In his belated response to the coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s stated strategy to date seems clear. It’s that “he is not me”. Indeed, whenever he’s asked why he suddenly seems so interested in the dreaded “S” word – stimulus – he protests “it’s not a Rudd stimulus”. Methinks he doth protest too much.

I must confess I’m pleased about the distinction. That’s because I have no interest in being associated with Morrison’s tardy response to the public health and economic impact of the current crisis. Nor his failure to work with G20 counterparts, starting with the US where Morrison boasts unique access, to bring about a substantive global response to a crisis way beyond any single nation’s capacity to handle. Nor his handling of the recent fires that ravaged a continent. Nor the rank corruption of a $100 million “sports rorts” by pilfering the nation’s public finance.