The old Anthony Albanese is back. He’s angry, he’s fired up, he’s pugnacious, he’s politically pointed and he is no longer the leader drained of energy because of the catastrophic failure of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.
And the Prime Minister’s new priority is to destroy Peter Dutton’s leadership and his scathing line that there’s a “liar in The Lodge”.
Albanese has gone all in with his efforts to make the resumption of parliament a turning point for his government as he introduces the new stage three tax cuts legislation, assumes a larger-than-life leadership persona and regains the political initiative.
If Albanese’s achievement matches his intent and intensity, he may justify the trashing of his credibility over his broken tax promise.
If it fails, it will be a turning point in the other direction.
Albanese returned to parliament with a new zest for politics but appeared to be almost putting too much effort into the destruction of the Opposition Leader and the Coalition’s position.
In the first question time for 2024, he appeared too theatrical with exaggerated hand movements that may have reflected his Italian heritage but made him look like Marcel Marceau with words. Angry words.
For too long, Albanese and Labor arrogantly dismissed Dutton’s chances of election, lost touch with Middle Australia, were distracted by the voice to parliament referendum and allowed the Opposition Leader to dominate politics at the end of 2023.
Underestimating Dutton’s political ability because of an assumed “image problem” was another failure of political judgment that belied Albanese’s previous tactical success in damaging Scott Morrison’s personal standing and leadership.
Before a week off in December, Albanese had been emotionally spent after the referendum loss and seemed to lack an answer for the cost-of-living crisis.
Over Christmas, he reorganised his office, revised his strategy, determined he would not drift into the new parliamentary year and took a huge gamble in rewriting the stage three tax cuts. There is even a move away from the promised priorities of the Uluru statement on truth-telling and treaty.
Now in the atmosphere of Parliament House and relishing the resumption of the House of Representatives, Albanese has shown a reawakened energy and verve for political attack, as well as an intention to attack Dutton’s credibility and integrity in a tit-for-tat leadership battle.
Albanese ridiculed Dutton for not having a principled response on the new tax cuts and accused an “angry” and heartless Dutton of standing in the way of tax cuts to workers who served during the pandemic, and to nurses and teachers.
In response to Dutton’s blunt declaration that there is a “liar in The Lodge”, Albanese sought to jam the Coalition over its decision to ultimately accept Labor’s changes to the stage three tax cuts and being lacking in principle.
“If they are fair dinkum, then their response must be to not only oppose what we are putting forward with our legislation but to promise to roll it back,” Albanese said on Tuesday.
“Unless they do that, it’s just wind,” he said.
He continued to taunt the opposition in question time and called on Dutton to “smile Pete” as he accused him of always being angry.
All this bluster and new-found pugnacious politics couldn’t hide the fact he has broken a promise and been publicly branded a liar.
Nor could he answer opposition questions as to whether he would rule out changes to taxes on negative gearing.
Emotionally, politically and psychologically, the Albanese of old is back, but there is no guarantee that seeking to destroy Dutton’s credibility or integrity will work for someone so easily branded the liar in The Lodge. His aim is to turn the liar in The Lodge into a hero in the house.
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