The Front Dore

Otherwise strong and thoughtful leaders are finding comfort in conformity, consumed by formality and captured by fashion. And then we have Andrew Forrest. Frenetic, fearless and unafraid of failure.

Peter Dutton has had three years to rehearse for this campaign, to prepare. But so far it’s hard not to think he has been caught in quicksand. Anthony Albanese is match fit, super confident, and shameless.

Albanese stunned Labor colleagues by ignoring explicit advice warning against declaring the Voice referendum a first-term priority on election night and has been “cursed” since. WARNING: COARSE LANGUAGE

Behind a united public front, The Nightly has uncovered a barely dormant air of dismay, both with Albanese and his “Albanistas”, the left-wing cabal of sycophantic advisers and MPs who run the government. 

The PM’s most influential advisers are all long-term mates, drinking buddies, factional allies, family friends. All Hard Left, Hard Left, Hard Left. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

The PM thinks it’s entirely unnecessary to mess with his line-up despite obvious signs some ministers are flailing. Here’s what Labor MPs really think of them.

THE FRONT DORE: It’s time to fess up. In the three years since he became PM, we’ve been wrong about Anthony Albanese. We’ve been unreasonable. Unkind. Definitely unfair.

THE FRONT DORE: Many people feel this column is too harsh on Anthony Albanese. Maybe Albo’s critics have been getting it wrong. What if we were to look at him through the eyes of his super fans.

THE FRONT DORE: Donald Trump back in the White House doesn’t owe anyone anything. The problem for Australia is that Anthony Albanese will be mauled by him.

THE FRONT DORE: Anthony Albanese has only months to stop the slow, seditious slide into minority government. But the Queensland election result has given him a gift. Here’s how he can use it.

THE FRONT DORE: Here’s the speech Anthony Albanese should have delivered today, 12 months on from the October 7 atrocities — instead of the cliches, glib lines and bureaucratic words he actually delivered.

THE FRONT DORE: A Federal Court case uncovered in graphic detail how a ‘hazy’ decade-old memory turned into a fake war crime expose. But rather than apologise, the ABC and Mark Willacy have dug their heels in.

THE FRONT DORE: The ex-PM has been telling us all along his treasurer was an economic dud. Now Wayne Swan has proved him right.

THE FRONT DORE: The PM and his people talk a lot. Some of it makes sense. Most of it is designed to distract from what everyone else outside of Canberra is obsessed with.

THE FRONT DORE: Tenacious as he is, no one genuinely believes Bill Shorten can make a John Howard, ‘Lazarus with a triple bypass’ comeback. But maybe he should.