Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her opposite number Penny Wong must hold a National Press Club debate. It’s equally important that Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Labor’s defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor do the same.
Yet the arrangements for both debates are nowhere to be seen.
Both sides of politics are constantly telling us how dire our strategic circumstances have become. Both say that Beijing’s ultra-assertive military and diplomatic postures creates a new situation for Australia. Both are committed to involving the nation in a raft of international commitments – AUKUS, the Quad, all kinds of climate change commitments. Both are concerned about Chinese activism in the South Pacific.
So how could there possibly not be separate, formal defence and foreign affairs debates?
Dutton and O’Connor’s offices are at least in negotiations and working towards a date. But there is no sign of a Payne/Wong match-up so far.
Can it possibly be that the two most powerful women in politics – leaders of their respective parties in the Senate, given charge of the most sensitive and senior portfolio outside of Treasury – would be so modest as not to front up and offer voters a stark and contrasted version of their parties’ respective offerings?
Neither of them is a natural show pony. Payne is very deliberate and measured about her media appearances. Wong has decided, perfectly sensibly, to offer as much bipartisanship as possible in foreign affairs and basic strategic settings.
But there is plenty they do disagree about.
The campaign so far has been a conspiracy of trivia, mindless electoral bribes and gotcha moments. As the sagging primary vote for each side indicates, voters are distinctly underwhelmed by the notable lack of vision, program, substance or aspiration in either side’s offerings so far.
Foreign affairs is intellectually the most rewarding, and the most demanding, portfolio. Here we have the war in Ukraine, deep uncertainty about the future of NATO, Joe Biden’s Democrats facing a wipe-out in the midterm elections, intense strategic competition between Beijing and Washington in our region, radical and destabilising advances by China in the South Pacific and in Southeast Asia, and the foreign affairs Minister and shadow minister don’t take the opportunity to publicly thrash these issues through for an hour?
We voters have a right to expect such a debate. It would be contemptuous of the nation not to have one.
Don’t be shy, Minister and shadow. Come on down. There’s lots we need to talk about.
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