PM Says Opposition Engaged in ‘Right-Wing’ Contest

The prime minister has taken aim at the opposition’s recent leadership issues during Labor’s caucus.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at the Australian of the Year reception in Canberra, Australia, on Jan. 25, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

As the Liberals and Nationals remain mired in leadership troubles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken a sharp swipe at the opposition, accusing its leaders of competing “for who can be more right wing, who can be more divisive.”

In an address to the Labor caucus ahead of federal Parliament’s return on Feb. 3, Albanese contrasted Labor’s unity with what he described as chaos across the Coalition benches.

“You can’t fight for Australia if you’re obsessed by fighting each other,” he said.

“That is what we are seeing on the other side, with the fragmentation of people competing for who can be more right-wing, who can be more divisive, who can dislike their own people more and more.”

The comments come as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud deal with the Coalition’s second split since the 2025 May election.

While Littleproud survived a spill motion from Nationals MP Colin Boyce on Feb. 2 afternoon, questions remain over Ley’s leadership with the Liberal Party right faction’s Angus Taylor still mulling a possible challenge amid lagging poll numbers.

Albanese compared the opposition’s internal relationships to a reality TV show.

“The other side will allow them to engage in their bizarre behaviour. I note that [the] ‘Married at First Sight’ [show] begins tonight, and it’s a bit like that with the relationships on the other side, you know, they’re going to end badly. You know there’s going to be cheating involved, and they’re going to be not truthful to each other,” he said.

Labor Pitches Stability and Economic Focus

At the same time, Albanese urged Labor MPs to remain disciplined and focused on governing, saying unity is central to the government’s economic agenda.

He told the caucus that Labor must continue delivering.

“We will continue to look for how we can make sure that we have sustainability in our systems, that we provide responsible economic management, that we continue to deliver for people in lifting up their quality of life,” he said.

Pointing to recent policy announcements, Albanese said more was still to come ahead of the federal budget.

“We know that there are real cost of living pressures still there in our economy. That’s why we have plans to actually do something about it,” he said.

Pressure as Inflation Continues

Albanese’s remarks come as new economic data reveals inflation up to 3.8 percent in the year to December, an increase from 3.4 percent in November and above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target range of 2-3 percent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Housing was the largest contributor to annual inflation, climbing 5.5 percent, while electricity prices recorded the sharpest increase (21 percent) over the year after taxpayer-backed grants ended.

The renewed inflationary pressure has fuelled expectations the RBA could lift interest rates at its next meeting.