brainer, politically speaking. Albo needs to insist that policies that will cut the rate of immigration immediately be canvassed and implemented.

The Stage 3 tax cuts are another political minefield for Albo. He needs to promise – yes, actually use that verb – that they will be implemented in full. He is surely toast if he tries to renege on this election commitment. What he should do is talk about the benefits of the cuts, the fact that a large number of workers will not face higher marginal tax rates as they work more hours, or get promoted. It might stick in his craw because the tax cuts were a Coalition invention, but he would be wise to suck it up.

Albo must also rein in B1 – Chris Bowen, for those who haven’t been paying attention – as he continues to wreak havoc on rural and coastal landscapes with his insane commitment to achieve over 80 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2030.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that there is simply no social licence – yep, getting with the lingo again – for the widespread desecration of farmlands, national parks, and oceans. After all, B1’s insistence that Australia meets its emissions reduction targets won’t make a jot of difference, globally speaking.

Albo simply needs to remember the lines of that memorable song: it’s a gas, gas, gas. By promoting the development of new gas fields, there is some hope that the damage can be contained.

It’s obvious to everyone that 2023 was a dog of a year for the Albanese government. They need all the help they can get. I’m only too happy to oblige and, as I said, no charge, Albo.