Son of a single mum is standout choice to lead alp

Even my most strident critics would happily concede that I have been a factional force in the ALP Right for decades. Voting down the Left at party conferences or in the caucus was my stock in trade.

Despite this, however, I would have to say that if Labor does not choose Anthony Albanese as its next leader, then it will be proven that those who run the party are putting factional loyalty ahead of the one thing that made me join the Right in the first place. I always want Labor to win because of the millions of Australians who rely on Labor governments to help them stay above the poverty line. Labor’s best chance of winning the next election rests on Albo’s shoulders.

For a start, in the world of politics, where the double cross is never far away, Albo is an honourable man. If he gives his word, he keeps it. When you watch him out on the hustings, he has a touch of Bob Hawke about him. He always seems to find the time to make anyone who speaks to him feel welcome. He backs up that warmth with a work ethic that is second to none, and he has a kingsize brain.

He has mastered his brief on infrastructure and can take on any amount of additional responsibility. It is that combination of a big brain and the capacity to relate to Australians so well that makes him a real danger to Scott Morrison and the Coalition. Labor made a poor decision in rejecting Albo last time. The party will not make the same mistake again.

Albo’s story is proof that the Whitlam reforms in education that gave kids from poorer backgrounds an equal chance at a tertiary education endures today. Raised by a single mum in a tiny Housing Commission flat and now pitching to become Labor leader and eventually prime minister, his is an inspiring story. We will have to wait three years to see whether it has a happy ending.

Morrison’s story is somewhat different. He was policeman’s son whose work ethic was hammered into him at an early age. On the day the 2010 election was called he was sitting on my couch drinking my best cognac. It is always that little bit harder to win if your opponent is recognised as a really good bloke and it is difficult to find fault with our Prime Minister.

Politics is a brutal business and you could see it in Bill Shorten’s face and hear it in his voice. This kind of defeat really hurts. Only the toughest can do it and Shorten is tough enough to handle it.

For Labor to win again, it will require a strategy to improve its vote in Queensland. This state is a yawning black hole for Labor, which seems to fail to pick up seats in the deep north again and again. Suburban Brisbane seats seem to remain beyond Labor’s grasp even when the swing required to win them is minuscule.

You have to take your hat off to Peter Dutton. The most demonised man in Australian politics has lived his political dream on a wafer-thin margin. Even though everything but the kitchen sink has been thrown at him, he stands defiant. He has withstood every attack and it would be churlish of me not to congratulate him.

Elsewhere, Labor was not producing enough wins. Every Labor supporter was desperately waiting the outcome of seats in Western Australia, where Labor had high hopes. Alas, disappointment could be found in every nook and cranny. The west delivered nothing to Labor yet again.

Queensland and WA are not buying something in Labor’s message and a complete rethink of the way the party campaigns in those states is essential. The two seats that received more attention than any other were Warringah and Wentworth in Sydney.

Tony Abbott held Warringah for a quarter of a century and in defeat showed his fundamental decency. I won’t forget that magnificent line of his: “I’d rather be a loser than a quitter.” A gutsy statement from a decent man. In Wentworth, Dave Sharma was leading narrowly yesterday when Kerryn Phelps conceded defeat.

The pollsters are some of the biggest losers in this campaign. Ipsos got closest to the result but Newspoll most unusually missed the mark. Obviously, the way our society has discarded landlines in favour of mobile phones is quite remarkable and telling. This makes the job of pollsters much more difficult and we must bear this in mind in the future.

Spare a thought for Shorten today. He put his heart and soul into this job for the best part of six years and came away with nothing. He fought an honourable campaign and no one could have worked harder. He is doing the right thing in remaining as the MP for his seat of Maribyrnong. What must be acknowledged though is that Australia never warmed to Shorten.

Labor’s decision to announce a hit on franking credits and a hit on negative gearing before an election was as courageous as it was stupid. Fear and panic spread very quickly and the over-55s in our community immediately circled the wagons. What support Labor had in their ranks was gone in a flash. Labor seemed to be picking fights with too many sections of our country.

The Prime Minister never sought to make a new enemy. He is naturally cautious and that caution was a powerful political weapon. Voters never believed Morrison would have his hand in their pockets and they could see no circumstance where he would interfere with their day-to-day lives. That meant it was comparatively easy to run the “Bill you can’t afford” campaign with gusto.

In the end it was a triumph for Morrison, who never stopped believing.