ABC star has a big question about Jim Chalmers’ series of stunning revelations about ‘cutting a bit loose socially’
An ABC morning presenter has questioned the timing of a ‘soft big profile’ article about Treasurer Jim Chalmers in which he admitted he drank every night.
Weekend News Breakfast host Fauziah Ibrahim asked behavioral economist Evan Lucas for his opinion on the timing of the article.
Her question came on the same day the piece, written by veteran investigative journalist Deborah Snow, was published by Nine’s Good Weekend magazine on Saturday.
Dr. Chalmers made a series of revelations about his personal struggles, including heavy drinking and recovering from skin cancer, as he made his way to becoming treasurer and having an unwavering passion for politics.
Discussing his decision to give up drinking, the Treasurer was asked if he would ‘go a bit socially crazy’ in Parliament House.
“Because I drank too much,” Dr Chalmers told the newspaper magazine.
Ibrahim asked Mr Lucas why the “soft, high profile” piece was published during a tumultuous period for the Albanian government.
An ABC morning host has questioned the timing of a feature-length ‘soft high profile’ feature on Treasurer Jim Chalmers, in which he admitted he drank every night
Dr. Chalmers made a series of stunning revelations about his personal struggles, including heavy drinking and recovering from skin cancer, while opening up about his path to becoming treasurer and an undiminished passion for politics
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come under fire for his frequent trips abroad as Aussies continue to struggle at home, while the government has been criticized for being left behind by the Supreme Court’s decision to rule against the indefinite detention of asylum seekers.
Dr. Chalmers is also facing a cost of living crisis, with inflation at 5.4 percent and cash rates at a 12-year high of 4.35 percent.
“Deborah Snow’s piece does say that he doesn’t seem to do anything in moderation,” Ibrahim said.
‘The question I have, and maybe I’m just being a cynic here, is: why now, why this nice, soft, big profile piece about the treasurer now?’
“It’s a very good question, Fauziah, and again, yes, that cynical part of my brain is clicking when you consider that this week has been quite painful for the government,” Mr Lucas replied.
He also called Snow’s article a “puff” piece, suggesting it was used to criticize Dr. to promote Chalmers.
Mr Lucas said the defeat of the Voice referendum on October 14 had also left the government “bruising”.
“It’s probably a good time to show what is clearly a future generation of MP: the man is only 45 years old,” he said.
“He has very strong ambitions and it is very clear that he could one day be the next prime minister of this country, given his position.”
Snow declined to comment on the timing of the piece when contacted by Ny Breaking Australia.
Ny Breaking Australia has also contacted Ibrahim, the ABC, Dr. Chalmers and Mr. Lucas for comments.
A note from Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland in the magazine detailed how the article about the treasurer came about and how long the process took, with the first interview taking place two months ago.
“In these media-managed times, it is rare for a politician to open up to a journalist about his vulnerabilities and human foibles,” Strickland wrote.
‘His opponents will undoubtedly question his motives and/or use his openness against him.
“Call me naive, but I’m inclined to believe Chalmers when he says that after committing to this profile — which was our idea, not his — he wanted to do it the right way.”
The editor also expected some to question why the publication was profiling the federal treasurer 18 months after he took the position.
“Because for all intents and purposes, we are entering the most treacherous economic times, not just in Australia but around the world,” Strickland wrote.
“And that was before the Middle East exploded.”
Federal Treasurer Dr. Jim Chalmers (photo wife Laura) gave an extensive interview in which he revealed that he had stopped drinking three years ago
The Queensland MP said he didn’t want to teach his children Leo, 8, Annabel, 6, and Jack, 4, (pictured with he and wife Laura) that drinking was the normal way to unwind.
“Given that, we thought it was worthwhile to know more about the man who, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, will lead Australia’s response to what comes next.”
Dr Chalmers said in the piece that he became a teetotaler because he didn’t want his children Leo, 8, Annabel, 6, and Jack, 4, to think that drinking wine and beer on the couch every night was the normal way to wind down come.
One of the other topics covered in the interview was Mr. Chalmers’ path to becoming treasurer after developing a passion for politics and history in high school thanks to one of his teachers.
He would later write to the same teacher after earning a doctorate in political science and international relations to thank him for his support.
The avid sports fan talked about his love for the Broncos and how he still plays basketball and trains at his local F45 gym whenever he can.
His new health kick may also have been triggered by a terrifying bout of skin cancer, which saw a melanoma cut out of his chest in late 2020, which he suffered for months as the wound refused to heal properly.
At one point he spent the night in the emergency room of the Canberra hospital before facing the Parliament House cameras the next morning without sleep.
Ibrahim has courted controversy in the past, being taken off air ahead of the 2022 federal election after it emerged she had a list of ‘lobotomized s***heads’ and ‘Labour trolls/thugs’ on the social media platform
A week after the election, she was back on the air