James Morrow: Anthony Albanese’s cockiness is dangerously close to toying with fate

In the past 72 hours, the Prime Minister and his team – buoyed by recent polls – have shifted gear into new, dangerously cocky territory, writes James Morrow.

On Easter Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke warmly of his time being taught by the Christian Brothers and how they waived the fees to keep him in school when his mother was having trouble making ends meet.

He is lucky to have had such an education, but as he charges toward the home straight of the federal election, he might stop and reflect on the Greek myths the Brothers almost surely taught him.

Specifically the story about hubris, a.k.a. excessive pride, and what happens next to those overcome by it.

In the past 72 hours or so, the prime minister and his team have shifted gear into new, dangerously cocky territory, buoyed by polls which suggest the only thing worth staying up for on May 3 is whether Labor will govern in its own right or in minority.

Take the weird saga of Russia and the Indonesian air base, which Albanese was quick to dismiss as a conspiracy theory despite defence experts pointing to a long history of co-operation between Moscow and Jakarta.

Archbishop Anthony Fisher with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and finance Jodie Haydon at the St Mary’s Cathedral Easter Sunday Mass. Picture: Simon Bullard.

Rather than take it seriously, Albanese has instead tried to make it personal about Peter Dutton.

Referring to Dutton’s request for a briefing on the matter, Albanese told the press pack, “And then they come out and say, well, we want further information about something that isn’t happening. I mean, do they want a briefing on the fake moon landing?

“That is where they are at as an alternative government.”

As a cocky response to a serious question it could be dismissed as a one-off, but there have been plenty of other examples.

For the past few days, the prime minister has been getting off the line that voting for Dutton is like voting for the “leftovers of the Morrison government”.

This really does get into toying with fate territory.

Bill Shorten and the ALP thought they had the 2019 election in the bag.

He may have been roundly shellacked in 2022 but in 2019 it was Morrison who dashed the hopes of Bill Shorten and the ALP who thought they had that election in the bag going into polling day.

And while Albanese and his team haven’t quite reached Shorten levels of hubris – who can forget him telling Arnold Schwarzenegger that he was “the next prime minister of Australia” – it is getting close.

Just look at some of their pre-rehearsed zingers (“Dutton dressed as lamb,” Murray Watt fired off on Sky News on Sunday morning) that sound like they came out of a senior Labor chat group.

But that’s nothing compared to Albanese’s claims that he’s up for a third term made on a podcast with The Nightly.

“If I’m successful on the third of May then, yeah,” he said, asked about going a third time in 2028.

Rather like Peter Dutton being accused of measuring the drapes in Kirribilli House, Albanese could soon be accused of already planning renovations of the Lodge.

In the Greek myths, hubris always comes undone by nemesis.

In Australia, hubris often comes undone by voters.

Just ask Bill Shorten.

Originally published as James Morrow: Anthony Albanese’s cockiness is dangerously close to toying with fate