Movie Plot: Albanese attempts to become Australian dictator after China-US war but it does not go to plan!

Characters at time of the War:

Prime Minister Albanese; Defence Minister Marles; Foreign Affairs Minister Wong; Treasurer Chalmers; Attorney-General Dreyfus; PM’s Chief-of-Staff Gartrell; Secretary of Department of PM&C Davis; Secretary of Treasury Kennedy; Minister of Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Conroy; Luke Gosling; Tanya Plibersek; Mike Burgess of ASIO. Journalists Greg Sheridan, David Speers, Cameron Stewart and Nick McKenzie. Premiers: NSW Minns, Vic Allan, Qld Miles, WA Cook, Tas Rockliff, SA Malinauskas.

Scene 42: Office of the Prime Minister

Wong: “Tanya (Pilbersek) is trying hard but everyone acts like I am still Foreign Minister. The American’s keep seeking assurances that we are still on board.”

Davis: “Its not only them who want assurances. Moriarty says the AUKUS mob are unhappy that you ordered the AUKUS website to be restored.”

Wong: “He is Secretary of the Defence Department. Tell him to deal with it.”

Davis: “He knows that the British cannot deliver. Max Hastings was right about the ‘remote possibility’ of an AUKUS sub eventually appearing. And so was Downer about the Adelaide ‘fairy tale’. But there are now so many snouts-in-the-trough that any talk of AUKUS not working results in great push-back.”

Wong: “I know. I am getting it from my ministers.”

Davis: “The other thing id the departmental investigation into Marles and the payment to Cyprus. ….???”

Wong: “Do we need to discuss it now?”

Davis: “No. There has been little progress. I just wanted to keep you up-to-date.”

Scene 43: Nondescript Office

Nick McKenzie looked at his mobile phone.

McKenzie: “Hello”

Voice on phone: “It seems that I need to help you a bit more. Ask yourself why and how Mostyn’s gambling problem suddenly ballooned? Was she set-up? By whom?”

McKenzie: “John! You do not sound well.”

Voice of John: “I am not.’

McKenzie: “You are telling me that The Broker was involved with Mostyn well as Gartrell?”

Voice of John: “Your article left out that connection.”

McKenzie: “It just seemed over-the-top.”

Voice of John: “Maybe. Have a look at ASIO. Bye!”

Scene 44: Parliamentary Press Gallery

Sheridan: “The AUKUS internet site is back up. And that idiot Michael Sharpe is still running around with his white Stetson hat. You would think that someone would tell him it looks foolish!”

Speers: “I saw that Mike Pezzullo is again loudly extolling the virtues of AUKUS as well as ANZUS!”

Sheridan: “He wants Moriarty’s job as head of Defence.”

Stewart: “They should give it to him, and triple defence spending!”

Speers: “At least that would make Air Marshal Chappell happy. I have heard suggestions that he dreams of hunting an underway AUKUS sub with Marles onboard and sinking it with a F35.”

Sheridan smiles: “An underhand strike?”

Speers: “His father is Greg, not Trevor. But it was Greg’s idea!”

Scene 45: Office of Foreign Minister

Plibersek: “I am meeting Marles this afternoon before he heads to Wellington.”

Conroy: “He is not happy but can do nothing right now. He knows that he cannot return as PM, but would support you!”

Plibersek: “I am not interested. Penny is my friend.”

Conroy: “Women’s club?”

Plibersek: “No. I have enough on my plate now with this new job. I am going to Indonesia next week, and then on to India, London and Washington.”

Conroy: “A long trip!”

Plibersek: “Yes. But everything is now so uncertain and I need to get my head around issues and meet people.”

Conroy: “Will you be discussing AUKUS?”

Plibersek: “Damm AUKUS! How can I avoid it.”

Conroy: “To be frank, AUKUS is a disaster. The Brits just cannot deliver the technology, no matter what we pay them and what they say. And the Americans keep talking it up, but really they are now concentrated on increasing the number of their own subs.”

Plibersek: “Will they give us the ones promised?”

Conroy: “No. But we need to keep talking-up AUKUS. We need the Yank’s subs – and marines etc – in Australia.”

Plibersek: “Why?”

Conroy: “Tanya. You need to be on-board with this. We cannot let China become a regional hegemon.”

Plibersek: “I keep asking why, but never get a real answer.”

Conroy: It is a matter of national security. Besides, Marles is still committed. He will not be happy if you are not out there supporting AUKUS.”

