Akerman: This flailing government deserves to be awarded a doctorate in desperate, hollow divisiveness
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ attacks on Peter Dutton are an attempt to distract punters from the real issues facing the nation: cost of living, failing energy policies and a national security crisis, writes Piers Akerman.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, thinks he’s on a roll with his pointed personal attacks on Opposition leader Peter Dutton. To be clear, Doc Chalmers is no medico, he’s in the same academic league as that other fall-on-the-floor comic Dr Ray (call me “Raygun”) Gunn, whose riveting attempt at Olympic breaking in Paris had the world in paroxysms of laughter.
Chalmers was awarded his PhD for his thesis on Paul Keating’s reign, titled “Brawler statesman: Paul Keating and prime ministerial leadership in Australia”. Seriously.
Chalmers, like Keating, doesn’t have any economic or finance qualifications. He wants to distract punters from the real issues facing the nation: cost of living, failing energy policies and an alarming and increasing crisis in national security when he segues into ad hominem remarks.
As all of these concerns have been exacerbated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s dismal lack of leadership, it is understandable why the Doc would like the focus firmly elsewhere.
Twice last week he attempted to maul the Opposition leader, calling him “the most divisive leader in Australia’s modern history”, displaying his appalling lack of historical knowledge.
Former Labor PM Kevin Rudd was no slouch in the division stakes and former Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull was his equal. That both men were rolled by members of their own teams is most telling.
But without testing his historical understanding, Chalmers should have mentioned Albanese for his gold medal performance in divisiveness.
No issue has riven Australia so violently in recent decades as last year’s Voice referendum and that was all the Labor leader’s work.
It was the signature policy in his May, 2022, election speech. In July, 2022, he went into great detail at the Garma Festival in East Arnhem Land before a large and adoring contingent of ABC staff flown in at taxpayers’ expense to gather material for that organisation’s relentless propaganda campaign.
The woke boards of major corporations around Australia just as enthusiastically encouraged their workers to sign on; Qantas provided free seats for the Yes campaign workers, workshops were held around the nation, but like the rest of Albanese’s agenda, there was little detail, just a lot of emotion.
On the Voice disaster, he was assisted by the hapless former minister for Indigenous affairs Linda Burney. On the day, the vibe lost.
Since last October 7, he has led another nation-splitting exercise with the secret plan to bring to Australia Gazan citizens who possibly support the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas. On the massive immigration stuff-up, Albanese played to his Left faction allies and the totally hopeless former minister Andrew Giles.
Granting tourist visas to residents of Gaza who have not undergone the same security checks as refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria, not only broke precedence but also has embroiled ASIO head Mike Burgess in a very public and extremely political imbroglio which damaged the security apparatus.
There have been at least eight Islamist terrorist incidents in Australia since 9/11 and others have been thwarted – including an ISIS-inspired plan to blow up an Etihad aircraft on the Sydney to Abu Dhabi route in 2017.
This time Albanese has divided the nation between those who think terrorist supporters should be entitled to a visitor visa and pathway to Australian residency and those who think that this is not what tolerance and multiculturalism should encompass.
Chalmers needs to rethink his speech on division before he submits it for a doctorate, or do the letters PhD really stand for Pokes holes in Doughnuts?
Got a news tip? Email weekendtele@news.com.au
More Coverage
Weakness allows hate to surge among us
As a free nation, we simply cannot continue to allow our streets to be controlled, and people’s lives to be disrupted, by thuggish activists who hate our country, writes Peta Credlin.
How weak government is letting discord fester
The lack of leadership from the Albanese government has created unprecedented social division and discord, eroding the authority of federal and state law enforcement, writes Piers Akerman.