Trump’s Iran war has woken Albanese up to a new reality. Will it spur him towards ‘ambitious’ reforms?

Key points

• Anthony Albanese was enjoying a hit of tennis on Saturday 28 February at a charity event at Coogee Beach Tennis club in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
• The prime minister is known to use the sport as a mental pressure valve, precious moments of distraction from the stresses of leading the country in a time of relentless upheaval.
• That evening, the US and Israel would launch the first strikes on Iran, triggering a war, a historic global energy shock and a new era of uncertainty for Australia and the world.
• The Australian government was not consulted before Donald Trump ordered Operation Epic Fury but was quick to endorse it on the grounds it was necessary to prevent the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons and from “continuing to threaten international peace and security” via its militant proxies.
• As Trump’s objectives in the Middle East soon blurred and the price of petrol soared at...