Labor's drift
Whatever you think of Peter Dutton’s antics, it’s telling that Labor, over two years into its term, still often seems unprepared for the Opposition Leader’s attacks.
Coming into this sitting week after the long midwinter break, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would have wanted to switch the conversation back to fertile ground.
He had a few levers to pull: a $3.6 billion pay rise for childcare workers, the wiping of $3 billion off Australia's collective HECS debt, and his flagship industrial policy, the Future Made in Australia Bill, up for debate. But these were all things that were flagged weeks or months ago, leaving a vacuum for something else.
And never underestimate the tendency of this government to unwittingly let Opposition leader Peter Dutton — a tough-talking conservative political warrior who has built his reputation on a hardline immigration stance — to set the agenda.
On Sunday, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess told the ABC’s Insiders program that not all visa applications from war-torn Gaza go to his agency for security checks, and that Palestinians who have expressed rhetorical support for listed terror group Hamas will not necessarily be blocked from entering Australia.
