A government in trouble is like an aircraft in a dangerous plunge. It can be pulled out of the dive if its mechanical problems are fixable and the piloting is sufficiently skilful. If those conditions are not met, however, the plane will crash-land, with who knows what degree of damage.
Anthony Albanese and his government have seriously lost altitude.
We saw something similar before the 2025 election, and then the captain and crew didn't just stabilise the plane — they flew it to an unexpected height. But every flight is a new journey.
Albanese would use a different word picture. He recently told his worried caucus, "We'll be kicking with the wind in the fourth quarter".
It's his old line, and it proved true last time. But the wind direction in 2028 is unpredictable.
What is clear is the shine has well and truly disappeared from Albanese's leadership.
Albanese was never a charismatic leader — neither a great orator nor an innovative policy thinker. He says people always underestimated him. Perhaps it was more a case of underestimating how far he could rise.
He is a superior tactician, honed in the fires of Labor's left, with long experience in politics and in government. That gave him a competent skill set in his bid for the prime ministership.
