Honesty needed from Albanese and Chalmers to win trust and counter populists

May 11, 2026 — 6:39pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

When Anthony Albanese reneges on his pledge not to touch investor tax concessions on Tuesday, his government will present the nation with a set of numbers to justify the shift.

The modelling is expected to show how, over time, first-home buyers will make up a larger proportion of home purchases.

The numbers will be used to argue that the imperative to create a fairer economic system, particularly at a time of fragmentation and global upheaval, outweighs the need to stick to an unequivocal election promise. 

Unlike John Howard’s call to propose a GST after ruling it out, Albanese will not give voters the chance to have a say at an election before introducing it.

Howard had a pattern of admitting when he’d made mistakes: he also proffered mea culpas about his objections to Asian immigration and then in 2001, said he had been “plainly wrong” about........

© The Sydney Morning Herald