ANTHONY Albanese’s bizarre decision to imitate Gough Whitlam if he happens to win the election on Saturday may have to be ‘clarified’ today. As told to The Australian’s Troy Bramston yesterday, the Labor Leader says that only he and prospective foreign minister Penny Wong will be sworn in Sunday, allowing both to leave Australia forthwith to attend next week’s Quad meeting in Tokyo. This evokes the infamous duumvirate that began the manic chaos of the Whitlam era. In 1972, too impatient to wait for the conclusion of election formalities, Whitlam and his deputy Lance Barnard shared 27 portfolios between them from 5 to 19 December.
Two obvious problems: first, there is no guarantee a result will be known on Sunday or sufficiently clear and definitive to warrant the assumption of office. Second, if the only two sworn ministers of an Albanese government are abroad, nobody would be in charge of the country. Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles must also be commissioned. Paul Kelly – whose lived experience of these transitions is unmatched – today describes Albanese’s plan as flawed, unwise, an embarrassment, absurd, crazy, presumptuous and arrogant. By Monday, the Acting PM will be Scott Morrison, Mr Marles or nobody in particular. Long may the last-named reign.
I like the sound of this guy, “nobody in particular” … how much worse could he be?
He said if the result is in his favour then he and Wong would go to the quad.
If you think he is imitating Whitlam then you are a fool or worse.
Non Mentis
He said if the result is in his favour then he and Wong would go to the quad.
If you think he is imitating Whitlam then you are a fool or worse.
If you think he is not going to be worse that Whitless, then you are a fool or worse.
Um, he would be imitating Whitlam. That’s just a fact.
In the event of a too-close-to-call election, he and Wong won’t be going anywhere. The Governor-General will not swear them in until arrangements are made with crossbenchers and tested on the floor of Parliament.
If they are in a position to be commissioned, Marles will have to join them at Yarralumla on Sunday – or there will be nobody at the helm when he’s in Japan.
Oops.
No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
– Mark Twain
umm no
Whitlam and Barnard made several decision on changing policy.
going to the quad is not that or are you saying you are so stupid you thin kit is.
It’s pretty telling that Angry Albanese’s first priority is not in Australia, he didn’t even have a plan for what would happen at home when he left.
Non Mentis
Whitlam and Barnard made several decision on changing policy.
going to the quad is not that or are you saying you are so stupid you thin kit is.
Way to miss the point, and also to demonstrate your utter inability to construct a coherent, properly punctuated, sentence.
it is exactly the point unless like CL you have little understanding of history.
Whitlam wanted some decisions like conscription changed as soon as possible.
all Albo and wong are doing is going to to quad meeting. They are not changing policy at all which can be seen even by primary school drop outs because they will not be in the country.
You are saying CL is quite stupid.
Non Mentis
all Albo and wong are doing is going to to quad meeting.
So they will go along, but will be unable to make any policy decisions that might arise?
Stick to balancing cash drawers, your wider knowledge is as to be expected from a pre-school drop out.
And you forgot to respond to the small matter of who will be acting PM in the absence of the only two commissioned ministers. As bad as forgetting to count the $100 bills in the drawer.
LOL
boofhead the quad meeting is see as very important and with a possible change of government the new crew would need to be there.
There is nothing that urgent they need to do other then that.
so it is not only CL who is stupid
Non Mentis
Except govern the nation? Perhaps they could leave the Morrison Cabinet in place, while they go to a meeting at which they will be unable to agree to or disagree with anything?
Paul Kelly has been around Canberra transitions longer than any living journo.
“… flawed, unwise, an embarrassment, absurd, crazy, presumptuous and arrogant.”
There is nothing particularly “urgent” to be dealt with at Quad that could not be discharged by officials. The last Summit was conducted on Zoom.
Point 1: Like Whitlam, Albo rushed like a headless chook to set up a dumb-virate.
Status: Correct.
Point 2: He forgot to have somebody sworn in to be in charge of AUSTRALIA.
Status: Correct.
Prediction made: Another Albo ‘clarification’ would come re Marles.
Status: Correct.
Exactly CL.
How many Australians know or care about the ‘quad’?