Albo’s mob is hopeless, Dutton’s crew are a shambles, the mining boom’s shuddering to a halt and inflation is biting hard. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – Australia is in a terrible place, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN

I’ll say it straight out and without any pretense: Australia is in a terrible situation right now.

The Labour government has proven itself to be utterly hopeless in a relatively short space of time.

Anthony Albanese is an unworthy prime minister, and I say that as someone who had high expectations for the job he could do.

We are in this situation in dire economic times, where good governance is essential to limit the pain.

But the Labour Party does not listen to advice from outside its own circle, which is blinded by a combination of ignorance and ideological limitations.

The result is that the state stands for little and satisfies few people, because the state tries to get out of trouble rather than govern effectively.

I’ll list all the depressing reasons why this government is so bad in a moment, but if that was the only problem Australia faced we wouldn’t have too much to worry about.

That’s because there’s a federal election coming up, a chance to kick out this hopeless government.

The problem is that I’m not sure the Coalition is ready for a return to government so soon after the defeat of the Morrison government.

If the Labour Party were any good government, you wouldn’t be thinking of changing teams at the next election.

That’s because of the track record of Morrison’s do-nothing (and often attacking) coalition team that led from 2013 to 2022. And because of the lack of depth in the current opposition.

The bad news for Australia doesn’t stop there. It gets worse. With the polls telling us that the major parties are neck and neck, and with so many third parties already in the House of Representatives, it is likely that the crossbench will determine the balance of power and decide which major party forms the government after the next election.

Then dictate the terms to the largest party in power.

Normally this would be a consolation, given the dire state of the major parties at the moment. But it is absolutely not.

That’s because the Greens are the party most likely to set the terms for the next election, as they have some crazy policies on their legislative agenda.

Perhaps voters don’t care about Labor’s problems, nor the Greens’, and return to the coalition after just one term, despite the Morrison government’s failures.

If that happens, it would be the first time since 1931 that a government has lost by one term, so such an outcome is unlikely.

That means the most realistic scenario is for Labour to return to power, either with a slim majority or as a minority government dependent on the Greens.

It is an unthinkable thought.

And that brings us back to why this administration has been so bad so soon after winning office. Here we go…

Albanese is a weak leader. His cabinet underperforms. His best ministers – such as Ed Husic and Madeleine King – are excluded from major decision-making moments.

The people in Albo, Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher’s kitchen cupboard are all left wing and don’t understand mainstream Australia at all.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jim Chalmers is completely out of his mind. The government is even at war with the Reserve Bank, and is turning the economy in a different direction than the central bank wants.

Labor’s policy approach to The Voice, refugees in Gaza and union empowerment is causing untold damage to Australian society.

The refusal to embrace tax reforms to modernize the economy stifles productivity and neglects the need for improved distribution lines. State governments are generally struggling.

Spending (at state and federal levels) is skyrocketing as the mining boom appears to be winding down.

The unions do not listen to the concerns of the business community and do not consult the party when poor policy decisions are made that affect workers and businesses.

The default position of this Labour government is to put issues before substance.

Albanese is not a detail person, never has been. He had only one portfolio before becoming prime minister, which means his ministerial understanding of governance is very limited.

The treasurer, assistant treasurer and minister of finance have no economic qualifications together. Especially at a time when economic management is central.

Then there are the failures with immigration. The issue saw two underperforming ministers (Andrew Giles and Clare O’Neil) sacked from their portfolios, only to be moved to roles requiring better management.

Giles is now responsible for skills and training, O’Neil is responsible for housing. What to do about housing is a major political issue, but the Prime Minister has given the job to one of his worst-performing ministers, and she is already making mistakes.

Whether you are a pensioner disappointed by changes to the pension scheme that were not announced at the election, an average voter dismissed as racist for opposing The Voice, or a young Australian struggling to buy a home, this government is your worst nightmare.

If higher education is your thing, Labour is risking the whole sector with changes that will stifle the overseas students who help pay the bills. That would be fine if it could find other ways to fund universities, but it isn’t.

If you are a small business owner, labor is exacerbating compliance costs. New workplace laws are undermining investment in this country and increasing the likelihood of unemployment as the economy slows.

But if you are ideologically left wing, then this Labour government has also disappointed you. It tries to play both sides of the spectrum and ultimately pleases no one.

What a mess.