Everybody’s doing it: Albanese, Starmer, and Trump. National addresses on serious matters in troubled times.

For his part Trump meandered through 21 minutes of distortions and outright untruths. There was little we hadn’t heard before, although I did startle when he said Straits of Hormuz would open ‘naturally’ after the war!

The UK Prime Minister emphasised that the Middle East conflict was ‘not our war’, that it was now damaging the UK and, as a result, closer ties with the EU would be actively pursued.

Albanese was scheduled at 7pm, right on prime time, across all channels. National addresses are historic, designed to bring the nation together, in moments of acute crisis. Think John Curtin announcing Australia was at war with Japan, Paul Keating on native title after the Mabo Decision, Kevin Rudd on the Global Financial Crisis, and Scott Morrison on COVID 19.

I was running behind time, and tuned in on ABC radio as I drove home, hoping to catch to bulk of the speech on TV. But it was over before I pulled into the driveway, clocking in at just 3 minutes, 17 seconds. The Prime Minister warned that the months ahead might not be easy, and that his Government would do all it could to shield Australians. He urged us to do our bit by taking the bus, and not using more fuel than needed. He re-announced measures to cut fuel costs. And that was it.

One outlet described the broadcast as a classic Dad’s Army “don’t panic” moment, another an Instagram reel rather than a national address. I usually discount smart alec commentary, but in this case both were dead right. The tone was just wrong, and the content? Well, there was virtually none.

So why does this matter? Well this kind of miscalculation, along with many others, points to a broader question: has Anthony Albanese stopped hearing the people he represents? It is hard to see any other explanation for a clanger of this size.

As we head into the mini-break of Easter we bring you two of our most outspoken and consistent moral leaders, Frank Brennan and George Browning, on the message of Easter.

Also don’t miss Alex McKinnon’s report on the highly controversial address from Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman, courtesy of our National Press Club.

Driving home in Canberra this week I came across my best bit for the week – a young man wielding an ice hockey stick, while riding a unicycle! A new sport I thought?

A little research revealed that the unlikely activity is indeed a sport in the national capital. According to an ABC report it hasn’t fully recovered from a COVID-induced lull, but it is played, by young and old, and is not as impossible as it sounds.

I find joy in the infinitive variety of human endeavour, and hope you do also. Have a look here.

@abcnewsaus For most people, mastering the unicycle would be challenging enough… #Unicycle #Hockey #ABCNews ♬ original sound - ABC News Australia

If you haven’t subscribed for a daily or weekly newsletter you can do so  here for free. We are utterly independent, with no corporate or government funding, and no ads, so please also consider supporting our work  with a donation.