Friday 1 January 2016

After taking out the trash this week, Malcolm Turnbull is missing in action

Extract from The Guardian


The PM is like a doctor who only wants to breaks good news to a patient, and then calls in the pathologist if the tests show up something nasty that needs explaining.

‘All of this shows a pm who’s not prepared to be straight with the Australian people about why he’s made a decision.’ Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP


Thursday 31 December 2015 16.53 AEDT


On Tuesday, our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, thought he’d quietly take out his political trash. But he was caught red-handed.
The concept of “taking out the trash” was famously featured in the classic TV political drama, The West Wing. Put simply, it means saving up all your bad news, and then releasing it all on one day. The idea is that the details get lost in flood of information, limiting the political damage.
Earlier this week, using the cover of the Christmas break, this was exactly the trick Malcolm Turnbull tried to pull. And he’s been busted. Big time.
In less than a day, the Turnbull Government confirmed it was cutting $30bn from schools, pulled more money out of Medicare, and announced that two ministers, Mal Brough and Jamie Briggs, were being dumped from the front bench due to scandal.
Yet again, this whole episode exposes Malcolm Turnbull’s poor judgment.
Mr Turnbull showed poor judgment in thinking no one would notice him sneaking out all the bad news out over the summer break. But Australians weren’t fooled. We don’t like being taken for mugs, especially by our own prime minister.
Mr Turnbull showed poor judgment in thinking that while he rips $30bn from schools (an average $3.2m from every school), no one would remember the Liberals’ election promise that no school would be worse off.
Mr Turnbull showed poor judgment in thinking Australians would say nothing about his cuts to Medicare being used to plug the budget deficit his Government has doubled.
But most concerningly, Mr Turnbull showed poor judgment in relation Mal Brough, right from day one.
There were red flashing lights around Mr Brough from the beginning. Allegations of illegal conduct by Mr Brough in the Ashby affair were already out there. Malcolm Turnbull should never have appointed him in the first place, an appointment that was obviously to repay Mr Brough’s effort as the Turnbull numbers man in the attack on Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Even after Mal Brough had his property raided by the Australian Federal Police, Mr Turnbull didn’t act. Finally now, in the quiet period around Christmas, when he thinks nobody is listening, the Prime Minister puts out a short statement dumping Mal Brough (and Jamie Briggs) from the ministry.
Malcolm Turnbull was defending Mal Brough right through the last days of parliament. The prime minister failed to explain why he took the decision to dump Mal Brough now. If Mal Brough had Malcolm Turnbull’s full confidence a month ago, what’s changed?
All of this shows a prime minister who’s not prepared to face up to his responsibilities, who’s not prepared to be straight with the Australian people about why he’s made a decision.
When there’s a good news story it’s “Malcolm in the middle” of the press pack, but when there’s anything difficult to answer he’s nowhere to be seen.
He went missing for four days after the mid year economic update. And he’s not fully explaining himself now.
He’s like a doctor who only wants to breaks good news to a patient, and calls in the pathologist if the tests show up something nasty that needs explaining.

The prime minister says he wants to have a conversation with the Australian people – that means fronting up for the tough talks, not just the easy ones. And it means being answerable for the dodgy judgment of appointing Mal Brough in the first place.

No comments:

Post a Comment