Sydney in early January is a pretty relaxed place, even for the Prime Minister.
No fanfare, no fuss when Anthony Albanese, accompanied by partner Jodie Haydon, dropped into his local Chinese and settled in to enjoy a few dumplings.
Security, comprising a couple of very capable-looking chaps, was discrete and just sort of blended in.
Albo’s minders packed comms devices on their hips, but not a weapon in sight. This is not to say they were not armed, just that they were not flashing guns.
There was no sense at all in the restaurant that anything was other than perfectly normal, no obvious awareness the leader of the country was in the room.
All was calm when Albo walked across the restaurant, queued at the counter and paid his bill.
The unruffled atmosphere was probably due to two things.
A percentage of diners had no idea who he was. A table next to me didn’t. Not being recognised in your own electorate is never good.
Most, though, had the good manners to let the man have a quiet lunch.
There are few countries where the leader can dine unannounced among the hoi-polloi.
It was a very Australian moment and says a lot about what is good about the place.
Of course, word got out and a disparate group of unconvinced-looking protesters with their signs assembled outside.
The problem was, by the time they arrived, Albo had already been whisked away out the back door, so the Prime Minister didn’t see a thing.
But he didn’t miss much. A couple of ladies who wanted to free Assange and an older man wearing a t-shirt, emblazoned with Z — the symbol of the murderous Russian military operation in Ukraine.
This Russian propagandist, clearly a man who thinks firing missiles at civilian targets is okay, maybe even good if the targets suffer enough, also wants charges against Simon Boikov dropped.
Boikov, “the Aussie Cossack”, is a 32-year-old man facing serious charges for assaulting and injuring a 75-year-old man at a pro-Ukraine rally.
This brave patriot then fled to asylum in the Russian embassy before child killer Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship.
The NSW police await his next move.
So, to the carping Right media, to all the Sky whingers who reckon Albo is an out-of-touch elitist, the man knows the price of a yum cha in Marrickville.
Ross Jones is IA's investigations editor and the author of 'Ashbygate: The Plot to Destroy Australia's Speaker'. You can follow Ross on Twitter @rpzjones_fin.
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