When Scott Morrison launched the 2019 election campaign – six days before the election to maximise campaign funding being paid from the public rather than party purse – how good was everything.
How good’s mum? How good’s Jenny? How good’s family? How good am I?
“Our government has restored our nation’s finances. We have turned that around. We have kept our AAA credit rating. We have handed down, well done Josh and the entire team, the first Budget surplus in more than a decade — back in the black,” claimed FauxMo in an embarrassing display of premature congratulation.
That was about as truthful as when he put his arm around Malcolm Turnbull – something he has a bad habit of doing – and brazenly said “I’m ambitious for this guy,” as his numbers men were scurrying around the halls drumming up support. Only it wasn’t for Malcolm.
ScottyFromMarketing has no problem telling lies if he thinks it will advance his cause. Like all ad men, he wants to manipulate public opinion.
When in Opposition, he suggested, as a campaign strategy, capitalising on the electorate’s growing concerns about “Muslim immigration”, “Muslims in Australia” and the “inability” of Muslim migrants to integrate. When confronted about that last year, Scotty said he wanted to “address fears, not exploit them”. Uh huh….
During his time as Immigration Minister, Morrison showed little regard for the truth and no empathy for the people under his care.
He summarily dismissed the AHRC report on the Forgotten Children in offshore immigration detention with a vicious personal attack on Gillian Triggs.
He wrongly accused Save the Children staff of coaching children to self-harm, leading to them being deported. When his own commissioned reports showed he was wrong, and that the government had ordered the dismissals for political reasons “on no evidence or reliable information”, the government had to pay out millions in compensation and legal fees.
FauxMo also lied about the murder of Reza Berati at the hands of the people we pay to care for asylum seekers.
As soon as he was made Minister for Social Services, Morrison said the government would have to cut welfare spending in order to pay for the ‘unfunded’ NDIS. That’s the NDIS that Australians pay an extra 0.5% Medicare levy to help fund, the NDIS that the government underspent $4.6 billion on last financial year in order to deliver their ‘balanced’ (a mere $700 million in deficit, not worth mentioning) budget.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison slammed Bill Shorten’s call for a banking royal commission as a “populist whinge” and a “reckless political game”, voting against it 26 times.
After his successful coup to get the top job – and no Scott, we don’t believe your hands are clean in that tawdry affair – Morrison silenced complaints from women in his party about bullying during the leadership tussle. Linda Reynolds’ call for people to be held to account disappeared with her promotion.
ProMo has become increasingly secretive to the point where he didn’t even tell us he was leaving the country. He dismisses as gossip his invitation to a man who covered up child sex abuse to be his guest at a dinner at the White House – except it’s true.
Morrison has revelled in using public funds for his ad campaigns, be they on television or by way of grants rorting.
It is obvious from the evidence into the sports rorts affair that Bridget McKenzie did as she was instructed to do by the PM’s office. Being the man he is, Scotty made her the sacrificial lamb on a minor technicality whilst completely denying his own role in determining where, moreso than who, would get the grants.
Michael Pascoe writes in the New Daily about 11 federal programs totalling $8.1 billion that have serious question marks – or worse – over their ethics, probity and basic governance.
For ScottyFromMarketing, the corona virus has been a godsend. It has moved attention away from his woeful handling of the bushfires. He is being credited with showing leadership when, in fact, he has just got out of the road and let the experts dictate what must be done. If only he would do that about global heating. Or increasing Newstart. Or Closing the Gap. Or tackling the domestic violence crisis. Or the obesity epidemic. Or governing?
The corona virus will also give an excuse for not delivering the surplus we had supposedly already achieved before the last election.
Morrison exudes confidence but, like everything else, it’s fake. A person who was confident they were doing the right thing would welcome scrutiny, they would invite suggestions on ways to improve, they would listen to and genuinely consider alternatives. They would show respect to their colleagues rather than puerile mockery and respect to the public by being honest and transparent.
The most important qualities of a good leader are integrity, accountability, empathy, humility, resilience, vision, and positivity.
Instead, we have FauxMo the ad man.
[textblock style=”7″]
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
[/textblock]
