When Peter Dutton made the silly admission that if he was elected he’d live in the prime ministerial residence at Kirribilli, the Labor Party rightly pasted him for hubristically “measuring up the curtains”.
Anthony Albanese and every other possible Labor minister accused the Opposition Leader of taking the people for granted, assuming he would win and wanting to live on the Sydney harbourside instead of The Lodge in Canberra.
The Prime Minister played Dutton’s claim like a trout and even suggested the Coalition’s policy – since abandoned – of doing away with working from home for Canberra public servants wasn’t going to apply to the Liberal leader, who wouldn’t live in The Lodge.
It damaged Dutton and helped slow Liberal momentum in the polls. As the betting markets and polls turned in Labor’s favour, Jim Chalmers started to talk about the polls tightening, a tight result and Albanese started to talk about “a mountain to climb” for a Labor victory.
Then Albanese was caught measuring his own curtains and not just in this election but the next due in 2028.
Amid a distraction about whether Tanya Plibersek – a former leadership rival to Albanese – would remain as Environment Minister in the next Labor government or be further demoted, Albanese got caught up in speculating about life after a Labor victory on May 3.
Extraordinarily, after punishing Dutton so much, Albanese made his claim that after being the first PM since John Howard in 1998 to get back-to-back election victories, he was aiming for a third term.
A bit of fun on a podcast, bit of chat and light banter – a lot like Dutton’s curtain moment – but Albanese was on the spot.
When asked on Tuesday whether he was “measuring the curtains” not for one but two terms Albanese was emphatic: “Certainly not.”
As he slipped back into humble and faithful servant mode he said: “We’ve got a big mountain to climb. I simply have confirmed that I intend to serve a full term if I have the great honour of being re-elected.”
“The last time a prime minister was re-elected having served a full term was way back in 2004 (Howard’s last victory). So, that puts in context how tough it is,” he said.
But the curtain tapes and shears were on full display and Albanese was being hoist on his own curtain rod. What’s more, he’s been forced into declaring that Plibersek will be a senior cabinet minister in the next government.
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