Coronavirus: Scott Morrison’s arguments no match for premiers’ political self-interest

Scott Morrison chairs a national cabinet meeting in August. Picture: Adam Taylor / PMO

Scott Morrison is facing his first full-scale defeat in national cabinet over his proposal to use virus hotspots to limit interstate travel instead of border closures.

The days of unity and of “all being in it together” among the nation’s leaders are over.

Queensland wants a fight, no matter what the cost.

The Prime Minister’s authority and his ability to achieve consensus between the federal, state and territory governments have been dealt a severe blow at the hands of recalcitrant premiers no longer frightened into unity by the unknown threat of COVID-19 and commonwealth largesse.

The diversity of national cabinet and its flexibility to deal with states’ rights, which was the case over school closures, has foundered on the economy-crushing cement bollards of internal state borders.

Illogical, costly and life-threatening state borders were one of main reasons for Federation and are now the biggest threat to a national approach to fighting coronavirus infections and economic recovery.

The overwhelmingly popular border closures within Queensland and Western Australia, with the real consequence, particularly on the Queensland border, of denying Australians timely, full and emergency hospital care, and further depressing the economy, are dividing all state, territory and federal governments.

Even Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews is doing what he possibly can to talk about reopening the economy and lifting border restrictions.

If the national cabinet process survives the current border crisis, it will be in a new phase of gradual aggregation of agreement over time rather than the almost instant, shared decisions of the past six months.

Morrison is facing pressure from Anthony Albanese and federal Labor over the national cabinet and his inability to direct the premiers, as well as criticism from his Liberal colleagues over his refusal to criticise recalcitrant state leaders.

But clearly frustrated by what is an illogical, cruel and politically driven Queensland insistence on border closures that allows sporting glitterati from Victoria to enjoy sunny holidays, Morrison is still refusing any invitation for a political fight and is determined to rebuild the national cabinet consensus and Federation a brick at a time before Christmas.

His focus is on the eastern seaboard border closures because they are more difficult and dangerous to people’s daily lives and are more disruptive to the economy than the geographically isolated WA.

But Annastacia Palaszczuk, who is going to the polls next month, is seeking a false fight — not just to the detriment of the national cabinet and Morrison but also to people’s welfare and jobs, including those of Queenslanders.