Steve Price: Albanese government now has rotting smell of Rudd
Not since Captain Chaos — Kevin Rudd — have we seen such a circus in Canberra. Why is it the nation, the state and the city are all run by weak-kneed, agenda-driven ideologues?
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Albanese government is disintegrating before our very eyes. Not since Captain Chaos — Kevin Rudd — have we seen such a circus in Canberra.
Sadly, for Victorians our state and local leaders are just as dysfunctional and hopeless. What has happened to political leadership in Australia? Where is the modern-day Hawke, Howard, Kennett or Bracks? How is it that the nation, the state and the city are all run by weak-kneed, agenda-driven ideologues?
In a timely coincidence all the “clowns” were in the same room on Wednesday in Canberra for National Cabinet and the train wreck media conference that followed!
Most of us thought it impossible for Canberra to be worse than Rudd and Wayne Swan but Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers are giving them a run for their money. Australia at all levels is now run by political staffers, arts graduates, student activists and arrogant lawyers (think Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus this week).
Looking back, Rudd, who was elected in 2007 to end the John Howard years, wasn’t that bad. He became famous of course for his financial rescue package following the financial crisis known as the GFC meltdown. He gave us the deadly pink batts scheme, cash for clunkers — buying back old cars — and of course billions spent on school shade cloths whether the schools wanted them or not.
History hasn’t been kind to Kevin, but it was pinks batts that really turned Australians against him. The program called the Energy Efficient Homes Package came to symbolise just what a dreadful leader he was.
Part of the homes package was something called the Home Insulation Program.
In simple terms eligible households could apply for up to $1600 of roof insulation for free. Sadly, that led to the program being rorted, installers with no experience died (four young men) and dozens were seriously injured. In the end a Royal Commission was needed and by that time Rudd was long gone after two clueless stints as PM.
Eighteen months into the Albanese reign this Labor government has the rotting smell of Rudd about it.
The High Court refugee release debacle these last few weeks might even put pink batts in the shade. Releasing over 140 detainees including murderers, wife bashers, pedophiles and drug offenders loose and then having at least three of them allegedly commit crimes while ignoring restraining orders is as bad as it gets.
For the PM and the two Ministers responsible – Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles – to then hide under their desks until midweek ignoring media questions and dodging public anger was unforgivable. No leadership!
This goes to the heart of modern-day Labor politicians running our country and states. Somehow, they believe they are not accountable to the wider public via traditional media with the most recent example being the former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his various media bans on 3AW and even the ABC.
I called out his replacement Premier Jacinta Allan this week and labelled her weak-kneed response to Nazi thugs wearing full face coverings and marching through Ballarat “weasel words”, and they were. The Socialist Left Premier didn’t dare query why her police force didn’t stop the march, demand the masks were removed and throw these cowardly misfits into the back of paddy wagons for one reason.
It would have meant the next time a climate change protest or a march for Palestine took place the police would also have been expected to make arrests. Remember it was perfectly fine when Premier Allan was Dan Andrews deputy for Victoria Police to use rubber bullets on anti-vaxxers but apparently not neo-Nazis or Jew haters.
Again, it goes to the question of strong political leadership. It doesn’t exist. In Victoria there is no better example than the secretive actions behind the scenes to scrap the Commonwealth Games costing taxpayers more than $800m. Former Premier Andrews drove the decision and the new Premier was the Minister in charge.
Andrews of course is now gone – retired (jumping ship) before many critical reports on his time including the Victorian Ombudsman’s report of this week.
Deborah Glass’ report was scathing claiming the former Premier’s office had public servants too scared to deliver independent advice that they buried major projects in secrecy including the $125bn Suburban Rail Loop. Incredibly the former Premier had more staff in his office than the Prime Minister and NSW Premier combined.
The Premier has a mountain of debt left to deal with. The Auditor General two weeks ago revealed gross State debt will hit an eye-watering $212bn by 2027 and the state total debt will be $256bn. Spending has outstripped revenue – that’s money spent versus money coming in – by an unmanageable $43.7bn the last four years, much of it paying a bloated 300,000 public servants.
The Herald Sun asked the Premier this week how many staff she had in her office – simple question I would have thought. Her answer: “In response to some previous reports that have been tabled in the Victorian parliament, we’ve made some in-principal commitments to, in terms of releasing additional detail on that.”
Fill you with confidence? No way.
On a local level as I have said over and over, Lord Mayor Sally Capp has overseen the destruction of the CBD with bikes lanes and giant tram stops and the lack of strength to convince Andrews and now Allan to force public servants back to city desks.
The state is financially broke, rudderless and the CBD is decaying. The state opposition keeps fighting itself and the City Council is unaccountable.
We desperately need some leaders, and I can’t see where they come from.
Originally published as Steve Price: Albanese government now has rotting smell of Rudd
Bond: It’s not Coles and Woolies’ fault you’re broke
Anthony Albanese would love you to think Coles and Woolies are behind your battered bank balance. Don’t fall for it, writes Caleb Bond.
Panahi: Jewish community right to feel betrayed by Allan government
Jacinta Allan and Victoria Police command have done jack all to stop the regular anti-Israel rallies in the past year, but it was a different story when Victorians were protesting the state’s draconian Covid-era policies.