Thursday had been earmarked for Australians to mourn the victims of last month's Bondi shootings.
Those who had lost loved ones in the antisemitic attacks wanted it to be a chance to remember the dead, and spread light and kindness in their honour.
Instead, it was a day dominated by a political row resulting in the collapse of the opposition coalition.
"I mean, you would have thought they could have put this off for 24 hours," veteran political commentator Malcolm Farr told the BBC.
"It's at the very least unfortunate timing and shows a certain amount of self-indulgence."
