Media Diary: Why Anthony Albanese could favour a May 17 election
Prime ministers, like Test cricketers, are acutely aware of their own statistics, even if they pretend not to be. A May 17 poll would ensure the PM leapfrogs Julia Gillard in one metric.
When Anthony Albanese effectively declared just prior to the arrival of Cyclone Alfred that the federal election won’t be held before May, he blew the press gallery’s near-universal prediction of an April 12 poll out the window.
That left the media with just three realistic election dates to work with – May 3, May 10 or May 17.
Take your pick.
Diary is as clueless as everyone else on the most likely date, but there’s a school of thought that suggests Albo might now be favouring May 17, with one eye on his adversary Peter Dutton and the other on the history books.
Why?
Because prime ministers, like Test cricketers, are acutely aware of their own statistics, even if they pretend not to be.
As of today, Albanese has been PM for two years and 298 days, which puts him 18th on the list of the 31 Australian prime ministers in terms of time served.
Come April 30, Albo will pass Gough Whitlam, who served for two years and 341 days.
A few days later, on May 3, Albanese will slip past Malcolm Turnbull, into 16th position on the PMs’ ladder.
But here is where it gets interesting.
In order to leapfrog the ex-PM who is currently in 15th place, Julia Gillard, Albo will need to officially be Prime Minister until May 27.
How can he do this?
Well, the surest way will be to win the election.
But failing that, his best bet is to call an election for May 17, the last possible date available to him. In all likelihood, the official declaration of the poll, and the possible swearing in of a new prime minister, might not occur until more than a week after election day, particularly if it’s a tight contest. Which means if Albo is turfed out of The Lodge, there’s still a chance he might squeak past Gillard and into the top half of the list of longest-serving Australian PMs.
It’s not the craziest theory going around.
Political nerds will recall that at the last federal election, in 2022, speculation was rife that Scott Morrison would go to the polls on May 14.
Instead, he opted for May 21, amid expectations that the Coalition was likely to lose the election.
History shows us, of course, that the Morrison-led Coalition did lose.
And history also shows us that by opting for a May 21 election, Morrison – having served for three years and 272 days – edged past celebrated Labor leader John Curtin into 12th position on the all-time PM list.
Curtin was PM for three years and 271 days.
May 17, anyone?
Revamped Media Watch sheds viewers
The change of host for the Monday night ABC TV staple Media Watch has seen this year’s episodes down significantly from the corresponding weeks in 2024.
With veteran Media Watch host Paul Barry signing off at the end of last year, new host Linton Besser started his time in the hot seat on February 3.
The national overnight audience watching his debut was 519,000, down dramatically from the first episode of 2024, which drew 643,000.
In fact, the first three outings for the new host saw the numbers down more than 100,000 each week in year-on-year overnight comparisons.
Yet on two subsequent occasions Besser managed to improve on 2024 ratings figures, for the episodes on February 24 and March 10.
To get a fuller picture of the way viewers engage with the program, Diary also examined the “Total TV Consolidated 7” numbers (with OzTAM measuring viewing on all devices over a seven-day period), which indicate the show is not a must-watch on Monday evenings for many.
For the first five episodes of the year, an average of 157,000 tuned into the show later in that broadcast week, which means the total number viewing grows by that much on average giving Besser a national average audience of 776,000.
A quick glance at the capital city markets indicates viewers in Sydney and Melbourne are most interested in Media Watch (it usually ranks in the top 20 for Monday shows), while audiences in Brisbane seem to care less, with the 15-minute program recently coming in at #35 among other offerings on the day.
To be fair to Besser, he’s still just finding his feet as Media Watch host. Barry sat in the chair for 11 long years and struggled to nail it.
But it will be interesting to see how Besser’s numbers hold up against funnyman Sam Pang’s new late show on Channel 10, which begins on Monday.
We guess it depends on whether you like being entertained, or lectured.
Married At First Sight expert caught up in video drama
Nine Entertainment has sooled its lawyers onto social media content creator and podcaster Joshua Fox after he approached John Aiken – one of the so-called “experts” on hit show Married At First Sight – in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Friday and quizzed the relationship specialist about the dubious ethics of the show.
Fox, who for years has managed a popular MAFS-themed Instagram account, and currently hosts The MAFS Funny Podcast, recorded the interaction he had with Aiken and uploaded it to his social media accounts on Sunday night.
