News Corp is working with Dutton to bring us down: Albanese

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called out the influence of News Corp’s alleged bias, warning colleagues during a cabinet meeting that Rupert Murdoch’s media empire was openly working to back Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Four cabinet sources said that in Monday’s meeting, Albanese said News Corp’s newspapers – which include The Australian and city tabloids – and the Coalition were increasingly “working together” on similar lines of Labor criticism months out from the election.

Rupert Murdoch and Anthony Albanese reportedly had a long chat at a Christmas party hosting by the media magnate’s son Lachlan last week.Credit: NYT, Alex Ellinghausen

One cabinet source said Albanese was firm and matter-of-fact as he reflected on the tactics of the conservative press in recent months as Labor has continued its slow downward polling trend.

“He said News Corp and the opposition were now working hand in glove and that this was an embedded part of the political dynamic that we all needed to deal with,” one source said.

A different minister emphasised that Albanese’s remarks were not a self-pitying “sook-up” in a similar vein to comments made in an October ministerial meeting, first reported by this masthead, in which he complained about criticism of his flight upgrades.

“It was about the fact that they are openly cheerleading now and not even pretending to be balanced. Every little thing is being blown up into epic proportions,” the minister said.

Another source said the prime minister had a habit of blaming media coverage after missteps.

Albanese is this week preparing to unveil Labor’s childcare policy in a rally-style speech in the seat of Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather on Wednesday, highlighting Labor’s focus on winning back the seat.

In the same cabinet meeting, sources said he also expressed confidence in retaining a swag of West Australian seats that Labor won from the Coalition at the last election.

The prime minister has enjoyed good relations with News Corp executives in his political career, especially for a figure from the left of the Labor Party. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph ran a famous “SAVE OUR ALBO” front page when his seat was being targeted by the Greens.

The prime minister made the criticisms on Monday after having a “long chat” with Murdoch last week at an exclusive Christmas party hosted at the Sydney mansion of Rupert’s son, Lachlan, an event Dutton also attended.

The Australian in particular has run hard on the issue of antisemitism and lambasted Albanese for his role in countering the targeting of Jewish Australians. The Coalition has also campaigned strongly against Labor’s diplomatic shift away from Israel during its military operation in Gaza.

Labor has privately grumbled about News Corp’s lack of scrutiny on Dutton’s fumbles – such as backdowns on migration and tax cuts – and its positive coverage of contentious Coalition policies such as nuclear power.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph has in recent months referred to Albanese in front-page headlines as being “MISSING IN ACTION” and a “PERKING CLASS MAN”, while this week The Australian has had headlines included a polling story describing a “Low blow for Albo’s weak leadership” and “Albanese’s backhander for Jews” after he played tennis the day after last week’s synagogue fire in Melbourne.

Many of the stories and themes on which News Corp has reported were also covered by this masthead and others, but Labor sources say the intensity of the Murdoch papers’ criticism of the government’s agenda and the prime minister’s character has been more fierce.

A public debate over US ambassador Kevin Rudd’s years-old attacks on Donald Trump, and whether the remarks rendered Rudd – himself a critic of Murdoch – unfit to continue in his role, was labelled by former spy chief Denis Richardson as a “self-licking ice-cream” created by Sky News.

News Corp and the Coalition have not responded to requests for comment.

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