Reinvigorated Scott Morrison turns the tables on recalcitrant premiers

Scott Morrison in Canberra on Thursday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Scott Morrison is at his best when he is campaigning. And now he has a campaign.

The Prime Minister has tapped into the anger that had been directed at him only weeks ago and has now turned it back on the premiers.

Any sense that the country was adrift has been arrested with Morrison’s strident performances this week.

Having appeared powerless against the premiers, who had been calling the shots, and vulnerable to federal Labor’s tactical attacks, he is now dictating terms to them.

Ironically, in the vaccine rollout he has now found a platform for the national leadership he had been accused of lacking.

It is one of the few domains of the commonwealth available to Morrison to re-establish some authority over the national cabinet.

In hindsight, it was remarkable that the state and territory leaders signed up to the national plan, given it would refocus the political attention back on them.

It is they, not Morrison, who will have to explain to their citizens why they remain locked down when a majority of people are vaccinated.

For the past 18 months, the politics of the pandemic have been about telling people what they can’t do. The political dynamic has shifted since the NSW outbreak, with almost 60 per cent of the country in lockdown.

Morrison has separated himself from the old thinking and aligned himself with what he believes will become an irresistible majority of people by the end of the year.

He will claim further vindication of his position on Friday when the revised Doherty modelling is presented to the premiers.

The Australian understands this will show that the national plan to reopen the country at 70-80 per cent vaccination rates remains sound at whatever level the case numbers may be.

It will show that the number of deaths from Covid-19 won’t be materially different if there are few cases or high case numbers.

This extinguishes the argument of the recalcitrants who want to keep shifting the goalposts on the national plan.

The same applies to the inclusion of 12 to 15-year-olds in the total vaccination rate.

Again, the Doherty modelling will show this doesn’t materially change the parameters.

In other words, another red herring by those seeking to crab-walk away from reopening out of fear that their public health units won’t cope.

The election is still at least seven months away, but Morrison this week showed signs of a renewed confidence that has left Anthony Albanese dodging the big question while trying to bundle up a critical mass of the aggrieved in the hope of turning them into a constituency.