In the 90-second clip, Fox tells his followers: “The Married At First Sight experts are the real villains of this show. Everything they do is just designed to destroy the couples. They need to be held accountable.
“And since all of my emails and messages (to Nine) go unanswered, I’m going full A Current Affair style and tracking them down in real life. You know, just taking inspiration from Channel 9’s second biggest show after Married At First Sight.”
In the video, Fox can be seen confronting Aiken in a car park in Double Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and asking him if he ever feels “ethically and morally compromised by what you do on the show”.
That question was a reference to comments made by former MAFS expert Trisha Stratford, who in 2021 said she left the show because she began feeling “ethically, professionally, morally compromised”.
During Friday’s confrontation, Aiken suggests that Fox direct his inquiries to Nine, or the show’s producers, Endemol Shine Australia.
Fox continues to put questions to Aiken as the pair walk down the street. After Aiken enters a cafe, Fox asks him if “the money or the fame” is the reason he continues to appear on the reality TV show.
Aiken then pulls out his own mobile phone, and appears to start recording Fox.
The day after the incident, Nine sent Fox a legal letter, accusing him of the “harassment of John Aiken”.
“Your behaviour disrupted the cafe patrons and concluded with what Mr Aiken perceived as an impliedly threatening statement to the effect of ‘this is not going to end well this year John’,” the letter reads.
Nine’s lawyers requested that Fox “immediately cease and desist” from approaching, harassing or attempting to contact Mr Aiken and his fellow MAFS “experts”, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla.
MAFS is Nine’s top-rating show for the year, outside of major sporting events such as the NRL grand final and the Australian Open finals.
Last month, Nine CEO Matt Stanton told The Australian that MAFS was “the biggest show we have”.
“The appeal to me is the advertising dollars that we get from it. It’s probably one of the most profitable parts of the business,” Mr Stanton said.
Each episode of the program is watched by about three million people, across linear and BVOD platforms.
Mr Stanton claimed the “great” show offers valuable “insights” into Australian culture.
Earlier this month, NSW Police launched an official investigation into the actions of MAFS contestant Paul Antoine, who punched a hole in a wall during a fight with bride Carina Mirabile.
Guardian woes
The sudden departure of the Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton on Friday set industry tongues wagging about the reasons behind her rush for the exit.
It’s long been speculated that press gallery veteran Middleton – who joined the far left-leaning masthead a year ago but has been on medical leave for the past several months – was a polarising presence in the Guardian’s Canberra bureau. But it depends on who you talk to.
Certainly, the theory that Middleton got plenty of Canberra colleagues off-side during her brief tenure at the online news outlet carries some weight, given the exodus of Guardian staff following her arrival.
And the tit-for-tat internal complaints lodged by both Middleton and one-time colleague Paul Karp, who both alleged mistreatment at the hands of the other, hinted at an unhappy workplace. (Karp subsequently resigned from the Guardian and now works for The Australian Financial Review).
But there are others at the Guardian who say that Middleton was “nothing but lovely and professional” towards colleagues, and the fact that things didn’t work out was more a failing of the masthead’s senior management, who didn’t allow Middleton to play to her reporting strengths.
Middleton took to social media on Friday to announce her departure.
“After an extended period of medical leave, I have decided to resign from Guardian Australia,” Middleton said.
“I thank the many colleagues who were welcoming and collaborative during my time there. I won’t be making any further comment.”
Diary did attempt to reach Middleton on the weekend but we didn’t hear back.
We asked the editor of Guardian Australia, Lenore Taylor, if she remained “on good terms” with Middleton.
“Karen’s contribution to Guardian Australia has been significant, and we wish her well in her future endeavours,” Taylor said on Sunday.
Make of that statement what you will. But as far as a farewell tribute goes, we reckon it sits comfortably at the frosty end of the thanks-for-coming thermometer.
Taylor said she would appoint a new political editor “as soon as practicable”, but given that an election will be run and won in the next two months, the timing of Middleton’s departure is disastrous for the Guardian and its plans for comprehensive coverage of the campaign.
Diary wonders if Taylor might send an SOS to the Guardian’s former political reporter Amy Remeikis, who left the online outlet in October to go and work as the chief political analyst for independent think tank The Australia Institute, a mob which claims: “We barrack for ideas, not political parties.”
