Labor soars, Coalition flops – and issues go begging |
Labor finished the last parliamentary week on a high. There is a feeling within caucus that the party has a plan for dealing with One Nation, helped along by the fact the Coalition is completely without one.
The Liberals’ switch to Angus Taylor has put a spring in the steps of Anthony Albanese and his office.
Criticising Sussan Ley had to be done in very specific terms, given the dangers of being perceived to be speaking down to, or acting aggressively to, a woman. But Taylor, who appears to have stepped out of Liberal Party central casting, is fair game.
Plus, no one is going to accuse him of being quick on his feet, despite his time in the political bullpit. For a political animal like Albanese, Taylor’s leadership has been a gift.
The “three right-wing political parties” is a line that has tested well for Labor and hence has been deployed at every opportunity.
The only sign the Coalition had found a point of difference came with a heavy assist from independent senator David Pocock and the Greens, who co-sponsored legislation with the Coalition to keep humans at the forefront of aged care funding decisions. This followed reporting from Guardian Australia’s Melissa Davey earlier this year that revealed the cruelty of algorithmic decisions, which may be ticked off by humans but have largely........