Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Hansard source

Prime Minister Albanese has mastered the art of winning by not appearing where the losing might be visible. Take the Farrer by-election, a great example, or rather take the fact that the Labor Party deliberately did not turn up. They had no candidate, no campaign and, most importantly, no embarrassing primary vote to demonstrate how on the nose they are with the Australian people. On the surface, conceding the Farrer by-election looked like retreat, but in Canberra retreat is often just a form of attack by other means. By declining to contest the seat, the Prime Minister ensured that the Labor Party and his leadership could not be measured by votes or, indeed, by swings. No ALP candidate meant no ALP failure—it has a kind of statistical genius. But the second effect was where the real elegance lay. With Labor absent, the coalition was left to do what it does best, which is argue amongst itself while insisting that it's arguing with everyone else.

Hovering above all of this, untested, was Prime Minister Albanese. How he would have loved watching the Leader of the Opposition caught between fighting One Nation and maybe partnering with One Nation, as the Liberals' primary vote collapsed to 12 per cent. By not contesting, Labor ensured it could not be attacked for its unpopularity, while simultaneously allowing its opponents to exhaust themselves. Credit where it is due. The Prime Minister might not be very good at governing, but he is a master at rearranging the furniture so that everyone else trips over it. To borrow a phrase from Mr Paul Keating, Prime Minister Albanese is 'doing Mr Angus Taylor slowly', and Mr Taylor appears powerless to resist.