Do Australians really want reform? It’s a reasonable question to ask as the Albanese government weathers trenchant attacks on its recent federal budget.

From the front pages to Facebook, in parliament and in the opinion polls, the mood seems so sour that Australia’s far right demagogue, Pauline Hanson, is being canvassed by some as a possible prime minister in 2028.

After a much quieter first term – during which he was consistently criticised for not being bold enough on policy reform – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be wondering whether the bigger moves of Labor’s second term are worth it.

For a range of reasons, the answer is yes.

Governments learn by doing

All new governments learn by doing. They have to match ambition with capacity and capability, or things can go horribly awry.

If the first term works well enough, more political capital is earned at the second election. That capital can then be spent on a more ambitious agenda by ministers who are now experienced and better at their jobs.

The budget’s tax reform package’s timing was therefore probably right.

Labor won a second election and built up a big buffer of seats in its landslide win. The government could lose a lot of them and still win the 2028 election. It has two years to get the electorate to digest the idea of the budget’s tax changes and move on.

The noise is often not the whole story

It can be hard to get a realistic picture of how big reform moves are really being received by voters, especially when vested interests are challenged.

The loudest noise in the budget........

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