The prime minister’s leadership is being tested, and voters are judging him harshly

An inescapable pall has settled over Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It seeps into his words, no matter the subject, it shadows his gestures, it colours how he is perceived.

In politics, perceptions matter, at times more than substance. Perceptions can weigh against a politician as much as policy failures.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits the Adass Israel synagogue on Tuesday.Credit: Justin McManus

Albanese has now entered that grey zone. It did not happen overnight, or in the past week, but has been building over several months. It is reasonable to ask, in the big moments in this country’s recent history has the prime minister been there for us, has he stepped up? More crucially, have the voters perceived him to have done so?

Recent opinion polls would suggest not. Innumerable politicians, who have been on the defensive, have said the only poll that matters is the election day one. This is true. But once a ripple of discontent forms, it can turn into a wave that can sweep a leader away. Election day is the culmination of many days.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison, enjoying the waves of Hawaii, found this out when he took a family holiday there during the catastrophic bushfires of the summer of 2019-20. His comment that he didn’t hold a hose certainly didn’t help.

It is such an obvious point that it shouldn’t need saying, but the leader of a country must lead, it is their job. A nation casts its eyes to such a person for that capacity and ability.

After riding the highs of deposing Morrison in 2022, Albanese’s standing in The Age’s Resolve polls has steadily declined. The campaign for the Voice referendum last year, and its defeat, has been a factor in the chipping away of the prime minister’s standing.

As Jim Reed, of research company Resolve Strategic, has noted, Albanese went from a “net performance rating of positive 27 per cent last May to minus 11 this May”. Peter Dutton has meanwhile improved his position.

Resolve polling has found 56 per cent of voters have rejected Albanese’s message to them on the economy, “we have your back”. Indeed, 59 per cent of voters believed they were worse off than when Labor came to power – only 13 per cent felt better off.

The polling also found that people supported Dutton and the Coalition over Albanese and Labor by 38 to 27 per cent. The public’s perception of Dutton was of “strong values and strong communication”, Reed said. The public’s perception of Albanese? “Voters still think he’s a nice guy.”

The prime minister has been damned with faint praise. Despite positive legislative initiatives, such as the social media crackdown, the debt relief on HECS, and the tax cuts, to name just a few, Albanese has been consistent in the inconsistency of his cut-through.

Following the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea last Friday, it took five days for the prime minister to visit the synagogue. It is true, however, that he was in Perth at the time and visited a synagogue there and met Jewish community members.

His rhetorical reaction to the arson attack was commendable in its abhorrence of the act: “This is an act of hate, and it’s something that should not occur in Australia or anywhere else for that matter. People must be allowed to conduct their faith as they see fit, in a peaceful way ... an attack on a synagogue is an act of antisemitism by definition.”

Nonetheless his business-as-usual approach in his actions did not meet the moment, which allowed an opportunistic opposition to cast doubt over his tackling of antisemitism stretching back to the October 7, 2023 massacre.

This is not to commend Dutton for linking Australia’s stance at the UN towards Palestine and the creation of a surge in antisemitism in this country. Playing politics with such topics is irresponsible.

Albanese can clearly see the toll all of this is taking and, as The Age’s Paul Sakkal reports, he has blamed some of it on aggressive coverage from the Murdoch publications. He is right to say much of the News Corp coverage is one-eyed, but that does not mean some of the criticism isn’t warranted.

The path out of The Lodge is paved with prime ministerial statements blaming the media for a government’s demise.

If ever a nation needed strong leadership at present, it is this one. On the economy and on nationally significant moments.

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