An early Sunday morning message to Labor MPs about a gender and sexuality question in the 2026 census opened up a disastrous political week for the government.
It was an unexpected message sent to Labor MPs last Sunday morning that set off the fastest climbdown in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first term of government.
The MPs, most of whom hold inner-city seats under threat from the Greens, were left with little doubt that this was a decision from the top, though that did not stop other parts of the Labor Party talking of disciplining the minister who announced the decision, Andrew Leigh. Having made the decision, Albanese flew to Tonga. With the prime minister at the Pacific Island Forum for much of the week, his backbench was growing increasingly aggrieved. For the second time in a month, after frustration with timid gambling advertising restrictions boiled over into public view, they believed the government had ignored its progressive base. The government’s decision to shelve laws toFacing a communication vacuum, some advocates called for a census boycott.
“After everything we have achieved for the LGBT community, what were they thinking?” the staffer said.
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