Labor should not ignore the Gaza issue roiling in some of its key heartland seats, and the reason why is staring them in the face.

We only have to look back to 2022 when, for years leading up to the federal election, the Coalition stumbled from misstep to mishap over climate, integrity and the treatment of women.

Scott Morrison’s Liberals did not deal with the teal threat. Now Anthony Albanese has to avoid a similar fate for some of his MPs.Credit: James Brickwood/Alex Ellinghausen

It was not everywhere. It was not in every seat. It was not every MP. But on election day, it hurt the Liberals in seats they never expected to lose. And crucially, it happened extremely quickly.

This is the lesson Labor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must consider as they deal with the loss of West Australian first-term senator, Fatima Payman, and grapple with an extended cost-of-living crisis with seemingly no end in sight.

Payman’s decision to quit the party over Labor’s position on the war in Gaza shocked Canberra not just because she dared to go against the way the party has always done things, but because she was prepared to take a personal hit to stand up for what she believes in. It’s unusual in those parts.

The cause she stood up for........

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