Scene 46: Public Service Office

Kennedy: “Are you saying ASIO went out to get Mostyn? Why?”

Davis: “There seems to be a connection. But there is not enough to tell Dreyfus or the PM. Burgess would go ballistic if what we have turned out to be wrong.”

Kennedy: “What will you do?”

Davis: “We need another conversation with him in the park!”

Scene 47: Office of the Prime Minister

Dreyfus: “I didn’t take long. No sooner does Marles get off the plane in Wellington does he try to stir up trouble for you. He has even suggested that that idiot white hat Michael Sharpe visit New Zealand to help them understand that AUKUS is also protecting them from the yellow hordes. Even if they don’t believe it all, it creates headlines here.”

Wong: “It’s so stupid. At least the army is quite – finally accepting that we do not need conscripts and thousands of tanks to fight millions of Chinese soldiers invading our beaches. But the air-force is another matter. They are still saying what about us? Why only spend money on subs? Conroy is not telling me this because he has AUKUS between his ears, but Davis is getting earfuls from various people.”

Dreyfus: “Pity we can’t get the air-force to bomb the subs!”

Wong: “It hard to bomb an idea – no matter how stupid.”

Scene 48: A Park in Canberra

Davis: “This is what we have. We wanted to give you a chance to tell us what happened before we decide whether or not to report up the line.”

Burgess: “It looks like we got carried away. We were offered proof and too easily accepted it.”

Davis: “By The Broker organization.”

Burgess: “Yes. We were stupid.”

Davis: “You caused an innocent woman to kill herself! No. Stop! The paedophilia bit was nothing to do with you?”

Burgess: “No.”

Davis: “But you willingly hyped the gambling bit?”

Burgess: “Yes.”

Davis: “Why?”

Burgess: “Marles threatened to move us to his portfolio. To Defence.”

Kennedy: “But you reported to Dreyfus. The Attorney-General!”

Burgess: “He had a hold over Albanese. He could have done it.”

Davis: “What a mess. Kennedy and I need to think about what to do next.’

Burgess: “I must go. I cannot be seen meeting in a park like this.”

Scene 49: Nondescript Office

Secretary of the Department of PM&C Davis is meeting with journalist Nick McKenzie

Davis: “I have nothing to say on this?”

McKenzie: “Then why meet with me like this if it is not true?”

Davis: “What do you intend to do?”

McKenzie: “Now knowing it is true and having enough to go public with it are not the same. I need more!”

Davis: “You won’t get it from me.”

Scene 50: Public Service Office

Kennedy: “Marles is friendless except for Conroy and Gosling. The PM and Dreyfus would love to shaft him but don’t really know how; Burgess knows how, but it would also shaft ASIO; McKenzie is willing but not yet able. And, then there is us!

Davis: “Yeh! And whoever is feeding McKenzie information is somewhere in this conga-line. The air-force might even be there because what the AUKUS subs are doing to it funding.”

Kennedy: “It will be interesting to see who gets to him first.”

Scene 51: Office of the Prime Minister

Dreyfus rushes into the prime minister’s office.

Dreyfus: “Have you heard?”

Wong: “What?”

Dreyfus: “Marles has been killed!”

Wong: “When? Where? How?”

Dreyfus: “Got off the plane in Sydney without telling anyone he was coming and went to some meeting in a park. Apparently someone was flying a drone and lost control of it. It hit Marles between the eyes. Died instantly!”

Wong: “My God! Why was he in Sydney and not New Zealand? Who was in the park?”

Dreyfus: “I don’t know.”

Scene 52: Public Service Office

Kennedy: “Why was he in Sydney and not New Zealand? Who was in the park?”

Davis: “We don’t know yet.”

Kennedy: “ASIO?”

Davis: “Maybe.”

Kennedy: “Well it wasn’t us; and wasn’t McKenzie; and wasn’t Wong or Dreyfus.”

Davis’s mobile phone rings. Davis looks at the number and says to Kennedy: “Its McKenzie!”

Davis puts his phone on speaker: “No Nick. We don’t know yet.”

Nick on phone: “I hear that The Broker was involved. Somebody wanted him dead.”

Davis puts the phone down after saying: “I have nothing more to say.”

Kennedy: “If I believed enough in conspiracies I might say it was an air-force drone organized through The Broker.”

Davis: “You could be right. Over these last few weeks I have learnt that anything is possible.”

Kennedy: “I think we need whisky!”

Davis: “Doubly!”