Angus Taylor’s ‘arrogant prick’ taunt was revealing. But voters may not like what it revealed |
Angus Taylor’s ‘arrogant prick’ taunt was revealing. But voters may not like what it revealed
June 1, 2026 — 3:00am
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On the day after last year’s budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers was interviewed for satirical website The Betoota Advocate. It is a remarkable interview, because of how relaxed Chalmers is. Politicians’ talk about their hobbies and history tends to sound naff, confected – but on this particular occasion, when Chalmers talks about basketball and listening to rap on community radio growing up, it actually crosses the line into personal and interesting.
Early on, the interviewers say of Angus Taylor, “on paper he should be a fantastic treasurer”. Chalmers interrupts, saying, “Yeah, it’s hard to explain why he’s so shit”. He’s smiling, but soon decides he’s made a mistake. A little penitent, he acknowledges having taken “a shot” at Taylor, saying, “I understand that there’s elements of his CV – going to Oxford and the like – that’s pretty good”. And yet, he can’t quite leave the theme alone, returning to lament “this assumption against all the available evidence that [Taylor] is some kind of credible figure”, saying “we all know people who get promoted kind of beyond their station”.
You can take this with a grain of salt, given Chalmers’ obvious interest in undermining his then-opposite number – though his analysis aligns interestingly with Malcolm Turnbull’s line that people describe Taylor as the “best-qualified idiot they’ve ever met”. Notably, Chalmers presents it as a puzzle – something he has tried but failed to understand. It is hard to shake the sense that he........