Here at MFW we are terminally disgusted by Anthony Albanese’s new appointment of a woman who’s until very recently been employed by Rupert Murdoch to one of this country’s most prestigious foreign postings. Yes, you read that right, witches. Siobhan McKenna (until late last year apparently Lachlan Murdoch’s most senior and important right-hand woman) has just been announced as Australia’s next consul-general in New York: “Albanese, who has maintained a close relationship with the younger Murdoch, defended the appointment as an ‘outstanding’ merit-based choice, after questions from journalists, pointing to McKenna’s experience across the private and public sectors. ‘Siobhan McKenna is a professional, and she will do an outstanding job representing Australia and the Australian government here in New York’ Albanese said.” smh.com.au/politics/federal/…? In a week where at least 3 more Australian women appear to have been murdered by a man known to them in a cycle of violence towards women (and their children) which shows no signs of easing, Albanese’s repeated sucking-up to Murdoch (a man who’s viciously and knowingly prevented women’s rights from advancing in this country for decades) is depraved. Like many witches, MFW had high hopes for this government when it was elected in 2022. We even somewhat forgave Albanese for not moving faster with much-needed reforms during his first term of government, as we knew he was sensitive to media criticism and unsure whether his government would last longer than one term. However, having been re-elected with an increased majority in 2025, Albanese and his ministers had a clear mandate to achieve desperately needed reforms. Yet not only did he not do these things (including essential media reform itself), but he’s now gone backwards on so many issues of great importance to progressive voters. We deplore his rabid support of Donald Trump and AUKUS. We can’t bear his refusal to fully condemn and fight the genocide in Palestine. We’re horrified by his unwillingness to act properly on Robodebt or the NACC (an anti-corruption commission which is itself corrupt) and we have watched on while he gave misogynist bully and abuser Kyle Sandilands his full support: even eagerly attending his wedding. We have been careful in our criticism of this Labor government in the past, witches, as we understand there’s a danger that bagging Albanese may send some voters towards the LNP or ONP, whose election would of course be even worse than the incumbents. However, it’s impossible to be silent any longer in the face of Labor’s inaction in the face of the slaughter of tens of thousands of children, as well as their craven pandering to corporate and media interests instead of to the citizens they’re meant to serve. Our conclusion is that Anthony Albanese is a weak leader. There is some decency and wish to do good ion him, of course (or at least, more than there is in Taylor or Hanson), but it’s now almost fully buried under his greater wish not to rock the boat in any way. And while we’re sure both he and many witches will have excuses for both his weakness and his complicity in great harm, we fail to understand why other leaders (including Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, Canadian PM Mark Carney, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and even Irish PM Micheál Martin) have stood up to Trump and publicly condemned genocide without apparent harm to their leadership (in fact, for many of them it’s increasing their popularity), while Albanese continues to disappoint and anger millions (and not just those who are conservatives, cookers and fascists). 1/2