Inside Labor’s Second-Term Mindset and What It Means for Advocates
Six months into its second term, the Albanese Government is moving with the confidence of a team that knows its playbook but also the weight of expectations from every corner of policy life.
According to Addison Ridge, Director at Nexus Public Affairs, that confidence isn’t misplaced. Fresh from a series of meetings with ministers, advisers and strategists, she says there’s a sense of renewed energy inside government, but also quiet recognition that the easy wins are gone.
“They’re upbeat,” Ridge says. “They’re finalising a lot of the commitments from their first term and already thinking about what defines the second. But they know the honeymoon is over, and the real reform work begins now.”
A new generation behind the scenes
Much of that momentum, Ridge argues, is coming from inside the ministerial offices themselves. The churn of senior staff — long-serving chiefs of staff leaving for the private sector and rising EOs stepping up — has reshaped the ecosystem that drives government.
“It’s brought in new energy and a more outward-looking mindset.
“People who’ve seen the world outside the Canberra bubble are bringing that perspective back in.”
For advocates and industry leaders, that generational shift is more than trivia. It means new relationships to build, new styles of engagement to match, and fewer assumptions that institutional memory alone will carry influence.
Labor’s quiet long game
Politically, Ridge says Labor strategists are already looking beyond the next six months and back at what’s worked. The party’s two-decade campaign to outflank the Greens has paid off, giving it lessons the Coalition hasn’t yet had time to learn against the Teals.
“Labor’s had 20 years to study its rival on the left,” she says. “The Liberals have had just two election cycles to understand theirs.”
That long-game discipline — understanding how movements evolve and how to engage their voters — has helped Labor hold the centre ground while managing its progressive base. Ridge describes it as the difference between being reactive and being ready.
The policy machine ramps up
Back in Parliament, the government is now clearing the decks and finalising major reforms carried over from its first term. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act overhaul is one example.
“It’s a tough negotiation. The Greens think it doesn’t go far enough, the Opposition says it goes too far. But when both sides are unhappy, you’re probably close to the mark,” Ridge says.
Other portfolios are seeing similar momentum: the social media bans, the critical minerals strategy, and a care-economy focus that will shape next year’s budget priorities. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Ridge notes, is thinking in big arcs — energy transition, economic evolution and the care economy — while still grounded in fiscal restraint.
What smart advocates do now
For Ridge, the next six months are critical for anyone trying to influence government, particularly those in the ‘care economy’.
“Labor genuinely cares about these sectors,” she says, “but care doesn’t equal capacity.”
Her advice is blunt: don’t assume alignment means action. The upcoming ALP national conference will dominate internal attention — from early childhood reform to AUKUS spending — and sectors that fail to engage early risk being drowned out.
“This is the time to advocate, not to wait,” Ridge says. “Make sure your voice is in the room, or it might get lost in the wash.”