Albo, the Old Testament, and the Strange Shape of Freedom

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thought he was clearing up a tricky question this week.
Instead, he might’ve accidentally made the entire debate ten times messier.

Fronting cameras on January 13 about his government’s new Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, Albo was asked why the bill includes a special carve-out for quoting religious texts - specifically scriptures like the Koran, Bible or the Torah.

After a few cautious answers, the Prime Minister went for the line that’s making headlines:

“I don’t know if you read the Old Testament… I encourage you to read it and see what’s there.”

Translation: Some of the Old Testament is pretty full-on -  and without a special exemption, parts of it might technically break his own hate speech laws. Just like, oh, I dunno, the Koran....... 

And there it is: The moment the mask slipped.

BREAKING: Albanese Appoints Malcolm Turnbull as US Ambassador – “Time to Pay the Piper” Edition!

Canberra, January 13, 2026 - filed by Monty - Guest Contributer to the Dusty Gulch Gazette
In a move equal parts bipartisan masterstroke and late-night-politics-after-cocktails energy, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced former Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull as Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States.

The news dropped mere hours after Kevin Rudd confirmed he’d be flouncing home on March 31, presumably to write another memoir and perfect that “condescending smirk stare” he deploys in photo ops before heading off to a role as global president of the Asia Society think tank.

If you use a t shirt to promote some sort of " I am a member of the " in crowd " vibe, then don't moan when it comes back and bites you on the bum. You started it the minute you stepped off that plane wearing a Joy Division T shirt.... 

In recent years, it has been fashionable to be woke... not content to just be trends in clothes, fashion has swallowed identity, morality and politics.

Nothing appears to stop these dedicated disciples from following the latest fashion trend of being complete dickheads in order to gain approval from the social media trolls, leftie luvvies and the woke brigade. 

And don't our politicians just love to get on the bandwagon? 

And here’s the joke: we no longer judge our leaders by their policies, but by what they wear when the cameras find them. A meme bikini photo tells us how we see the PM’s priorities; a Joy Division tee signals a worldview. Fashion is now the front line of politics - God help us. In fact, the current meme war about crime ministers in bikinis tells us that fashion works both ways. In short? They asked for it.... 

Albanese, the Bikini, and the Death of Aussie Larrikinism

Following the horrific massacre at Bondi Beach, Australia was sweltering through a brutal heatwave down south, floods up north, bushfires in Victoria when the nation’s attention was hijacked not by bushfire warnings, water shortages, flooded regions or overloaded power grids -  but by something apparently far more serious: A photoshopped picture of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a bikini.

The offending artwork was spat out by Grok - one of those cheeky AI models that occasionally get the giggles and generate something a little irreverent. The response from the PM?

Fury. Condemnation. Dark warnings about “abhorrent manipulation.”  And the unmistakeable vibe of a humourless school principal shutting down a talent show because the choir got too rowdy.

In other words: a spectacularly predictable overreaction from a leader who desperately needs a humour upgrade and an ego check.

On the 10th of January 2011, a catastrophic deluge unleashed an unprecedented "inland tsunami" across Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Torrential rains transformed creeks into raging torrents, sweeping away cars, homes, and lives in a matter of minutes. Entire communities were submerged, as families clung to rooftops, desperate for rescue. With over 20 lives lost and countless others left homeless, the disaster became one of Queensland's darkest chapters, a stark reminder of nature’s unyielding power and a day I will live long in my memory. 

" A 3-metre wall of water came without warning, tearing through Toowoomba -  Queensland’s largest inland city -  when rain of “biblical proportions” fell on already soaked earth after months of record-breaking falls across the state  "The inland tsunami swept through Toowoomba, washing away cars, damaging buildings, picking up water tanks, and thrusting people into the torrent. "

I will never forget the day. It had been raining in Toowoomba. It had been raining across much of Queensland and everywhere was soggy.  The rain had been falling steadily all over the state and I had no idea just how bad things were about to get.   

Knees Up, Feathers Down: Trevor the Wallaby and the Great Knee Caper of Dusty Gulch
By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble -  Rodent Correspondent-at-Large
Dusty Dingo Pub, beneath the third wobbly table near the dartboard

They came honking across the border like confused geese with diplomatic passports -  the Honklanders -  promising “unity,” “transparency,” and other words that look good on bumper stickers.

But every invasion brings a surprise. In Dusty Gulch, the first loose thread was Trevor's knees and his missing joints. Tug at it, and suddenly masks slip, Pigooses squeal, and an entire empire of deception begins to unravel.

And that, dear reader, is where your humble rodent correspondent picks up the scent…