After the election of the Albanese Labor Government in 2022 Tanya Plibersek - a deputy leader of the Labor Party in opposition for six years, a former Minister for Health and Social Services in the Rudd and Gillard Governments and from 2019 the shadow Minister for education and women (her favoured portfolios) - was demoted.
Plibersek, a powerful and popular adversary to Tony Abbott’s punishing treatment of Labor in the Rudd-Gillard years not only considered herself a potential contender for the leadership fight in 2019 against Albanese but, thought she would have won.
So, when the Prime Minister demoted her from those favoured portfolios in 2022 to the much lower-down-the-ladder post of Environment and Water, the long-term Labor left stalwart and most senior Labor woman in the House of Representatives was bitter and resentful.
She wanted a place further up the government front bench and everyone knew it.
There were also muttered threats that she had been made environment minister so Labor would get an active environment minister - something that has led to the most recent and bitter divisions between Plibersek and Albanese as her decisions have been overruled one after the other.
In 2023, Plibersek even went public a year after Albanese had become Prime Minister and said: “It’s history. But I am pretty confident that if I had run, I would have won.”
After serving as deputy Labor leader for six years Plibersek was replaced by Victorian right winger Richard Marles and after another three years as a senior shadow cabinet minister was demoted in Government.
Now, in the throes of another election campaign, Albanese won’t even guarantee Plibersek will be kept in her role as Environment Minister.
This is despite Albanese readily endorsing Jim Chalmers’ continuance as Treasurer despite the clear belief that Chalmers is the real prospect to replace Albanese when the time comes.
The now celebrated blow away kiss from Plibersek to Albanese at the Labor campaign launch in Perth will be seen as one of those seemingly trivial moments that betray deeper feelings and risk political damage.
Apart from the long history of sharing neighbouring inner-Sydney electorates, dedication to the Labor left wing and progressive causes, Plibersek and Albanese share a history of conflicting leadership ambitions and fortunes.
Plibersek served as deputy to Bill Shorten who defeated Albanese for the leadership in 2013.
Plibersek’s personal distancing from Albanese with an air kiss she didn’t offer to others isn’t quite the standards of great political campaign moments such as Mark Latham’s aggressive and crunching handshake with John Howard, John Hewson’s bewilderment at the impact of the GST on a birthday cake or even Albanese’s own denial of falling over after he fell over.
But, the underlying tensions highlight the real challenges Plibersek’s vow to be a real environmentalist have created for Labor over mining in Western Australia, salmon farms in Tasmania and new gas and coal developments.
Albanese has overruled Plibersek on key decisions and clearly isn’t keen to contemplate the same situation again in government.
He has also on Monday repeated that he won the ballot for leader in 2019 “unopposed” without any could-have-been contenders.
What’s more, the whole idea that there are leadership hopefuls trailing their coats and CVs before the election is won is a distracting sign of cockiness and hubris - clear from Albanese’s own behaviour - and suggestive of deeper personal and policy differences.
More Coverage
IDA ‘to fast track $50bn investment’
The new Investment Delivery Authority will accelerate approvals for projects valued at more than $1bn, including advanced technologies and energy.
$12.7m for childcare regulator to be announced in budget
An additional $12.7m in funding for the Queensland childcare regulator will be announced in this week’s state budget, helping to bolster staff numbers and ensure kids are kept safe.