Dominic Perrottet, Daniel Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian deserve some credit — and sympathy

Gladys Berejiklian does not deserve the hammering she is going to get. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Incumbency is always a valuable asset, but never so valuable as it is right now.

Steering Australia through the Covid-19 pandemic is difficult, but very rewarding if you get your response right.

Australia’s premiers and chief ministers can all claim to have done well. In the case of Daniel Andrews, no matter how grave the situation in Victoria might get, his popularity will remain at stellar levels — it always does. Nothing bad ever rubs off on Andrews. While the Victorian Liberals continue to trot out a succession of minions to take on the whale, Andrews has never really faced serious opposition.

Daniel Andrews. Picture: Daniel Pockett

Every time I see an Andrews press conference I am impressed by the way he handles the fourth estate. Joh Bjelke-Petersen described his information flow to the press as “feeding the chooks”. Andrews always appears to be totally genuine and sincere.

No matter how serious the situation might be, he exudes a calmness that soothes all those around him. His feathers are never ruffled. While Andrews’ political roots are in the Left he looks and sounds like a grade-A pragmatist.

He is smart enough to know that any sign of an ideologue sends an alarm through to the voters.

Dominic Perrottet deserved his shot at the title, as they say in boxing. He has slogged away as NSW Treasurer and been thoroughly loyal to his boss. He posed no threat to Gladys Berejiklian’s leadership and resolutely supported her. In fact, no one sought to undermine her which is a tribute to the kind of consultative leader she was.

Time in office failed to dent her popularity and she seems even more popular now than when she first became NSW premier. The Armenian community in Sydney’s north shore, from which she came, is a solid Liberal voting bloc and no more solid a Liberal than Gladys can ever be unveiled. There was no artifice about her and her honesty was remarkable given the occupation she had chosen.

Dominic Perrottet. Picture: AAP

She handled parliament really well, as anyone must if he or she is interested in survival. Never flustered in question time and quick to bail out any minister who was struggling, she was a real commander, unafraid of positioning herself in the front lines.

Ever since the Independent Commission Against Corruption was formed it has taken upon itself the role of judging premiers. Nick Greiner failed its test — and he set it up. This body, with all of its colossal power, needs to be shot down and Anthony Albanese needs to rethink his continual calls for a federal ICAC.

Premiers lose office if their caucus loses confidence in them or they lose an election and that is the way it should be. They should not be assassinated by a bunch of bureaucrats drunk on powers they do not deserve and should never have been given.

Berejiklian does not deserve the hammering she is going to get.

No one can seriously put the proposition that she is a malicious liar.

She seems to be paying an unbelievably high price for the smallest of crimes.

She picked the wrong bloke to fall in love with and has already paid a high price personally for that misjudgment.

For now, give her a break.