(No matter that this was well down on the regular event attendance of 900 – it was at short notice.)
Prime MinisterScott Morrison did the same gig two weeks ago – one media Q&A the PM did attend after taking some heat for skipping out of the National Press Club this week.
Mates:Anthony Albanese and businessman Kerry Stokes during the ‘Leadership Matters’ breakfast.Alex Ellinghausen
In attendance on Tuesday was Seven West Media chairmanKerry Stokes, who rubbed shoulders with the opposition leader with an easy familiarity. Interesting,as Stokes’ Seven West Media empire has always seemed closer to the conservative side of politics (HelloPauline Hanson onSunrise).
There was a reason for that easy familiarity. On Monday,when the Albo campaign knocked off early,the Labor leader went to pay private fealty to Stokes. So private that his campaign team won’t even confirm that it happened. Okay then! Leadership matters indeed.
And while Albo is doing a great job inhabiting his newly energised “I’m in pursuit of the prime ministership persona”,it’s not entirely authentic.
In his WhatsApp contact info status,the man who may well be our 31st prime minister has his status listed as “Sleeping”.
LEAVE A MESSAGE:The opposition leader’s WhatsApp status doesn’t fit his new image.SUPPLIED
Mate,that’s not going to last.
SAME SONG SHEET
If it took a Herculean effort to convince former Labor prime ministerPaul Keatingto make an appearance at the party’s West Australian election campaign launch,then the party has conquered the impossible again by convincing another reticent former heavyweight to step forward in the dying days.
Labor supporters this week got mail from none other than legendary Oz music “sacred site”,the Midnight Oil frontman and former environment ministerPeter Garrett.
And just like PM25John Howard, and PM27Julia Gillardwho tapped the faithful for cashola last week,Garrett is also asking ALP members to cough up. “I’ve chipped into the Labor Campaign fund. Will you join me?”
Yeah,Peter,but by how much? He’s asking for $17.
“Our nation faces a critically important decision,and needs your urgent help,” Garrett said in the letter to supporters.
“In one corner,stands a Prime Minister who cuddles a lump of coal in Parliament. A Prime Minister who has no plan to tackle climate chaos. A Prime Minister that,while our country burned and needed leadership,decided to head to Hawaii. A Prime Minister who says he’ll deliver net zero emissions,while Government SenatorMatt Canavan proudly tells the world that ‘net zero is dead’.”
Stirring words like that could almost be the first verse to an Australian rock anthem.
STRANGE EQUATION
To think we got excited when Russell “Rusty” Crowe helped out a mate and did the voice-over work forAnthony Albanese’s slickest campaign ad.
In Sydney’s Mackellar on the northern beaches,independent hopefulSophie Scamps has managed to rack up some music royalty support of her own.
Step forward Malaysian-born Australian croonerKamahl,who appeared with the GP at a pre-polling site in Warriewood on Wednesday morning. Of course she got a selfie. Let a thousand social media retweets bloom.
Labor and Coalition target marginal seats with less than 48 hours until Australians vote
“Kamahl came down especially today to say hello … and lend his support to my campaign,” Scamps told CBD.
“Kamahl has been fighting for a better future for our children for over 50 years. His song100 Childrenwas made in 1970,” she said before adding the lyrics:“Today this is your world,tomorrow it’s ours… think of tomorrow leave something for us.”
Oh don’t worry Sophie,we are all Kamahl fans.
MANOR OF SPEAKING
First Albo storms out of a press conference,nowSaul Eslake gets tetchy on a plane. There’s more than a serve of frayed nerves in the pre-election air. Or how else to explain the Tasmanian economist’s Force Five social media outburst after a supposedly sub-par Qantas in-flight experience?
Fresh from a stint at the centre of the news cycle after handing downfirst-home buyers superannuation access policy (“I wanted to scream,” Eslake told the ABC),the rage was still burning hot when Eslake let rip when his Hobart to Canberra via Melbourne Wednesday morning trip got off to a shaky start.
Illustration:Matt Golding
“Pretty ordinary performance by Qantas today,” Eslake fired off in a tweet. “No food or hot drinks on the 6am flight… And then the 10.10… didn’t depart until 10.40 – with no clear explanation given as to why.”
But the aviation-related travails didn’t end there,with Eslake complaining he was “unceremoniously booted down the back to 17A” from his selected seat of 4A “again with no explanation whatsoever”. “Is this what Qantas means by ‘premium service’?”
But for Eslake,who racked up a ceremonious career as chief economist for National Mutual Funds,ANZ and most recently the Bank of America Merrill Lynch,the in-flight outburst worked. Eight minutes after telling his 5000 Twitter followers that he’d been punted to the back of the plane,he fired up again with an important update. “Hmm – someone important must have been listening or reading! Just been moved back to 2A (no,it’s not biz class).” Nice for some.
ALMOST BLUE
Fashion watch:Labor frontbencherTanya Plibersek was caught wearing a teal coloured jacket for Albo’s address to the Press Club on Wednesday. Read the room,Tanya.
(On that,we spotted:Westpac corporate affairs bossesCarolyn McCannandRichard Shieldsin the room along with ACT chief ministerAndrew Barr and fellow Labor luminaries of yesteryear croonerCraig EmersonandStephen Smith.)
Meanwhile Liberal MP for the seat of HigginsKatie Allenhad a veryZali Steggall-esque neck scarf yesterday.
Either the teal independents are having much more fashion influence than policy influence,or we have gotten too invested in colour signals.