The government led by Anthony Albanese is a timid troupe of shivers looking for a spine to run up.

That’s the assessment from the Labor wise men who gather for lunch in Sydney once a month – Paul Keating, Bob Carr, John Faulkner and other warriors of the past – who claim the government is too cautious and defensive.

For many Labor insiders, both in Canberra and across the country, the carping from the sidelines is an annoying distraction they wish would go away.

But there are some within the Albanese government who say the comments are providing the debate and contestability that the “broken” party sorely lacks.

Today, special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on Labor’s war with its old guard.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis.

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