Peter van Onselen: The Coalition are calling for an early election after Albo's tax changes... but it could spectacularly backfire if they're not careful

By PETER VAN ONSELEN, POLITICAL EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:31, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 10:33, 30 May 2026 Labor’s tax betrayal demands an early election. The Coalition is calling for one, which may be the political equivalent of a turkey voting for an early Thanksgiving.  But if mandates mean anything in a democracy, it’s the only way Labor and the PM can get one on this issue.  They promised not to do exactly what they are now seeking to do, which shreds their credibility, unless they return to the polls to let voters decide. On current polling, a snap election could decimate the Opposition despite Labor’s wilful deceit.  The Liberal Party is fractured, the Nationals are on life support, and One Nation is surging.  Fighting a campaign on Labor’s broken promises might simply return Albo to power, reduce the Coalition to even more of a rump than it already is, and crown Pauline Hanson as the official opposition leader. Yet, however self-destructive the Coalition’s call for an early election might be, that doesn’t make it wrong in principle. Barely a year ago, Labor went to the polls without seeking a mandate to overhaul capital gains tax, negative gearing and trusts. It didn’t merely omit talking about these reforms, it actively cultivated the explicit impression that they were off the table. Labor’s tax betrayal demands an early election . The Coalition is calling for one, which may be the political equivalent of a turkey voting for an early Thanksgiving Put simply, they lied. Legislating the tax changes now is not a minor breach of political etiquette; it’s a fundamental breach of trust. Governments can pivot when circumstances change. They are entitled to argue that the tax system is unfair or that the budget requires structural repair.  But they aren’t entitled to campaign one way, ruling out precisely what they then do, before sneakily doing it anyway. That’s just dishonest. The constitutional mechanics of calling an early vote are clunky, but they aren’t impossible, as the PM (again) misleadingly tried to claim just the other day.  A House only election is one option; a double dissolution vote is another, provided the necessary legislative deadlock is created. The true barrier is political cowardice, not constitutional law. An early election would be clarifying. It would force Labor to defend its changes directly to voters, rather than smuggling them through Parliament.  It would also put the credibility of the PM and Treasurer on trial, which you can bet is why Albo won’t go there. On current polling, a snap election could decimate the Opposition despite Labor’s wilful deceit Labor would most likely win the election and secure the mandate it currently does not have anyway.  The election would be expensive of course, but not compared to the extent of government waste in other areas. A drop in an ocean of rising debt and deficits, you might say. But Albo prefers the benefit of post-election power without the burden of pre-election honesty.  That should be inscribed under his parliamentary portrait when the time comes. Voters should not be treated as an inconvenience to be managed after the fact.  The public is the ultimate source of democratic authority for reforms of this scale. An early election might be unpredictable, messy and dangerous for everyone involved. But it would force Labor to win approval for the changes it now champions, rather than deceitfully do what it did a year ago. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.