(Image: Gorkie/Private Media)

There are strains of disappointment evident on social media and elsewhere with decisions made by the Albanese government. They turn on the fact that this is a new government, and that this creature needs to be different from the one turfed out in the May 21 poll.

This is understandable, and nobody can deny people their feelings that expectations have been unmet. The talking up of new extractive industry projects — which appear to contradict Labor’s stance on getting to net zero by 2050 — and the third round of tax cuts are two issues that have angered ALP supporters.

But could these expectations be a problem more for voters looking for something from the new government rather than for the politicians themselves?

People watching the new government should note that the world is very different when you view it from the ministerial wing as a politician than when you are trying to convince the electorate to give you the keys to the kingdom.

There are things like service continuity in the case of power, for example, that ministers need to worry about in real time, as opposed to keeping up a constant supply of clever media sound bites that get run on the six o’clock news.

Question time remains the bearpit it always was, despite the trotted-out notion of “new politics”. It might be worthwhile noting that the prime minister once tearfully proclaimed he was in the business of fighting Tories. Did anybody seriously expect that his demeanour — and that of the “new” opposition, for that matter — would change simply because there was some renovation in the nation’s administrative arrangements?

Some of this comes down to what is in the political DNA of people entering politics as a career. They are blooded from the outset by elbowing out other contenders for preselection within political parties in the hope they will knock an entire field of candidates away on election day.

Progress within the parliamentary party and, indeed, in government relies on a combination of ruthlessness, opportunity and an ability to flog yourself as a product somehow better, brighter and a more likely victor in an electoral contest than your internal competition.

Did you seriously expect them to behave differently when they have been conditioned to participate in political hardball?

Members of Parliament are there to either stay in government or remove the other mob from its perch. It gets to the point where the behaviour of the political class, regardless of party allegiance, becomes the same.

How can we ordinary folks outside the fun parlour of politics view this? Think about a tub of neapolitan ice cream. There are three flavours: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Sure, you can argue about the merits of each flavour — but ultimately the damn thing is still just ice cream.

Have you been disappointed by the Albanese government after its four months in power? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.