Anthony Albanese’s plan to brazen out calls for a royal commission into antisemitism in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack was always flawed. It was based on a political tactic that relies on the news cycle to move on from an issue before it penetrates the consciousness of ordinary voters. It’s a cynical approach, but it often works. This time, the prime minister was out of luck.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been under pressure. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Summer cricket had millions of Australians glued to commercial television – in their lounge rooms, poolside, and at the beach. Breaking bulletins repeatedly punctuated the sport. Albanese could have been front and centre, making a good impression. Instead, he ducked, weaved, and hid – confirming a bad one.

Voters already rated Albanese as weak. Even after re-electing the government with a record majority, Australians damned him with faint praise. Resolve polling for this masthead found voters thought Albanese “seems like a nice person” who “reflects his party’s ideology”. He barely scraped into single figures on other leadership qualities. Even then, voters doubted his leadership, honesty and ability to read the room.

As our cricket team soared to triumph, Albanese confirmed each of these assessments in turn. A poll conducted on behalf of this masthead just after the Bondi massacre found that 46 per cent of voters rated the federal government’s response as weak. In marginal seats, it rose to a full half, for what it’s worth. At election time, it’s everything.

While........

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