Anthony Albanese’s six word promise to millions of Australians doing it tough – as he drops major hint about his wedding

Anthony Albanese has promised “things are going to get better” for millions of Australians struggling amid the cost of living crisis.

The Prime Minister and his fiancée Jodie Haydon showed this week they understand what ordinary Australians are going through as Ms Haydon wore the same dress to the Midwinter Ball as two years earlier.

Mr Albanese also seemed keen to avoid negative attention amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, opting to wear a simple black suit on Wednesday night.

He followed that up with an interview with the Daily telegram on Saturday, touting his cost-of-living measures and dropping a major hint as to when his wedding to Mrs Haydon might take place.

“It will get better because we are very conscious that we need to provide immediate cost of living relief in the short term so that the economy gets better in the medium term,” he said..

The main message the government wants to get across is that the phase three tax cuts have finally been implemented this week, along with the reduction in electricity bills.

“Every Australian’s salary has increased this week, with more money available to offset the pressure on the cost of living,” Albanese said.

He said he and Ms Haydon have not yet set a date for their wedding, but that they have ‘no intention of having an elaborate, over-the-top wedding’.

The prime minister said he did not believe Labor would win the federal election next May, but if it did, his wedding could take place “in the second term”.

“We haven’t finalized the date yet,” Mr Albanese said.

Australia’s 13.6 million taxpayers received tax relief on July 1, but Labor’s changes to the plan originally tabled by the previous Coalition government mean more benefits for low- and middle-income earners.

Part-time workers making $45,000 a year — less than the new minimum wage of $47,627 for full-time workers — will get $805 a year back instead of nothing.

People earning $80,000, slightly more than the median wage of $74,500, will get $1,679 back instead of $875.

And everyone, regardless of income, will get $300 off electricity starting July 1, split into four quarterly installments of $75.

The $300 figure may have been chosen because it fits well with Albanese’s claim during the 2022 election that a Labor government would cut energy prices by $275.

But with inflation rising and the serious prospect of another interest rate hike that Australia’s 3.8 million households with mortgages can barely afford, the prime minister insisted the tax cuts would “make a real difference to people”.

He pointed out that, in addition to tax cuts and reductions in energy bills, wages, pensions and paid parental leave have also increased under his government.

“So people earn more and it is very important that they are allowed to keep more of their income,” Mr Albanese said.

The prime minister said the housing crisis, which has led to huge rent increases and an increasingly limited chance for people on average incomes to secure a home, must be tackled with better planning and higher population densities in major cities.

Australia’s 13.6 million taxpayers received tax relief on July 1, but Labor’s revisions to the plan originally tabled by the previous Coalition government mean more sweet treats for low- and middle-income earners

He said the problem has been neglected for too long and more housing needs to be built around train stations and transport corridors.

Mr Albanese also said the government “wants to help developers build rental housing, especially affordable housing.”

‘We must seize every opportunity to increase the housing supply.’

Although his government could last until May 2024, there has been increasing speculation recently that elections could be held before the end of the year.

He tried to quash the rumors by saying he believes three-year terms for the federal government are too short, but he did not rule it out entirely.

“The idea that I would run for election next month is absolutely not in my mind,” he said, leaving open the option of elections in late 2024.