After what appears to be an entire 30-minute session of serious soul-searching, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has magnanimously decided to jump on the climate emergency bandwagon. The marvel of political hindsight, right there! As long expected, the move swiftly followed the results of an internal Labor party referendum. "We must act. We have no time," Albanese thundered to a horde of incredibly surprised journalists, fumbling with recorders they'd almost stowed away, expecting only the mundane dose of political rhetoric. "Imagine my shock," says one. "Albo – taking a stance on climate change. Who'd have guessed? He's only been hinting at it for, oh I don't know, the entirety of his political career?" As one could easily sense, sarcasm filled the air like confetti at a wedding no one had actually wanted to attend. Following a bruising referendum, which saw 87% of Labor party members vote in favour of declaring a climate emergency, Albanese surprised exactly no one by ringing the alarm bells as well. Which brings to mind the old saying- "better late than never", but in this case, "late" could equate to irreversible damage to our environment. Our brave leader was, however, quick to ensure everyone that rushing into this important matter after multiple opportunities to address it had passed was, in fact, strategic. "This gives us the momentum we need to part the seas of political indifference and march forward to a better future," he eloquently stated. To the untrained ear, this might sound like a politician trying to save face, but true political followers understand the subtle undertones of bull...sorry, pure political craftsmanship. Government members, in response, donned expressions of mixed shock, awe, and tinges of ‘Oh, now he’s finally caught up?’ Scott Morrison, ever the knight in shining armour, was quick to grab the moral high ground faster than a contestant in a supermarket sweep show. "Our government has been taking incremental and strategic steps towards addressing the climate issue for six years," boasted the PM, conveniently neglecting to mention the ‘strategic’ part included proposing new coal mines, much to the frustration of climate scientists and activists. But let’s not despair. Albanese, who has now boldly stepped into the limelight, assures us the Labor party's internal referendum reflects a broader societal shift calling for climate action. And whilst it’s only taken several international protests, celebrity endorsements, and countless natural disasters for Labor to seemingly engage with reality, we must cling to the old saying, "better late than never." Just keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature is as forgiving as Anthony Albanese thinks she is.