The Honorable Member for Grayndler, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Cities and Tourism, Member of the Labor Party and Former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Albanese visited Newington College on Monday 7 March to talk to Senior boys about all things relating to Economics and Politics. Speaking intimately to a group of no more than fifty boys and teachers in the Old Boys Lecture Theatre, Mr Albanese was put to the test as he sat opposite George Moulos (12/ME) who asked him questions ranging from the booming housing market and it’s negative effect on young people to Labor’s response to the refugee crisis and the difficulties of being a politician today.

Mr Albanese spoke candidly about many of these issues stating that the difficulty of being a politician today is that information travels a lot faster, meaning that opinions are generated, set and shared much more quickly which can negatively impact the way both politicians and the public relate to each other. Likewise, due to mass redundancies in traditional media outlets and the impact of social media, often breaking news is preferred over accurate and in-depth analysis making it difficult for both politicians and the public to engage meaningfully in debate.

In response to what Australians can expect in relation to leadership stability from both Labor and the Coalition in the future, Mr Albanese simply stated, “You couldn’t plan a coup on a political leader on a mobile when I started”.

We thank Mr Albanese for his time for coming to speak to our boys during such a busy time in his political schedule.