This is part one in a series. For the full series, go here.
Could you pick out Richard Marles in a line-up? Probably not.
For all his influence, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister remains a grey figure. It is all the more surprising given his role as the Albanese government’s point man with the United States and the driving role he has taken in adopting the budget-breaking AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. He is a career politician former prime minister Paul Keating derided as “well-intentioned” but “seriously unwise” and “completely captured by the idea of America”.
Marles’ backstory couldn’t be more different from that of Albanese — and remarkably so for those who know nothing of his past.
While Albanese sold newspapers on the street as a teenager to make ends meet, Marles attended the august Geelong Grammar School. Albanese was raised by a single mother on a pension. He later learnt that his father was an Italian-born steward on a Sitmar cruise ship. Marles’ mother Fay Marles had a distinguished public sector career, including roles as Victoria’s first equal opportunity commissioner (appointed by the Cain government in 1987) and chancellor at the University of Melbourne. Marles’ father Donald was headmaster of the prestigious Trinity Grammar School. Both parents have been honoured with an Order of Australia award.
Albanese took the NSW ALP route much trodden, starting as a party official (with Labor left legend Tom Uren). Marles took the Victorian ALP route equally well-trodden. After completing science and law degrees at Melbourne University Marles worked briefly at Labor-aligned law firm Slater and Gordon (as did former prime minister Julia Gillard) before joining the Transport Workers Union as a legal officer and ascending through the ranks of the ACTU.
Albanese’s sporting passion is rugby league and in particular the traditional inner-city battler’s club of South Sydney. Marles by contrast has an almost religious devotion to the more-genteel sport of golf. He is a member of two expensive clubs: the exclusive Royal Melbourne Golf Club and 13th Beach Golf Links, an upmarket resort-style club on the Victorian coast.
He’s also, incidentally, an honorary member of the Australian PGA and a member of the United States Golf Association.
With Albanese coming from the left and Marles coming from the right, the two have met somewhere in the middle and are apparently at one on forging a forever defence alliance with the USA and the UK.
Paul Keating got it in a nutshell, “well-intentioned….completely captured by the idea of America”.
Marles is likeable but always comes across as a lightweight, sometimes lost when caught out by a journo’s question. No government (of either persuasion) would be comfortable sending a deep thinker to negotiate with the USA.
Well Penny Wong is a deep thinker, and doubtless has to do some negotiation with the USA hegemony machine, but the results are pretty clear – she has caved in as easily as Marles and Albanese did.
There are obviously some serious threats on foot to any aussie poli who does not capitulate utterly to the US war machine.
“well-intentioned….completely captured by the idea of America” – the Yank’s “useful idiot”
It’s hard for me to understand any person’s adulation of America. My first impression of Americans was during WWII when American servicemen took over our school and we had to move in with another school. Their expectations that we would all fall to our knees and thank them for coming over to Scotland though we never found out what they were to do because the war was almost over and though we’d had bombs dropped on us foot soldiers weren’t going to be much help in stopping bombs. That was probably fine for them because they still got a medal just for coming over to Britain.
Everytime we walked to and from school there would be some American servicemen handing out gum as though we poor British kids had never tasted such a luxury item, or chocolate or “candy”, some took the free items others of us just stared (or scowled) at them then walked off. What did they expect when so many of us had fathers who’d been away for at least four or five years, some never to come home – my dad’s ship was torpedoed so a bit of chewing gum or chocolate wasn’t a big deal when they were sitting cushy in our school.
Visiting America didn’t do anything to change my opinion unti I had the great honour to be welcomed by the First People of the Americas and see a whole other life over there, pretty much like our own First People have and still are going through.
Enough from me you listen and believe their propaganda if you wish, they sure do.
A devoted golfer…………….
That pretty much explains everything.
More of an over eager gofer.
God help us for nothing else can save Australia now
I wonder why Labor won’t support an increase in Jobseeker!?!?!?
Anticipation of an onrushing yoooog increase in planned U/E?