Comment

Upset results and come-from-behind victories are as common in politics as they are on the sporting field. Opinion polls have famously got election results wrong over the years, although not as often as many underdogs would wish.

Behind the apparently loveable and unassuming facade, Australia, as a nation state, is very sophisticated at a few things. Protecting our gas and coal industry is one of them. Our climate policies are all designed to protect fossil fuels – whether rebranding as a renewable energy superpower or feigning ambition through an increased climate target or a thriving carbon offset industry.

The word most used to describe Mike Pezzullo is “obsessive”. He has the cunning of a stoat. He loves military history and regards himself a student of war. As a child, he imagined his toys fighting.

The employment white paper released by the Albanese government this week is a vast improvement in professionalism and substance on the previous government’s three-word slogan – ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ – which offered precious little detail about which jobs and how they would be delivered.

The departure of one powerful man and the sidelining of another has accentuated the profound influence both have had in shaping the direction of the nation. Their legacies are now both a challenge and an opportunity for Anthony Albanese to learn from and refine.

Recently, I tried to help organise hazard reduction burns in my fire-prone local area. For months it was too wet to burn, due to three years of rain. When it finally seemed as if it was dry enough last week, it was too hot, windy and dangerous. That was the same week Sydney experienced the hottest three consecutive days ever recorded in September.

The rub is hidden in a line only slightly longer than a haiku. The inquiry will look at all aspects of the pandemic except: “actions taken unilaterally by state and territory governments”. In those eight words are 3000 people locked in commission flats and an entire city under curfew.

Among the various pressures pushing up our cost of living, one that is often overlooked is the exchange rate, or the value of Australia’s dollar relative to other currencies. Our currency is usually quoted against either the United States dollar, or a basket of our major trading partners’ currencies, known as the trade-weighted index.

In the shadow of the National Library, inside the Parliamentary Triangle, the Yes23 organisers could scarcely believe their eyes as the crowd built for Canberra’s version of the Walk for Yes rally and march … Researcher Peter Lewis, of Essential, says even though his latest poll has ‘No’ with a slim majority (51 per cent) for the first time, this is not a prediction of the outcome in four weeks’ time.

The ‘No’ campaign’s confusing and foggy polemics about the Voice referendum have set me thinking. The thought is about those qualities that we uncritically ascribe to our Australian character: that we enjoy a fair go for all with no one left behind, that everyone is equal.