Albanese is little more than a gossamer-weight second-guesser

If Anthony Albanese wants to find out why his poll numbers are nose-diving, he should, among other things, look as his own inaction and evasion when it comes to condemning anti-Jewish terrorism, writes Tim Blair.

He had a good run. Nearly 30 years of it, in fact, since first being elected as the MP for Grayndler in 1996 to his current perch as Prime Minister.

But now the Australian people have got Anthony Albanese sussed.

Even before today’s crushing Newspoll, the electorate beyond devoted Labor luvvies finally pegged the PM as an absolute gossamer-weight second guesser who freezes in the face of political danger.

Not that they needed much help at this point, but Australians were aided in reaching this conclusion by Albanese’s own inaction and subsequent desperate hair-splitting evasions on anti-Jewish terrorism.

The PM first avoided describing as terrorism last week’s arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue. Then, making matters worse, Albanese offered on Sunday a qualifier-loaded semi-condemnation of last week’s hateful violence.

That semi-condemnation, in response to a journalist’s question about the Labor government’s progress on dealing with anti-Semitism, followed more than 300 words of political procedural recitation from the PM. It was quite the performance.

Finally, Albanese addressed the main issue by stepping delicately around it like a first-time renovator dodging fresh paint.

“Now, tomorrow, the Victorian Police and the Australian Federal Police will be having a meeting,” the PM began.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suffered a huge drop in popularity. Picture: Colin Murty

“There is a technical process that is agreed in the protocols for designating an event as a terrorist act.”

A synagogue was firebombed, but it seems that Albanese is frightened of breaking some kind of sacred misinformation rule. And fair enough, too. A bloke might get himself in a terrible spot of bother if he defies the agreed “protocols”.

“That meeting is taking place tomorrow.”

Thanks for the update, scoop.

“If you want my personal view …”

Yes. Yes we do. As the PM spoke, the people of Australia had been waiting on an expression of that view for two entire days.

“… quite clearly, terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community, and the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne, clearly were designed to create fear in the community.”

If you thought that last sentence was infuriatingly and insultingly legalistic and dogmatic, here’s Albanese’s concluding comment:

“And therefore, from my personal perspective, certainly fulfil that definition of terrorism.”

Note that Albanese still didn’t directly describe the act of terrorism as an act of terrorism. He merely said that it met his personal understanding of terrorism’s definition.

Little wonder, given his history of similarly spineless statements, that the most recent Newspoll wasn’t exactly a love letter to the Labor leader.

“Voters consider Anthony Albanese the weakest prime minister in decades,” The Australian reported today on a poll largely conducted prior to the synagogue attack.

“His rating as a strong and decisive leader has fallen five points to 44 per cent … this is the lowest score for a prime minister on this critical measure since Newspoll first began the series in 2008 after the election of Kevin Rudd.”

Speaking of Labor losers, senior comedy figure Chris Bowen this morning attempted an Albanese rescue mission. It was the same quality of rescue mission that in 2019 led Bowen to advise the electorate: “If you don’t like our policies, don’t vote for us.”

Bowen this time tried to sell the concept that his leader’s terrorism equivocation was in fact an honourable bid to establish national unity.

The immediate failure to call the arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne an act of terrorism reinforced perceptions Mr Albanese is a weak prime minister.

Like Albanese, Bowen declared that the announcement of an act of terror was the job of police. Remarkably, he also went for an individual responsibility angle.

“The attack on the synagogue is the fault of the person who attacked the synagogue,” Bowen told ABC radio, before smearing Liberal leader Peter Dutton and Senator James Paterson for their moral and logical clarity on the synagogue torching.

“For the opposition to try and sow discord and make political points is absolutely disgusting,” Bowen seethed, unconvincingly. “One of the lowest things I’ve seen in my time in politics.”

Oh, please. Bowen’s had a front row seat for federal Labor politics since 2004. He was a member of the Rudd and Gillard governments, for God’s sake. Bowen’s seen lower things printed on election campaign t-shirts.

All Dutton and Paterson have done is make a relatively straightforward assessment of the terrorism threat directed at Jewish Australians, and present potential remedies.

They also properly used the term terrorism to describe terrorism. And guess what? So did Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton, who this afternoon declared Friday’s synagogue arson to be a “likely terrorist” attack.

There you go, Albo. You’ve now got official police approval. Proceed at your own pace.