Angus Taylor plays a risky game in trying to capitalise on melon saga

analysis Taylor is using the melon saga to mount an all-out assault on Albanese's character Today marks six months since Sussan Ley was dumped by her colleagues. She's been on an unusual journey of discovery since then. After being defeated by Angus Taylor for the Liberal leadership and quitting parliament, Ley fulfilled a long-time dream of riding on Greyhound buses down the length of inland USA. She found a bleak interior and plenty of misery. "Chains. Parking lots. Cheap builds. No trees. No spaces to gather," Ley wrote in the Australian Financial Review. "It was the underlying weariness. Everyone works hard. That part is true. But working hard is no longer enough." Reflecting on the experience, Ley told 7:30's Sarah Ferguson of her great discovery: the extent of disconnection. "This feeling of disconnection I found by the end of the trip really quite interesting, quite fascinating". A problem of disillusion and disconnection Ley wasn't deliberately sending a message to anyone in particular but it served as a powerful reminder. Political leaders need to stay focused on what really matters. The disconnected aren't interested in political games. The dramatic shift in support away from the major parties in Australia this year points to a similar problem of disillusion and disconnection. Much of this shift happened on Ley's watch. She carries at least part of the blame for weary voters walking away from the Liberal Party. Ley was often criticised, including by her own colleagues, for whipping up issues that just didn't connect. Issues like the prime minister's choice of T-shirt, Penny Wong's capacity to shed tears in public, or whether Kevin Rudd should be recalled as ambassador for upsetting Donald Trump. Too much hyperventilating over the wrong issues. Not enough focus on the substantive concerns of disconnected voters. Which brings us to the melons. Taylor shifts direction In his first speech as Liberal leader, six months ago today, Taylor vowed a "change or die" reset. Cost of living, immigration and Australian values would be his focus. In large part, he's so far stuck to those priorities. This week, however, with the return of parliament after the five-week winter break, Taylor shifted direction. He's gone after the prime minister's ill-fated and now infamous decision to appear on the satirical Bush Deep podcast where Anthony Albanese talked about the "melons" given to him by his Japanese counterpart. The opposition leader has not been half-hearted in his pursuit. Repeatedly demanding Albanese apologise in Question Time, trying to move a motion in parliament to condemn the prime minister, accusing him of damaging relations with Japan. The Coalition has even asked the Australian Federal Police to investigate who leaked a confidential note from Tokyo suggesting the Japanese government believed there was no "ill intention" behind the comments. It's been a full court press from the opposition. And the government has been unable to shut it down, despite the efforts of various ministers from Tanya Plibersek to Katy Gallagher to defend the prime minister. Having already issued an apology for his comments on the podcast about Kylie Minogue, Albanese has so far refused to offer another. He rejects any interpretation he was engaging in lewd jokes about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Japan, for its part, is trying not to stoke the issue further. "We have been informed by the Australian side that Prime Minister Albanese did not make the comments in the way that has been reported," Ambassador to Australia Kazuhiro Suzuki told the ABC. Barnaby Joyce, himself familiar with the odd embarrassment or two, reckons there's no doubt what most people will make of it all. "Turn the volume down and watch him [on the podcast]. You have a man in a T-shirt, with an empty bottle of bourbon in front of him, gesticulating with his arms and anybody would say 'I think I know what you're talking about there, mate'," said the One Nation MP. "Imagine if for instance I had done that. It would be a riot." LoadingBipartisanship behind closed doors Behind the scenes, Taylor and Albanese have been engaged in a rare level of cooperation this week. They've been holding a series of personal meetings aimed at reaching bipartisan deals on gambling ads, forcing tech giants to pay for journalism, and reining in the NDIS. Both leaders have a pragmatic interest in squaring these issues away. But in public, Taylor is using the melon saga to mount an all-out assault on Albanese's character. "He's full of hubris. There's no humility when he makes a mistake," the opposition leader told 2GB. Choosing to pursue this may prove to be the right strategy. It's the sort of thing that can cut through and damage the prime ministerial image. Labor was devastatingly effective in going after Scott Morrison's character whenever they had the chance. There is a risk for the Coalition, however, that weary, disconnected voters might not feel this is really the main game. They might feel there are bigger problems affecting their lives that deserve such attention. Either way, Taylor is marking six months in the job this week with a slight detour from the plan he laid out at the start. David Speers is national political lead and host of Insiders, which airs on ABC TV at 9am on Sunday or on iview.