Peta Credlin: Spare us the empty words — show us some action

For all the money our politicians are paid, you have to ask ‘for what?’ From the Prime Minister down, there’s plenty of talk. But how much real change is happening to make people’s lives better, writes Peta Credlin.

I have a lot of time for the NSW Deputy Premier and National Party leader John Barilaro. He’s a no-frills former chippie, who is decent and has abundant common sense. Last week, he blasted the state’s independent planning commission for kyboshing a new thermal coal mine because of its alleged impact on climate change (even though that’s not their job); and before that he’s called for the fast-tracking of dams and an end to our nuclear power prohibition. That’s all great, as far as it goes. But given he’s the 2IC of NSW, it drives me to distraction that he provides a running commentary rather than takes the running to get things done. Sadly, he’s hardly Robinson Crusoe.

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From the Prime Minister down, there’s plenty of talk. But how much real change is taking place to make people’s lives better and to address the things promised in May’s election — stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, chocked cities, bills that keep going up, and the lack of well-paid secure jobs for our young people? Sure, there are lots of studies, inquiries and more but when it comes to getting new power stations, new dams and new job creating industries, it’s all process and almost no performance. Analysis paralysis if you like.

Peter Dutton is the only member of Morrison’s cabinet who was a minister in John Howard’s government. Picture: News Corp

Part of the problem is the rapid turnover of leaders and frontbenchers. Peter Dutton aside, there’s now no one in the Morrison cabinet who was a minister in the Howard government (the PM himself I might add, wasn’t even in parliament). Nor is there anyone — not one single minister — in the Morrison cabinet who has held the same portfolio since the government came to office.

This constant churn empowers unelected, unaccountable public servants rather than elected, democratically accountable ministers.

A further part of the problem is ministers with very few ideas of their own (beyond getting and staying elected) who are especially susceptible to capture by these same bureaucrats.

With the possible exception of cities minister Alan Tudge, who’s given serious and thoughtful speeches about issues in the various portfolios he’s filled, it’s hard to think of any government minister anywhere who doesn’t stick to stating the obvious about the issues of the day.

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Nearly all of them have risen without trace, giving no hints about their real thoughts except why their side is right and the other side wrong.

But if federal ministers are scarcely visible and largely unknown, the problem is infinitely worse with the states; whose ministers, almost to a man and a woman, could traverse the CBD without being noticed, even though state governments run the public schools, public hospitals and public transport and are responsible for infrastructure, for planning and for essential services.

Last week, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews scored a $47,000-a-year pay rise, taking his salary to almost $450,000 a year.

The Victorian Water Minister, who last week said that there was no point building more dams because they’d never fill up (due to climate change!), gets paid $352,000 a year. The NSW Planning Minister gets $310,000 a year — but it’s hard to know what for because all the hard decisions, like rejecting new mines and tall buildings, are made by bureaucrats and so-called ‘independent commissions’.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has seen his salary rise to almost $450,000 a year. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

And then there are the bureaucrats, who are even less well-known whose decisions they guide, but who never have to explain themselves to the public; and yet who often earn twice as much as the politicians with the PM’s top official around $900,000, and others even more. For all their anonymity, bureaucrats are past masters at pulling the wool over the eyes of weak ministers; and even with strong ones, can prevaricate until the minister is worn down, reshuffled out, or the government is defeated.

Let’s hope while the PM is in the US he gets a shot in the arm being in such close quarters with a President that gets things done. There’s a lot that Donald Trump says (and tweets) that I take exception to, but I can rarely fault what does.

Watch Peta Credlin on Sky News, weeknights from 6pm.

Originally published as Peta Credlin: Spare us the empty words — show us some action