Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prides himself with being in tune with the public mood. But in holding out for weeks against a royal commission into antisemitism he misjudged that mood, making Thursday’s backdown on his hardline opposition a humiliation for him.
He knew public feeling. In a pre-Christmas Resolve poll, 48% supported a royal commission. Only 17% opposed, with 34% unsure or neutral.
Unsurprisingly, Albanese is not admitting he was wrong, putting the most positive spin on his retreat. The government had listened, he said. He also sought to give the impression the royal commission announcement was part of a deliberate process, coming at the back-end of a series of other actions. And he’d wanted to have all the detail in place, including the commissioner chosen and terms of reference worked out, before an announcement.
