The most surprising political event of the last week was the change in Anthony Albanese | mrseankelly
The most surprising political event of the past week was the change in Anthony Albanese’s demeanour.
On Thursday, I sat down to watch his reply to the budget. I was expecting something solid but unremarkable. Budget replies are, typically, boring. The Opposition Leader runs through his greatest hits on the government and announces policies that may not ever be implemented. His MPs yell “Hear hear!” or “Shame!”. All politics is theatre, but this is the type of theatre only critics and family members bother to watch.
It’s true that Albanese has recently been sharpening his attacks on the government, and edging towards the release of significant policy, and both were in the speech. The surprise was that his address added up to more than the sum of its parts. There were no flights of rhetoric – the text will never end up in a book of “best speeches”. Instead, there was a pleasing match between his words and his temperament. Put simply, there was a new assuredness to him.
Perhaps, too, the new assuredness came from a reversion to a political situation in which Albanese is more comfortable.One of the striking things about the budget was that it was exactly the type of budget you would expect Scott Morrison to deliver. All the sharp edges had been sanded off. The most fundamental fact about Morrison as a politician is that he plays defensively. He does everything he can to avoid being attacked. He is a small-target prime minister.
Labor’s childcare policy – assistance with fees, with an aim to reach a 90 per cent subsidy for all families – is significant, and will win over some voters. But the more immediate impact is that it puts Albanese on the offensive. Having to play nice through fires and virus would not suit any opposition leader – it suits Albanese less than most. Now, he no longer has to play against type.
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