There’s always a post-election honeymoon period when a newly elected PM has the time, space and energy to play nice with the news media. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been busy, clocking up 28 one-on-one media interviews spanning radio and TV (including four appearances on Sky News) during the seven weeks since being sworn in on May 23, 2022. That doesn’t include doorstops and press conferences.
There’s been much to discuss: Russia’s assault on Ukraine, China’s agenda in the Pacific, NATO, and relations with France. And on the home front, there’s been flood disasters, cost-of-living pressures, and food shortages (to name but a few national crises).
What do we learn about Albanese’s media messaging in comparison with his predecessor?
Compared with the victorious Scott Morrison’s first seven weeks in 2019, Albanese has been positively verbose. Morrison, fresh from his miracle victory over Bill Shorten, kept the media wanting with only seven media interviews.
Of course, Morrison was by this stage a known entity, having taken over the prime ministership in the 2018 leadership spill. And as electoral history records, he came into government very light on policy, and the PM seemed to have decided less (talking) was more. He had a honeymoon — from the journalists.
But that wasn’t always the case. Back in 2018, when Morrison officially took over from Malcolm Turnbull, his first seven weeks in the role looked very much like Albanese’s. In fact, he was busier. The former treasurer had 40 media interviews — 15 on TV, 25 on radio.
Interestingly, both Albanese and Morrison as first-time PMs paid their dues to the ABC with 10 interviews, including a ceremonial cross-examination from 7.30’s Leigh Sales.
Relations between the Coalition and the ABC famously retracted to the extent the broadcaster didn’t even get a look in for a leaders debate this year. It’s likely that Albanese’s enthusiasm for the public broadcaster lasts longer than Morrison’s. But who knows?
I was around when Whitlam became prime minister. If his government had one overriding fault, it was its attempt to do too much, too quickly.
Australia has suffered enormously under the depredation of the Liberals since 2013 – much more than any one alternative government can repair within a three-year term. Labor’s policies may not go as far as I would like in terms of the environment and other issues, but they certainly go far enough to keep any reasonable government and its prime minister very busy through to 2025.
So far, I’m quite happy with the job that Albo is doing. Certainly, happier than I would be now if his predecessor was still in the role.
I think the deprivation from the Liberals started with Howard.
Is not the real story that Albo, as a politician of substance and conviction, actually has stuff to talk about and that will last the whole 1st term. Morrison, on the other hand, a politician with a vacuous smirking irritating faux overconfidence with no policy, no intention to do society any good and therefore, noting to talk about.
a politician with a vacuous smirking irritating faux overconfidence with no policy, no intention to do society any good and therefore, nothing to talk about.
yes.
Scotty has a pathological secrecy and a total refusal to be accountable. Like Trump and Boris he is incompetent and a sociopath.
He believed he was above questioning
He was on a mission from God … or Mammon, one of the two.
both
To meld both PeterM and MAC089, T oquestion Scummo was to question the will of god, who put him there.
Unfortunately the majority of the press pack agreed.
Either that or they were too lazy, incompetent and/or complicit to put any to which most people would have liked an answer.
they were too lazy, incompetent and complicit ?
yes
What I have noticed amongst people I know who voted LNP is that they are giving Albanese the thumbs up for tackling issues and not playing crass politics in which SMIRKY tended to wallow.
If you have News Ltd sites thrust at you there are many who don’t . . .
I reckon he has had a great start. Most impressive.
“Can we take this baby chimpanzee home Mummy? Can we? I’ll look after it and feed it…. promise. He can sleep in my room…”
“No you can’t, Tony. It will grow up, throw it’s poo everywhere, “self-gratify” in public, bite, scratch and probably try to rip someone’s face off…… most likely yours.”