Will Anthony Albanese challenge Bill Shorten for the ALP leadership?

[Matilda]

1. Word is that he was,

considering he had the support of rank and file ALP members when he and Shorten ran for the leadership in 2013. For a long time after Turnbull took the Lib leadership from Abbott, Shorten looked very weak, and many wanted to see Albo mount a challenge.

But Shorten ran a good campaign during the election, and made inroads into the Libs' majority, so a challenge would be futile, and Albanese is smart enough to know that.

Had Shorten not managed to make an impression on the Libs' numbers, he would have challenged. But not now; not at the moment.

Personally, I favoured Albo for the leadership, and I've never warmed to Shorten. But he ran a very good campaign, and he deserves to be allowed to get on with being an effective Opposition Leader.