Problems newly-named Prime Minister Scott Morrison will face in the top job
ANALYSIS: Scott Morrison’s rapid rise up the political ranks even before he became prime minister is likely to work against him at the next federal election.
National
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SCOTT Morrison’s rapid rise up the political ranks even before he became prime minister is likely to work against him at the next federal election even if he can rally his fractious Liberal troops in time.
He has been a star performer for the Liberal Party and was appointed to the Opposition front bench within a year of becoming the MP for Sydney’s Cronulla Shire district of Cook.
But the public never had a chance to warm to him before the Liberal-led Coalition came to power and in 2013 as the Immigration Minister he launched the publicly divisive Operation Sovereign Borders strategy to stop unauthorised boats of potential refugees coming to Australia.
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He compounded that contentious move a year later by successfully managing the change of laws to have greater power to detain without charge and return asylum seekers to their home countries. Images of children behind the razor wire gave him a public image in some quarters of hard Right conservatively heartless. He was moved out of the portfolio to the lesser profile social services portfolio a year later.
His profile was boosted when as Treasurer from 2015 he handed down two federal Budgets that moved the economy back toward surplus and were largely well received by voters. But still the public know little about him other than he stopped the boats, is not particularly charismatic and his nickname is ScoMo. His leadership pedigree remains unknown and only how he manages the leadership team in coming months will be telling.
At this stage though barring a crisis, political commentators are unanimous in the Liberal electoral chances regardless of who is at the helm.
Bill Shorten while not particularly popular in the public’s eyes has consistently polled better than Liberal leaders simply as the better of an overall bad bunch.
If the election is to be held in May next year as expected — although given the current climate of turmoil anything could happen — he is seen as right to be the next prime minister. He came to the fore of the Labor Party after an equally calamitous Labor Party post Rudd-Gillard seat swapping antics and despite arch enemies in his ranks has managed to rally his MPs behind him.
The glow of Beaconsfield mine disaster in 2006 which as the Australian Workers' Union boss he was thrust into the national limelight has dimmed his commitment to workers and their rights is understood and appreciated.
His priorities across the portfolios are known but policies remain largely uncosted and maybe not realistic but the ALP has been preparing for the election on a united front for several months and is ready. He has suffered stumbles in his leadership and his disdain for his senior colleague Anthony Albanese waiting in the wings to take his job is understood but he goes into the election on a high, particularly buoyed after four by-election wins last month.
The mood in the electorate appears too be for change — not of leaders but of governments.
Originally published as Problems newly-named Prime Minister Scott Morrison will face in the top job