OK, so while we’re here, let’s have a quick look at some of Remeikis’ recent “political analysis”.
Four days ago she took aim at the “complete unseriousness of Peter Dutton criticising Anthony Albanese for not ‘lobbying Trump in person’ after spending much of the term calling Albanese ‘Airbus Albo’.”
Three days ago, again on social media platform X, she declared: “I hate Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.”
Two days ago: Remeikis mysteriously wrote: “Men shouldn’t be allowed.”
It almost reads like a job application for the Guardian!
Pang tees off
Speaking of Pang, when the comedian quit breakfast radio in 2022, he told Nova Radio colleagues Chrissie Swan and Jonathan Brown that he wanted to focus on other media ventures.
True to his word, Pang doubled down on his TV commitments.
But he also set about improving his golf game. Unfortunately though, his TV workload for 2025 threatens to damage his handicap.
The eight-week series, Sam Pang Tonight, launches this week on Channel 10, and his recent months have been dedicated to working in pre-production ahead of the launch.
Pang told Diary his golf handicap is 12 – “at the moment”.
“But it’s going the wrong way,” he confessed.
Regular golfing partners include friends working on other networks.
Says Pang: “Andy Lee’s the best celebrity golfer that I’ve played with. Mick Molloy’s the worst. And he cheats!”
Pang’s TV workload also includes hosting the Logies, co-hosting The Front Bar and being a regular panellist on Have You Been Paying Attention?
Network 10 has given Sam Pang Tonight the Monday night timeslot normally occupied by ratings winner Have You Been Paying Attention? and that comedy panel show will resume there when it returns in May.
“I’ve wanted to do a tonight show ever since I saw Letterman,” Pang told us.
Addressing the cut-throat nature of prime time TV, he said: “If no one watches, I’ll be on a much later timeslot on 10 Peach soon.”
The show should find an audience, with Pang ready to sign on for more if the opportunity arises.
“I’d love to do more, but we’ll see how it goes.
“If it ends up being a yearly Christmas special, that’ll be fine too.”
Clive capers
The federal election campaign hasn’t even begun, but perpetual political participant and Titanic fan-boy Clive Palmer is already rocking the boat.
Last week he caused a ruckus across the Australian media landscape when his campaign ad that declared “there are only two genders” was splashed across the pages of almost every major Australian newspaper.
Palmer later clarified that the advertisement in question should have said that “there are only two sexes”.
Palmer’s belated correction followed outrage from transgender advocacy groups, which prompted one masthead, The Newcastle Herald (owned by Australian Community Media) to remove the ad from the paper’s digital editions.
Tony Kendall, CEO and managing director of Australian Community Media, said the advertisement did not meet the company’s values, thus it was scrubbed.
So, given that the ad no longer exists anywhere on The Newcastle Herald – and certainly not in the front-page digital edition slot that Palmer paid for – will the billionaire be getting a refund?
When Diary approached ACM to ask whether Clive could expect a refund, we got a “no comment”.
Which in this instance, translates to “no way, Jose”.
Surely if ACM was going to return Palmer’s filthy lucre, they’d be happy to let the world know? We live in a virtue-signalling world, don’t we?
As it happened, Palmer’s team was happy to explain that because the contentious ad was part of a series of six Trumpet of Patriots advertisements to be rolled out in coming weeks, the one that was removed from The Newcastle Herald will simply be replaced by another, and therefore no refund was requested.
But wait, there’s more.
When Diary asked Palmer about this whole hoo-ha, the one-time federal MP made the extraordinary claim that he wasn’t interested in buying ACM, the company that owns not just The Newcastle Herald, but also The Canberra Times, and scores of other regional publications.
“I am not interested in buying ACM, it’s not worth it,’’ he said, apparently in response to “rumours” that he was going to buy the joint just so he could end up sacking Kendall over his handling of the Newcastle Herald/gender ad fiasco.
That rumour hadn’t crossed Diary’s desk, and it turns out it hadn’t been brought to the attention of ACM executive chairman Antony Catalano either.
The Cat, as he’s universally known, told us on Sunday that a potential sale of ACM to Palmer “has never been discussed, or considered”.
So, in summary, Clive has expressed no interest in buying something that was never offered to him in the first place.
No word on whether he’s ruled out buying the Sydney Harbour Bridge …
Nick Tabakoff is on leave
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