Until this week, Anthony Albanese would have regarded 2025 as the most successful year of his three-decade political career.
Not only had he delivered a stunning general election victory in May, but the scale of the win — 94 House of Representatives seats — had scuttled his political opponents, scattering them into disarray and internal instability.
But Sunday’s bloody rampage by Islamic extremists, who killed 15 Australians enjoying Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach and injured dozens more, has changed everything.
The national tragedy has put Albanese and his government on the back foot, with critics accusing him of failing to provide the moral and political leadership needed to prevent the spread of antisemitism.
