Paul Bongiorno

1 month ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Paul Bongiorno

SHARE Copy Link Bluesky Facebook X LinkedIn Anthony Albanese, speaking in the prime minister’s courtyard on Monday, proudly proclaimed the “largest ALP caucus in history since Federation”. It was, he said, brimming with “capacity, talent and energy in both the House of Representatives and the Senate”. Albanese’s success at the May 3 election has given him unparalleled authority over the government and the party.

1 month ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Paul Bongiorno

Famously, Julius Caesar boasted of how he came, he saw and he conquered, but on his return to Rome, in the midst of the ceremonial triumph, a slave reminded him he was dust and to dust he would return. Anthony Albanese would do well to reflect on this ancient wisdom, even though he defied political gravity to establish himself in the pantheon of conquering Labor heroes. Governing parties tend to lose seats at their second election; Albanese’s feat is a remarkable defiance of this tradition.

1 month ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Paul Bongiorno

On Saturday, we will find out if it is possible for a major party to run a very poor campaign and still win an election. The likelihood of Peter Dutton pulling off this feat seems remote. He would need a bigger miracle than his predecessor Scott Morrison managed in 2019. That election result still haunts the Labor Party, consoles the Liberals and makes pundits nervous. There are, however, significant differences between that campaign and what is happening now.

2 months ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Paul Bongiorno

SHARE Copy Link Bluesky Facebook X LinkedIn A trifecta of unmissable interruptions has made Peter Dutton’s task of winning the election in just seven days’ time a seemingly impossible mission. If the Easter holiday break followed by the Anzac Day holiday weren’t already obstacles to the late run home on which the Liberals were counting, the death on Monday of Pope Francis threw another giant spanner in the works.

2 months ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Paul Bongiorno

Labor has entered the Easter holiday period with the wind in its sails, although insiders worry that the break may allow the Coalition to right its flailing campaign. These concerns are based more on memories of shock losses in the recent past than on any evidence that the Dutton opposition can lift its game dramatically in the final two weeks before the election. The nervousness is akin to the post-traumatic stress disorder the party suffered after the 2019 election defeat.