One would have thought that after announcing a significant childcare policy, as Anthony Albanese did in Brisbane on Wednesday, he would have subsequently visited an early learning centre to generate the requisite images for the media.

Until a few days ago, that may well have been the plan. Instead, the prime minister flew straight to Sydney to visit the city’s Jewish Museum where he conducted a long and loquacious press conference which, at times, resembled an exercise in catharsis.