ANDREW CARSWELL: Why this won’t be the last time we’ll see Anthony Albanese at the tennis this summer

You know he won’t be able to resist.

The invitation will arrive in post, and no matter how hard his battle-weary advisers try and hide it, Anthony Albanese will sniff it out like a hound.

He’s got an undeniably decent nose for a freebie.

Especially when it’s tickets to the Australian Open. Box seats, choice beers, a few tales from Rod Laver himself, laughs aplenty, Jodie by his side. Convinced the boos are for someone else.

Just try and stop him. Not even a terrorist fire-bombing of a Jewish synagogue in the midst of an unprecedented surge of anti-Semitism was enough to get Albanese out of a casual hit of tennis at the weekend. Jolly good time on the courts of plush Cottesloe.

There is nothing usually wrong with a PM going to the tennis. A small indulgence in the grand scheme of things. You’ll probably see him at the Sydney Test too. Pink tie. A spin in the commentary booth.

But in Albanese’s case, these moments are no longer harmless. They’ve become the symbol of something deeper, something that increasingly incenses Australians.

They underscore a growing perception that he is a leader too consumed with the perks of the job, ignoring the plight of those struggling with cost of living pressures.

Tone-deafness isn’t a slip-up for Albanese. It’s become his defining trait.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Albanese has shown no restraint in chasing after the glamorous perks, collecting one experience after another and flaunting them for all to see.

He’s been gifted free tickets to 11 sporting events and 10 concerts. Taylor Swift. The Foo Fighters. Elton John.

Rocketman, racquet man. More like a racket, man.

It is not that the Prime Minister has an inability to recognise actions that harm his public standing during a cost-of-living crisis, nor is he missing the smarts to moderate his behaviour.

The bloke can’t even put a list of his most played songs from Spotify on social media without copping a roundhouse kick from all and sundry.

No, the truth is simpler: his stubbornness is unparalleled, an immovable force in the face of common sense.

He is mystified by the public outcry at his public faux pas. He doesn’t get it. He believes it is his inalienable right as Prime Minister of Australia to attend such events and attend them well, no matter what the circumstances or public mood. So he soldiers on. Not oblivious to the grumblings of the public. But seemingly indifferent to them.

When questioned about his priorities, he bristles, unaccustomed to the very scrutiny he has dished out on political rivals. The indignation stretches across his furious face.

He believes it is his prerogative to buy a $4.3 million seaside mansion, housing crisis or no housing crisis. The criticism was unfair, he maintains. He believes there was nothing wrong with seeking upgrades from Qantas, or demanding his son receive Chairman’s Lounge membership. The criticism was misplaced, he maintains.

Why does he keep making these missteps? Because he doesn’t see them as missteps.

Everyone is wrong. He is not.

So he will be at the tennis. Watched on at home by millions of Australians who couldn’t afford to attend matches on the backcourts, let alone the base $2000 tickets to the finals. You saw him there last year, slaughtering a Magnum ice cream, while Alice Springs was burning under gang rule.

Heading into arguably the most important summer of his life, there is no clear evidence that Albanese will tone down the excesses over the holidays.

Summer holidays once offered a welcome break from political coverage, given no soul wants to read about the machinations of politics and policy while sprawled on the banana lounge at a Coastal caravan park smashing a chardy.

Now it is a danger zone for political leaders.

One faux pas, one slip-up, one tone deaf Tweet can dominate the media cycle for days, filling the void left by traditional news and satisfying the thirst of journalists eager to fill empty pages.

There are landmines everywhere.

And there is clearly an appetite for exposing any goose willing enough to step on one. The prolific amount of gotcha stories now running on Albanese’s frequent missteps and gaffs is not an indication of the ideology of the media outlets ventilating such stories, but more an indicator of the interest of the readers. The stories are getting serious eyeballs. Albo’s blunders, however big or small, are good for business. Fodder for dayz.

Each story chips away at his credibility, reinforcing the growing suspicion among Australians that their leader has either lost sight of his priorities, is oblivious to the toll the cost of living crisis is extracting from families, or is taking the piss.

The bloke can’t even put a list of his most played songs from Spotify on social media without copping a roundhouse kick from all and sundry.

Will he now pivot, fresh from that backlash and not post his annual Triple J Hottest 100 list next month, as is his tradition? Knowing that Australians don’t want him focused on such insignificant drivel during such difficult times?

What would a stubborn person do?

Andrew Carswell is a political strategist who worked for the former Morrison government.