What this election means

Unless something extraordinary occurs in the next eleven days, on the twelfth day (the 3rd of April) Anthony Albanese will be re-elected PM.

Indeed, Labor’s greatest fear at the moment is that people might assume the government will be returned and feel liberated to lodge a protest vote, threatening its majority.

Hardly the confidence you’d expect of a government that appears to be coasting to victory.

After all, no first-term government since 1932 has failed to be returned at the subsequent election. It certainly doesn’t appear as if that record is about to be smashed this time.

In other words, nothing much will seem to have changed at all over the past three years.

Nevertheless, assuming this to be the case actually represents a failure to analyse what’s really been happening. The result will be decisive - just not the one politicians want to admit

It seems the biggest swing will be towards neither of the big parties.

The electorate isn’t happy. Young people can’t see a positive, viable future for themselves in a country with soaring house prices, where they’re paying over-the-odds for an inadequate educational experience, a moribund economic future, a deteriorating environment, and no room to ‘breathe’. And people (like this suburban motorist in Melbourne) are scared of what might happen to the NDIS.

That’s why abilityNEWS exists. To bring you the latest news about one of the biggest - and for many people the most vital - spending programs in the federal budget.

But to continue doing this we need to take a week off.

So please excuse us until Monday 28th, when we’ll be back with more hard-hitting analysis in the week before the election.

Because, unless the new government can create a way for people to engage and develop positive narratives for their lives, winning the election is likely to be a very mixed blessing. There’ll certainly be a lot to write about . . .