Labor plans to kick with the wind for a second time
The dynamic could not be more different to this time last year when parliament wound up with the government blowing smoke and the prime minister resembling a shot duck.
All smiles: Jim Chalmers, Katy Gallagher and Anthony Albanese on Friday. The government ended the year on a high, in stark contrast to last year. Alex Ellinghausen
At 1.59pm on Thursday, as members of the House of Representatives took their seats for the final question time of the year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers stuck it to his opposition counterpart, Angus Taylor.
Blindsided by the government’s deal with the Senate crossbench to secure the structural shake-up of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Taylor was in the final throes of a 90-second tirade about the supposed dangers of dealing with the Greens on something as serious as the composition of the central bank.
Phillip CooreyPolitical editorPhillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence. Connect with Phillip on Facebook and Twitter. Email Phillip at pcoorey@afr.com
