Follow the leader? Not all Labor MPs get it Right

Joel Fitzgibbon in Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Sean Davey.

After Anthony Albanese raised a glass to the end of a tough parliamentary year in opposition — and perhaps his survival of the “killing season” — Right faction heavyweights gathered behind closed doors in honour of troublemaker Joel Fitzgibbon.

The so-called Otis Group retired to the office of factional powerbroker Don Farrell on Tuesday night, having failed to land a reservation at their eponymous Canberra diner.

Bill Shorten was there drinking with them, toasting Fitzgibbon — the man who has done more to undermine the Labor leader than any other of his MPs this year.

And we mean toast literally. There was a “toast to the Otis-ians” (obviously with Farrell’s signature red drop The Godfather Too), one member of the cabal confessed.

One thing is for sure — the ­Otisians aren’t the only people making plans. Even Scott ­Morrison believes Albanese could face difficulties next year, ­choosing to focus his question time ­attacks on frontbencher Jim Chalmers — a ­potential future leader.

The Prime Minister believes Anthony Albanese could face difficulties next year. Picture: Sean Davey.

“This is the same shadow treasurer … who cried in Kevin Rudd’s office … we know how sensitive he is,” the Prime Minister said earlier in the week, the last of the parliamentary year.

So which true believers were tapped to join Farrell’s Otis catch-up? Amanda Rishworth, Meryl Swanson, Shayne Neumann, Kimberley Kitching, Anthony Chisholm, Deborah O’Neill and Raff Ciccone were among those to pop their heads in.

And who didn’t make it? ­Wannabe leadership contenders Chris Bowen, Tony Burke, Mark Dreyfus and Chalmers (who also skipped the Right faction dinner on Sunday).

The Otis Group first made waves in February, when a swathe of Labor’s Right faction were caught by the Ten Network dining at the Kingston institution Otis Dining Hall and venting frustration at Albanese. Those gathered, according to Farrell, were “good solid Labor people”.

“The Otis Group is just a group of Labor people who are interested in supporting coal workers,” he said at the time.

After a long year, there is growing dissatisfaction with ­Albanese’s leadership, although senior Labor figures say there’s no interest in finding a replacement.

With the Senate sitting late into the night on Tuesday, the Otis Group gathered at Farrell’s office — perhaps the only place apart from Otis Dining Hall his vineyard’s wines can be found. Officially, the clique were gathered to thank Fitzgibbon for his tenure as the faction’s national convener — a title that de facto goes to the boss of the NSW Right, much to the chagrin of the Victorians.

Don Farrell. Picture: Sean Davey.

Bill Shorten. Picture: Sean Davey.

Matt Thistlethwaite was installed unopposed last week after the Hunter MP sacrificed himself from the frontbench as part of the Great (Climate) War.

Meanwhile, Albanese was snubbed by his own faction on Sunday. The darling of the Left ­declared himself “factionless” when he became Opposition Leader. He didn’t make the list for the Left’s Christmas drinks at the Kingston Hotel, an event he was unaware of according to those he spoke to while down the road at the Right faction’s festivities that night.

Just before the Otisian cheering, Albanese was holding court with the media at his socially distanced Christmas drinks in the Labor caucus room on the other side of the building.

A COVID-19 bouncer was manning the door to make sure the number of attendees didn’t pass 50. A number of Labor MPs turned up to twinkle the tinsel with Albanese including his deputy Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek, Terri Butler, Farrell, Rishworth and Neumann.

Albanese will celebrate Christmas, but will he make it to Easter?