‘Don’t panic’ could be Albanese’s mantra but that doesn’t mean we aren’t concerned about life, the universe and everything | Peter Lewis

Despite a deep conviction planet Earth is heading in the wrong direction, voters are trusting Labor to navigate the wormholes

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Our prime minister has navigated the world stage this past week as if being shepherded by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the fictional intergalactic wiki that predated the internet, bearing the reassuring aphorism: Don't panic."

From setting mildly ambitious climate targets, to joining a belated coalition recognising the Palestinian state, to enduring the US president's best impression of Vogon poetry at the UN, Anthony Albanese has proceeded with calculated sobriety.