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Writing about the Trump saga the other day, it occurred to Echidna how fortunate we are in Australia not to be cursed by bizarro-world politics. Then the weekend happened.
Revelations about Scott Morrison appointing himself to various portfolios while PM - health, finance and resources without telling anyone apart from Greg Hunt, not even the ministers concerned - came like a bolt from the blue. Monday saw journalists, politicians and legal experts scrambling to find out why Morrison had pulled off this secretive concentration of power and whether it was actually lawful.
But is it really that surprising the Member for Cook, now stuck in the nosebleed section of the opposition back bench, wanted his spatulate fingers deep inside the cabinet pie? He has a track record of controlling behaviour in NSW, where in the lead-up to the last election - and, indeed, in the 2019 poll - he interfered disastrously with the preselection process. The Scott Morrison marketing division may have tried to sell him as the footy-loving, daggy dad who cooks curries and builds cubby houses but the political reality is another story entirely. His own nasty preselection, the rise through the ranks of the NSW Liberal Party, his role in overthrowing Malcolm Turnbull, they all speak to a ruthless rat cunning in the pursuit of power.
We saw it on election day, with the release of information on the asylum boat interception - a clear, politically motivated departure from protocol. When former home affairs minister Karen Andrews was forced to defend the release after the election, she said: "I was asked by the prime minister to issue the statement and that is exactly what I did." Cabinet obedience was demanded and delivered - even though it departed from a regime of secrecy Morrison himself had established as immigration minister in the Abbott government. Morrison's demand that the interception be made public stands as one of the most desperate and cynical acts in recent political history.
In March, Morrison deployed his vintage marketing schtick when he warned of an "arc of autocracy" while announcing plans to build a base for the nuclear submarines he was going to acquire as part of the AUKUS arrangement. It now seems autocracy was being entrenched in Canberra by Morrison himself. There was no mention of the ministerial self-appointments in the Government Gazette, no public announcement of them and certainly no explanation.
In coming days, we will hopefully learn more about this apparent self-aggrandisement. "This is dripping out like a tap that needs a washer fixed and what we need is actually to get the full flow of all the information out there and then we'll make a decision about a way forward here," Anthony Albanese told a media conference in Melbourne.
One way forward is for Scott Morrison to explain himself. He declined to do so when asked, telling Sky News he hadn't heard what the PM had said about the affair. "Since leaving the job I haven't engaged in any day-to-day politics." That's a pretty laidback approach to the $220,000 a year job he has as a garden variety MP.
Perhaps an order from a federal integrity commission might help Scotty the quiet Australian find his voice.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Were you shocked Scott Morrison had secretly appointed himself as health, finance and resources minister? Should he come forward and explain himself? Will the Liberal Party recover from the damage he's done? Or is it just a storm in a teacup we will have forgotten by this time next week? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The head of Canberra Airport is pleased with the way police and airport staff dealt with what he called a "terrifying incident" on Sunday afternoon. A 63-year-old NSW man has been charged with recklessly discharging a firearm at a building, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and unlawfully discharging loaded arms in an act that caused another person to reasonably fear for their safety. He has not entered pleas. Chief executive Stephen Byron said counselling was available for members of the public who may have witnessed the incident when several shots were fired within the terminal.
- Concerns remain over the number of Afghan visas yet to be processed by Australia a year on from the fall of the capital Kabul to the Taliban. The federal government is looking at other visa pathways but Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has stopped short of saying Australia will raise the humanitarian visa cap of 31,500 for Afghans. More than 40,000 applications covering more than 211,000 people have been lodged. But only around 6000 permanent visas have been granted in total, Mr Giles says.
- Aged care workers are sceptical the federal government's ambitious planned reforms to the sector can be achieved, a survey shows. About half of the 1100 workers canvassed shortly after the May federal election said they planned to leave the sector within the next three years, according to the report published yesterday.
THEY SAID IT: "The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings." - John F. Kennedy
YOU SAID IT: The Trump drama and the prospect of him making a comeback are jangling nerves in the burrow.
Like many, Linda doesn't get Trump's appeal: "I am totally mystified by the cult of Trump who clearly are not troubled by his incessant and obvious lies, his bigotry (a bonus for white nationalists), his misogyny, his desire to be the dictator who destroys democracy, and his corrupt, cheating, criminal behaviour. There are enough non-cultists who can remember and think for themselves to keep him from getting enough votes. Sadly, his minions are currently working to manipulate the electoral system in swing states. Obama didn't think Trump could do irreparable damage in four or eight years. Clearly he can and did. I still don't believe he will ever be president again. I do love the Echidna and appreciate this opportunity to have a say. Thanks." Thank you, Linda, for contributing.
Elaine is hoping it's all over for the orange one: "Heaven forbid the megalomaniac Trump gets back into power, Australia and the world will be in even more strife. It does not bear considering. Thank you, Echidna, for your excellent articles and cartoons." Elaine, it's great to know you're enjoying being part of the Echidna community.
Heather reckons we should take a step back from the US: "Trump or a Trump-like figure could be in the White House again. The Republican Party seem to still be with him. We must not get too close to the USA just in case."
Brad thinks our electoral system has protected us: "Trump is a creation of the right-wing media and the first-past-the-post/voluntary voting system. There is no room for moderate, more nuanced political opinion to gain traction. So far, our independent electoral system and preferential voting have saved us from the same media-driven extremist efforts that are clearly present on our side of 'the lake'."
Diane thinks Trump's chances of a comeback are slim: "As an Aussie American it belies all common sense but I don't believe that Trump would get nominated even if he ran. I also believe that he has a great many partners in crime who are just as much of a threat. Take Santos of Florida for example. They are all cut from the same cloth. Pure cult mentality. It will be many years to change."
"A second Trump presidency would be a disaster, but at least Albo won't blindly follow his lead," says Ian.