There’s Albo, king of the inner city kids.
He’s standing in what looks like a funky laneway, graffiti on the wall behind him, to deliver a message to his crew.
All he is missing is a tight black t-shirt and a beard.
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The cringeworthy video was part of a social media post in which Mr Albanese said “Pay by card? From tomorrow, your morning coffee could be cheaper”.
Anybody bored or desperate enough to watch a post by the Prime Minister then heard him boast how they would save money when they use their cards “every time you tap”.
“Whether you are at the supermarket paying bills or buying a cup of coffee, the price you see is the price you pay,” Mr Albanese said.
A price will still be paid. Maybe by the poor bugger behind the coffee shop counter trying to make a go of a small business.
Or it might be paid by you after all.
And it will definitely be paid by the Albanese Government, which is piling gaffe upon gaffe.
Coffeegate has now joined Melongate as examples of Mr Albanese’s misguided attempts to be hip for younger Australians.
Melongate was part of an ill-fated podcast appearance in which he joined in a crude conversation about who he would “shag”, his own sex life and the saga about melons given to him by Japan’s female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The latest gaffe came when he tried to sell the news that businesses aren’t allowed to charge customers extra for paying by card, whether in person or online.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor was quick to say Mr Albanese was “trying to pretend a cost disappears simply because you can’t see it on the receipt anymore”.
“A cafe still has to pay to process your card. If that cost isn’t on the receipt, it has to be absorbed or built into the price,” Mr Taylor said.
As if that wasn’t enough, small businesses face another whack after the tax office said it would no longer accept payments by credit card from November 30 — hitting operators who might rely on the method as an important cash-flow option.
The Opposition said it was clear that the Government didn’t understand small businesses and was imposing unnecessary costs on them. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the tax change would make it harder for small businesses to keep running.
The Coalition and One Nation immediately called for the tax office decision to be reversed. Once again the Albanese Government has been hit by a backlash against unintended consequences of poorly conceived policies.
Just like its Budget of broken promises about its plans for capital gains and negative gearing taxes.
And it came in a week in which the Reserve Bank of Australia hit home-loan borrowers again by taking the cash rate to a 15-year high of 4.6 per cent.
It was the fourth rate rise this year and another is expected next month.
Meanwhile, house prices have continued to plunge, amid warnings that further falls could leave recent buyers in negative equity — where borrowers owe their bank more than their home is worth.
If much of the assessment of the Albanese Government now sounds a bit like a broken record, it’s because its record is well and truly broken.
