Matt Cunningham weighs in on Albanese attempt to beat Dutton to Darwin Port announcement

If Luke Gosling doesn’t hold Solomon, he can blame the Prime Minister’s office for botching what should have been the easiest win of the entire campaign, writes Matt Cunningham.

It was just after 4.21pm last Friday when Anthony Albanese called into ABC Radio Darwin.

As any good Territorian knows, doing anything after 4.21pm is never a good idea in this public service town, especially if you’re trying to get some attention.

And by 4.21pm on a Friday, the only place worth making any announcement is at the pub. But here was the Prime Minister, calling in to break the biggest national security news this city has heard since Barack Obama arrived here 14 years ago to announce US Marines would be coming to town.

We now know, of course, that Albanese’s impromptu call to the ABC was prompted by the fact Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was about to announce the Coalition would take back the Port of Darwin if it won the federal election.

Having gotten wind of Dutton’s announcement, a panicked Albanese called into the ABC to announce that Labor would do the same.

He was probably expecting a soft interview in line with the relaxed nature of Friday afternoon talkback radio, but host Liz Trevaskis put the Prime Minister under the griller and he came up wanting.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail in the NT in the seat of Solomon. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

In the first minute-and-a-half of his interview, Albanese twice said the “LNP” government here had “flogged off” the port to Chinese company Landbridge.

There is no LNP government here and never has been.

He also incorrectly said the deal had been done in 2016. It was 2015.

This might seem like semantics, but it shows how rushed the Prime Minister’s announcement was.

When Trevaskis pressed him on the details of his plan, they were scant.

“We do (have a plan) and we’ve been working for some time with Treasury and our Finance Department as well,” he said.

“We’ve been talking with superannuation funds about getting it back into Australian hands.” He went on to say Landbridge was aware the government was talking to potential buyers. Although that seemed to be news to Landbridge which subsequently said it had not had any discussions with the federal government (or the opposition for that matter) about the issue and reiterated its position that the port’s lease was not for sale.

It’s easy to understand why Trevaskis said she had become “a little bit lost”.

“You’ve flagged the Coalition making an announcement tomorrow … but you’re not making that announcement today?” she asked.

“You bet we will,” the Prime Minister replied.

A general view of the access entry to the Port of Darwin. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

When pushed on the issue, Albanese eventually said the commonwealth would intervene and force the sale of the port’s lease if a commercial buyer couldn’t be found.

Which is exactly what the Opposition Leader announced the next day.

It’s hard to comprehend just how badly the Prime Minister’s campaign team stuffed up an announcement that should have been a lay-down misère.

More than a month ago Solomon MP Luke Gosling – a long-term detractor of the port deal - had said the facility should return to Australian hands and detailed the potential for super funds or other Australian investors to be involved in that process.

With lingering dissatisfaction about the performance of the Territory’s former Labor government, Gosling would know he has a fight on his hands to hold his seat, even with a solid 8.4 per cent margin.

He had rightly identified the port as a key talking point for this election campaign.

Gosling could, and did, remind voters that the port had been leased by a CLP Government in 2015, that Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro was part of this government, and that there was a federal coalition government in power when that happened.

He also pointed out that Andrew Robb, who had been a minister in that federal government, subsequently took on a job as a consultant to Landbridge.

Win, win, win.

Gosling’s plan even had the support of federal opposition frontbenchers and the new NT CLP Government.

The lease of Darwin Port to China's Landbridge Group has become a contentious issue in the Australian federal election, with both major parties pledging to bring the port back under Australian ownership. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

And it was surely a gift for Albanese.

What better way to hit back at the Coalition’s claims he is soft on China than to take back the port they had leased to the Chinese?

Except, having received Gosling’s handball in the goal square, Albo forgot to kick the ball through the big sticks, and instead was left scrambling to rush a behind.

And so, millions of Australians woke last Saturday morning to the news that the same party that had leased this port 10 years ago, was going to ride in like a white knight and bring it back under Australian control.

The Coalition’s chutzpah is extraordinary.

It’s a bit like Philip Morris promising to cure cancer.

But, thanks to the complacency of the Prime Minister’s office, here we are.

Had he made the announcement on the first day of the campaign, the Prime Minister would have looked strong and Dutton would have had no option but to follow suit.

Instead he looked like a man desperately trying to do something because he knew his opponent was about to move.

Gosling might still hold Solomon.

The tide nationally appears to be turning in the ALP’s favour, although ongoing concerns here about the crime that soared under NT Labor and the emergence of a cashed-up and energetic Teal independent will be keeping party strategists awake at night.

If Gosling doesn’t hold, he can blame the Prime Minister’s office for botching what should have been the easiest win of the entire campaign.

Originally published as Matt Cunningham weighs in on Albanese attempt to beat Dutton to Darwin Port announcement