Canberra Cold on Mouthy Murpharoo

Former Guardian-funded Albanese spokesgal Katharine Murphy recently became an official tax-funded Albanese spokesgal. So how’s our darling Labor lady doing?

Will Penny Wong confiscate Murpharoo’s microphone? Is a certain position still available at the Guardian? And what is it with lefties and thrones?

Not so well, according to The Australian’s always-compelling Diary column. Earlier this month, Diary reported that Canberra microbubble inhabitant Murphy had upset senior Labor figures during her very first week on the job:

The word around the corridors of Parliament House was that at a joint Senate tactics committee hearing, chaired by Senate leader and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the PM’s newbie senior press secretary had decided to pipe up with a countervailing view to the one being embraced by the Big Dogs – aka the ministers – in the room.

And according to one source, Murphy’s generous input wasn’t exactly met with a hearty round of applause.

“After she spoke, you could deadset hear a pin drop,” the source said …

As one source close to the tactics committee told Diary, these meetings are not the forum for staffers to have their say. They sit quietly at the back, and they speak if spoken to.

Penny Wong was said to be especially annoyed:

As Diary explained, other government sources dismissed the mouthy Murphy story. Diary’s response:

Fair enough. Maybe our sources in the room were confused.

But what isn’t fiction is that Labor types appear to be willing to critique Murphy via a whispering campaign just a coupla days into her new gig.

Indeedy. And seven days later, the story hasn’t gone away. If anything, it's firmed up:

Last week, Diary brought you the tale of former Guardian scribe Katharine “Murpharoo” Murphy’s regrettable intervention at a Labor tactics meeting.

As any political staffer knows, those meetings – at which democratically elected politicians thrash out ideas about how best to publicly attack the issues that affect the nation – are not the forum for ministerial underlings to air their views.

Except if your name is Murpharoo and it’s your first week on the job as one of Anthony Albanese’s senior spin doctors. In that case, you pipe up and tell the professional pollies what you think.

To no one’s surprise, Murpharoo’s soliloquy landed with a thud. Diary reckons she might struggle to get a guernsey at the next meeting, particularly if Penny Wong happens to be chairing.

Tasty!

Diary is also reliably informed Senator Wong was none-too-pleased that news of Murpharoo’s faux pas made it to the pages of The Australian, and let her annoyance be known to the PMO [Prime Minister’s Office] staffers.

When Murphy’s appointment was announced last month, commenter Lance Boyle wrote: “I predict she lasts closer to one week than one year.”

Could be a very good call. Don’t place any bets yet, though, until Peter FitzSimons weighs in.