‘Steady as she goes’ governing a hit with the mob

’Anthony Albanese has a job in front of him trying to bring Scott Morrison down.’ Picture: Gary Ramage

Just when I was about to write a column getting stuck into Scott Morrison for not attending the climate summit in Glasgow, it looks likely he will change his mind and take part. He was going to be in that neck of the woods anyway for the G20 meeting in Rome.

It has always been a fine balancing act for the Coalition. The Liberals have to look as if they are running the government while the Nationals have to look as if they can pull the strings on the Liberals whenever the interests of the bush are threatened.

With a combative leader such as Barnaby Joyce at the helm of the Nationals, managing the Coalition is always going to be problematic. This is why Morrison is the right leader at the right time. I have often criticised the Prime Minister for being a mere manager and having no real passion for reform. Yet now is his time.

Australians prefer governments that are predictable, even boring. It is incredibly hard for an opposition to gain much traction when the media is not interested. Politics doesn’t rate. It doesn’t make readers cry out for more. If a government has no new policies, the opposition is pushing the proverbial uphill if it wants some media coverage. An opposition starved of coverage is an opposition in trouble. Morrison is a master of the small-target brand of politics. His platform is not bristling with too many policies or promises. He relies on the mob trusting him to provide a “steady as she goes” style of government.

Morrison never surprises but he doesn’t make too many mistakes either. It may not be exciting but it works. Oddly enough, the thing that really works for Morrison is the fact he is a genuinely nice bloke. There have been people in the top job who would never have been ascribed that description. As I have often said of him, if you needed to borrow a lawnmower he would provide his without hesitation and offer to help you with the job.

Anthony Albanese has a job in front of him trying to bring Morrison down. For all the reasons listed above, this is a difficult task. A policy-free zone is being provided by the government. Logically, then, Albanese has to criticise the government for doing nothing when a sizeable proportion of Australians prefers the government doing exactly that – nothing.

You would think the Hawke-Keating period would have convinced people that Labor could be trusted to mind the till, but even those stellar years have not been enough to encourage most Australians to come to that conclusion. Albanese’s job is made a little easier by having someone of stature such as Jim Chalmers as Treasury spokesman.

Coming up against Josh Frydenberg is no easy task. The Treasurer, like his boss, is a really good bloke and it is difficult to try to present him as an evil influence on the government. Bill Shorten has been a positive force for the opposition as well. Labor’s frontbench is at least the equal of the government’s and at this stage appears the more active.

The cabinet and the outer ministry need to be reminded they have two jobs to perform. First, they must get the policy settings right, but second, and just as important, they must get out and sell their policies. The average punter would be flat out naming six ministers out of a ministry of about 30.

The Liberals don’t need a stylish leader but Labor does. Labor seems able to win only when a charismatic figure comes to the fore. If Morrison had been leading Labor then he would never have been a prime minister.

It is tough but true that Labor leaders come under much more scrutiny than their counterparts. Julia Gillard had charisma to burn as a deputy but never quite made the transition to leader. While it may be hard to believe now, there was a time when Kevin Rudd was charismatic. His crown slipped when it became widely known that his conduct of personal relations was less than cordial.

Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke won six elections between them and they are the template for successful Labor leaders. Big brains, together with big personalities, seem to be the base qualities for winning elections under the Labor banner. Rudd won one before anyone became aware of his personal failings. You can sneak up on them once but they are ready and waiting for you the second time around. It still staggers me that Labor went back to Rudd when they knew what an unrestrained egoist he was. The old adage of “once bitten, twice shy” did not apply on this occasion, which was a measure of the sense of deprivation and desperation Labor was feeling.