Reflecting back on the Coalition’s six years in Opposition, it’s no wonder they are in such trouble now.
Instead of developing policy, think about what they spent their time doing.
They pursued Peter Slipper and Craig Thomson mercilessly in an effort to bring down a minority government.
They spent years trying to pin some wrongdoing on Julia Gillard from decades ago, before she even entered politics.
On a daily basis, they announced a running tally of asylum seeker boat arrivals and ranted endlessly about the “Egyptian jihadist terrorist kept behind a pool fence” (who turned out to be an accountant)..
Joe Hockey cried about the unaccompanied minors who may be sent offshore while Bronwyn Bishop described the Malaysia solution as a “hideous trade in human flesh.”
They decried the stimulus package that helped Australia avoid the recession the rest of the world suffered and spent endless time talking about pink batts and school halls.
Day after day, they screamed like banshees about the “great big new tax on everything” chanting “axe the tax”. (A bit rich from the party that brought us the GST)
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation was a green slush fund making non-commercial loans with taxpayers’ money.
The mining tax was simultaneously destroying jobs whilst raising no revenue.
Labor was killing the car industry by insisting that claims for business usage be supported by a log book.
The NBN was an expensive “white elephant”.
Labor spent too much on foreign aid and not enough on defence (read strike force capability and attacks on other countries).
We had a “debt and deficit disaster” because the government was “spending like a drunken sailor.”
Labor backstabbed a sitting Prime Minister and were riven by disunity and dysfunctional navel-gazing.
Aside from their usual union bashing and lower taxes for the wealthy, the only policies they came up with were Greg Hunt’s Direct Action, which has seen us pay billions to make emissions rise, and Tony’s signature Paid Parental Leave Scheme that didn’t even make it past his own party.
Contrast that with Shorten’s Labor Opposition who have developed policies on taxation reform including negative gearing, capital gains, superannuation and family trusts. They have a plan to have 50% renewable energy by 2030 and to introduce new emissions standards for motor vehicles. They have pledged to invest in TAFE and apprenticeships. To name a few.
As the Opposition continues to develop and announce policy, the government has mired itself in Tony Abbott’s mud pit.
In response to Penny Wong’s heartfelt speech about the children of same-sex couples, Abbott cast his side as the victims.
“It is not homophobic to maintain that, ideally, children should have both a mother and a father. Yet I fear much moral bullying in the weeks to come – invariably from those demanding change.”
And therein lies the problem at the heart of this government.
Aside from constantly blaming others in any discussion (think Gillian Triggs), Tony simply cannot handle change. He cannot react to changing circumstances let alone anticipate them. He cannot absorb new information because he is too entrenched in his long-held views. He strongly feels the ‘natural order’ of the past must be defended – that we should do things the way we have always done them.
And he isn’t the only one.
Our Deputy Prime Minister (for now) and many of his Nationals are equally responsible for hamstringing the government.
To stay leader of the Liberal Party, Turnbull has to appease Abbott and his band of dinosaurs. To get the support of the Nationals to govern, he has to give Barnaby what he (read Gina) wants. To get anything through the Senate, he has to deal with Pauline Hanson’s crazies.
The only way this impasse can be broken is for Turnbull to stand up and actually start leading his party and reminding the Nats that they are very much the junior partner who would never sit on the government benches without the assistance of the Liberals. In fact, at the 2013 election, the Liberals won 74 seats on their own (16 of the 22 LNP elected members were from the Liberal Party). He should also cut One Nation out of negotiations (they’re mad as cut snakes) and concentrate on Xenephon.
Unless that happens, the very loud conservative minority in our parliament will continue to hold the country back in the last century.
They have already wasted 10 years. How long will it take them to come up with a policy that works?
