Albanese’s trip to PNG comes with a subtle jab at Morrison. King’s was as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Spare a thought for the poor public servant tasked with considering how two prime ministers might relieve themselves while participating in a multi-day walk.

It’s probably the LAST thing the respective leaders would want to talk to anyone about, let alone a staff member.

It’s dreamy stuff for a show like Utopia. You can imagine the whiteboards, the maps, and a certain lack of eye contact as the planning unfolded.

But those are the considerations when you’re a world leader spending two days walking an iconic track synonymous with Australia and PNG’s war efforts in jungle terrain.

There is a certain expectation that comes with the arrival of an Australian prime minister on Anzac Day. They are often found at the War Memorial in Canberra, visiting a national military base or on foreign shores where Australian soldiers have fallen.

The importance of Anthony Albanese’s decision to spend two days walking the Kokoda Track cannot be overstated, a journey which culminated in a dawn service in Insurava, and not just at home.

Ninety-nine of the 625 Australians who died on the Kokoda Track died at the Battle of Isurava.

On Thursday morning, after walking 10 miles through PNG’s jungles, an Australian prime minister stood up and vowed that his country would “never forget” the people of PNG. He did so by acknowledging the Anzac soldiers and their families whose sacrifice came at the ultimate cost.

But it was about more than simply meeting the annual expectations of an Australian prime minister.

PNG is, geographically, Australia’s closest neighbor and a country under the watchful eye of a Chinese government keen to strengthen its relations across the Pacific.

Just 24 hours before Albanese landed in PNG, China’s top diplomat, in the words of Prime Minister James Marape, “blessed” the country with a visit.

Albanese’s thesis when he came to power was that the former coalition government had taken its eyes off the Pacific. He argued that his predecessor Scott Morrison, who faced criticism for how he dealt with Pacific leaders, had created an environment that allowed China to exploit fractures between Australia and the region.

Scott Morrison was accused of “insulting” and alienating Pacific leaders when he was prime minister.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)

That’s why Albanese was so willing to spend his precious time going up and down mountains and valleys, climbing hundreds of meters, surrounded by military personnel, security and support staff.

A friend, after having completed the Camino de Santiago, once commented that it was upon seeing another person’s bowel movements during the famous walk that it occurred to her that no matter how different our cultures may be, as humans, we are all the same. same.

Albanese and Marape just spent two days side by side in some of their most vulnerable states. They have talked, joked and shared an experience that has reminded them of the bond they and their nations share.

The real test is what comes next. If PNG finds itself in a time of need, Albanese’s hope is that the bond he has formed has taken him to the top of that calling list.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the walk was an opportunity to share Australia’s friendship with PNG.(ABC News: Melissa Clarke)

Economic headwinds blow

While the Prime Minister was out on an excursion, at home his treasurer, Jim Chalmers, had returned from his own trip to the (economic) front.

Fresh from the United States, Chalmers arrived with a warning about the economic headwinds hitting us.

It’s worth remembering that there are three certainties in life: death, taxes and a treasurer who lowers expectations in the face of a looming budget.

In just over two weeks, Chalmers will deliver what is expected to be his second consecutive surplus, although he is not willing to make that commitment out loud just yet.

Someone willing to say as much is renowned economist Chris Richardson, arguably the country’s preeminent nongovernmental budget observer.

“Absolutely. We’re almost in the bag at this point,” he told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing when asked if it was certain there would be a surplus.

Charging…

Richardson called Chalmers’ rhetoric a “time-honored ritual” but argued that Australia was in “magnificent shape compared to a lot of places”.

Iron ore prices may have moderated from their highs, but, as Richardson described it, they were “still beautiful” and comfortably above budget forecasts.

“The federal budget is not being challenged by what’s happening globally and is in much better shape than the treasurer lets on,” Richardson said, pointing to a budget that still benefits from relatively low unemployment (good for both revenue from government income tax and lower welfare payments) and high commodity prices.

What Richardson and Chalmers agreed on was the impact that inflation was having on the budget.

Privately, Labor hopes for an interest rate cut before the next election. I had hoped it would arrive by the end of this year, but this week’s inflation figures appear to have dashed those expectations.

“It’s a reminder that to ease the cost of living in Australia, there will be tax cuts long before interest rate cuts,” Richardson warned.

This leaves Chalmers facing a complicated balancing act. He offers too much support now (which voters might initially like) and risks fueling inflation further, which could all but rule out any RBA rate cut before the next election.

He will deliver the budget on May 14.

PEP in his step

There was a flurry of excitement earlier this week when long-time friends Bronwen Bock and Lucy Bradlow announced they will be running in the Melbourne seat of Higgins in the upcoming federal election.

Higgins has often been considered a TEALable seat. A wealthy electorate, demographically it closely resembles the seats that the Green independents won from the Liberal Party in the last election.

There was much talk about how Bock and Bradlow would be the first politicians in the country to share jobs (even if constitutional law expert Anne Twomey all but immediately ruled out the possibility).

Charging…

The rumor mills seemed to forget that Australia HAS job-sharing ministers, it’s just that the ministers didn’t know it in most cases.

Scott Morrison’s unorthodox approach to secretly swearing in a series of ministries did not come with a weekly rest plan like the one Bock and Bradlow are imagining. It was more of a “now I have your power and I’ll use it regardless of what you think, Keith Pitt” type of deal.

In that case, National MP Pitt was the then Resources Minister and when Morrison reached another work-sharing agreement, he was well versed in the acquisition of ministerial power.

For those who have forgotten, Morrison secretly acquired responsibility for the health and finance portfolios at the start of the pandemic, a “backup” in case any of the ministers were wiped out by the deadly virus, he later explained.

A year later, Morrison added treasury and home affairs to his arsenal.

His most brazen power grab, however, was assuming responsibility for the industry, science and resources mega-portfolio to circumvent Pitt’s desire to extend a controversial offshore gas exploration license, known as PEP-11, in front to the coast of New South Wales.

Charging

It says a lot about his cabinet that at this point he could no longer trust his ministers to carry out the decisions his government wanted, so he took the oath himself. Morrison ultimately got his way and rejected the extension, a Labor move. supported.

It has turned out to be a decision that has dogged Labor in government.

After it emerged that Morrison had secretly rejected the application, Asset Energy took the federal government to the Federal Court, which in turn led to the decision being overturned. The company reaffirmed its commitment to PEP-11 in February.

On Tuesday, Resources Minister Madeleine King quietly issued a statement saying she had recused herself from making future decisions on the controversial project.

WA King MP, who knows full well the role mining will play in determining her party’s electoral fortunes in the west, was a fierce critic of PEP-11 from the opposition. The Labor Party insists it is simply a precautionary decision to ensure that any comments it has previously offered do not interfere with what comes next.

But he made sure his comments were more about Morrison than the measures he was taking, even if he did not name the former prime minister.

“The Albanian government respects the proper process. We make decisions in an orderly and appropriate manner,” he wrote.

As subtle as a sledgehammer.

St John Shopon

Us News Update

Albanese’s trip to PNG comes with a subtle jab at Morrison. King’s was as subtle as a sledgehammer.