Opinion: Scott Morrison puts his faith in his inner-ScoMo
THE sight of Scott Morrison embracing his folksy side for a positive political impact, reminds national affairs editor Dennis Atkins of a former Queensland politician whose career was defined by an unflagging populism.
CM Insight
Don't miss out on the headlines from CM Insight. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHEN Scott Morrison signed off from his interview yesterday morning with the ABC’s AM host Sabra Lane, he threw in a three word shout out to his local footy team.
“Go the Sharks,” enthused the prime minister.
His team, which he lists as one of his three great loves (in there with his family and the Liberal Party), was last night beaten by the Melbourne Storm in a preliminary final.
It would have been a big deal had they won because they would have taken on the winner of next week’s preliminary in the grand final at ANZ Stadium.
However, it was the folksy, unforced nature of Morrison’s comment that caught the ear.
A day earlier he’d done the same when he was filmed for a social media account going into Question Time talking about the crisis gripping the nation — the contamination of strawberries.
After repeating the tough penalties that would apply to anyone caught putting needles in strawberries or any other fruit would face 10 to 15 years in prison, Morrison had an immediate, practical thing people could do.
“Buy some strawberries, just like normal,” he said holding a pennet of the red fruit.
“This weekend, I’m making curry and Jen’s making a pav – that means we can support our industry and help them get back on their feet.”
He then popped an apparently cut up strawberry in his mouth and marched off to Parliament.
Again it was simple, folksy and likeable.
In fact the way Morrison has been handling himself since the leadership crisis has been very much in the everyman style.
He’s been likened to another everyman Liberal leader, John Howard, but perhaps the comparison can be found on the other side of the political fence.
Morrison is not unlike the great Queensland Labor populist leader Peter Beattie who reinvented folksie.
Beattie loved showing off his common man pursuits – he was and remains a passionate Broncos fan and has now gone on to be chairman of the National Rugby League.
When a crisis struck, Beattie would own it. And he didn’t mind a visual reminder of just how daggy he might be.
Morrison is the same. Listen to him talking about why he wears a trucker’s cap and not an Akubra when he ventures outside.
“I look like a pretty weird bit of gear when I wear an Akubra,” Morrison said on the FM radio show Fitzy and Wippa on Nova yesterday.
“I have got my Haines hat and that sort of thing and that’s what I wear. I look like a bit of a dag but that’s alright.”
None of this means Morrison can turn around what is a listing political ship in rough waters.
The leadership change has so far only confirmed the determination of Australian voters to see off the Coalition at the next election. A four to six point gap has blown out to eight to 10 points with a potential casualty list of some 20 Liberal and National MPs.
However, Morrison soon pulled together an ascendancy over Labor’s Bill Shorten both in respect of favourability and preferred prime minister.
With the election still almost eight months away, Coalition strategists hope they can reverse some of the anti-government sentiment and, if it endures, leverage Morrison’s personal standing to at least get the popular vote back to a position where losses can be minimised.
Having seen two weeks of Parliament with Morrison in charge, it’s clear he has grown in the job day by day.
His first week was faltering, still seeking to keep a lid on internal Liberal Party fallout from the regicide of Malcolm Turnbull and the consequential eruption of claims of bullying and misogyny from a string of prominent Coalition women.
At one point the pressure showed when he told Shorten to “get over it” after Labor asked yet another question inquiring why Turnbull had been dumped.
The second week was more confident and offered a stronger platform from which Morrison could strut his stuff.
He even took the opportunity to taunt Shorten saying the Labor leader had lost some of his confidence in the House.
How this contest plays out is unclear but it has developed a slightly sharper edge than was apparent when Turnbull was still prime minister.
Dennis Atkins is The Courier-Mail’s national affairs editor.
RBA rate cut is ‘same old economic circle jerk’
While many were quick to welcome last week’s rate cut, some say it’s a “bad joke” that’s unlikely to mean much for households because of one thing. HAVE YOUR SAY
‘Spiritual duty’: Minister silent on heavenly housing solution
A priest whose flock sold its church to the government has backed a planned housing solution, but there’s no response from church or state.