Albanese’s cheap media shot turns into a strategic error

Anthony Albanese was unable to present any clear detail on his Port of Darwin announcement on ABC radio.

A rash political tactic from Anthony Albanese attempting to spoil Peter Dutton’s announcement on pushing China out of the Port of Darwin has turned into a strategic error.

On Friday the Prime Minister rang in to ABC radio in Darwin after being tipped off that the Opposition Leader was going to announce a forced acquisition of the Chinese 99-year lease on the port facilities opposite Australia’s naval yard in a crude attempt to stifle Opposition policy.

Albanese acted so rashly and without a clear idea of what he was proposing – nor able to answer basic questions – that the attempt to stifle Dutton turned into a bigger, negative issue for him in the marginal Labor seat of Solomon and on a wider strategic positioning and defence.

The ABC radio interview, meant to be a cunning political ploy to say Labor had thought of the idea of pushing out China from the Port of Darwin first and had been working on it for a long time, turned into a salad of uncertainty dressed in contradictions and confusion.

After a reasonable introduction and equally reasonable questions, Albanese was unable to present any clear detail, claiming he couldn’t disclose commercial decisions on a radio station and descended into homey excuses for not having detail.

“This is a commercial position. What you don’t do if you’re going to an auction to buy a house, you don’t say, ‘this is how much I’m prepared to offer’. What you do is enter into commercial discussions because we want to protect taxpayers, not to just engage in speculation,” he said after ringing a radio station to engage in speculation about the Coalition policy after being tipped off.

The questions persisted on Saturday, especially after reports that the operating company, Landbridge, contradicted Albanese’s claims they had been in talks with the government.

Albanese said – like Dutton – the government was prepared to compulsorily acquire the port lease but, unlike Dutton, wouldn’t put a time frame on it and admitted, again unlike Dutton, he hadn’t spoken to the Chinese about the proposal.

Unlike Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese wouldn’t put a time frame on his Port of Darwin plans. Picture: Thomas Lisson

“I’m not putting a time frame on it. We are prepared,” he said on Saturday.

Albanese also seemed to suggest that Dutton’s warning to the Chinese about his policy announcement was somehow sinister when he suggested “we will leave that sitting there” and that Dutton had a relationship with the Chinese ambassador.

After having Dutton on the back foot over the United States’ 10 per cent tariffs and Donald Trump’s global trade chaos, Albanese’s rash act turned the focus back on to him and concerns about the strategic risk of China. That’s where Dutton wants the emphasis on strategic outlook.

On Sunday, Penny Wong tried to put the spotlight back on to Dutton and the US tariffs declaring that he was prepared to use Australia’s defence as a bargaining chip on trade with President Trump.

The Foreign Minister stayed on message declaring Dutton was stubborn and arrogant but even worse, “reckless and risky” on our defence relationship with the US.

The issue of the US tariffs and concerns about Chinese aggression will not “trump” the cost of living as the main election issue but when the election campaign is so important, and the Coalition had a slow start, any incident, any move off message and any rash action creating negative distraction is a mistake.

A cheap media shot isn’t worth moving off the strategic message.