The right-wing media is carrying the Liberal Party to its death

July 9, 2026 — 5:00am

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The sweetest spot for a politician is to be on the same page as the public. But increasingly these days, so many of our politicians and many members of the public aren’t even looking at the same book. When it comes to getting out political messages and explaining policy, traditional media is proving insufficient. But the new forms of communicating carry their own dangers. Anthony Albanese’s recent ridiculous misstep with a comedy podcaster, and the high dudgeon generated by it, is a case in point.

Albanese has come under fire for his reflections on the desirability of Kylie Minogue, but his oversharing on the connection between his conjugal relations with his new bride and the on-field performance of the South Sydney Rabbitohs seemed more toe-curlingly inappropriate to me. In his way, Albanese reminded us just how much times have changed; it’s hard to imagine Sir Robert Menzies volunteering that he would tend to get frisky with Dame Pattie whenever Carlton knocked off Collingwood at Victoria Park.

I’ve got a handful more years on the clock than Albanese, but since turning 60, I’ve found that the proverb “there’s no fool like an old fool” should never be allowed to stray too far from one’s consciousness. Then again, I’m not the target audience for a podcast hosted by someone who operates under the double-entendre stage name “Bushie”.

In truth, I’m a fully........

© The Sydney Morning Herald