Scott Morrison thinks big on the critical action front

Scott Morrison at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Scott Morrison has moved to address the big issues facing Australia: fighting the Covid-19 virus in aged care, reopening international borders to lift economic recovery and standing firm on national security.

What the Prime Minister and cabinet have decided is all good policy and just happens to be good politics right when the Coalition needs it.

Surrounded physically in Parliament House by assorted protesters and under political siege because of divisions and disruptions, the Morrison government was facing a torrid two-week sitting of parliament with little choice but to buckle up the seat belts and put on the crash helmets.

Pressed by poor publicity and embarrassing leaks, facing an ascendant Anthony Albanese, pinned by the reality of worsening conditions and risks in aged care and having to act to protect the ruptured tourism industry, Morrison has opted to embrace action and the big picture to diminish the oxygen-eating daily media agenda of shock and scandal.

On the Monday before parliament resumes, the Nationals party was “robustly” debating Barnaby Joyce’s text meltdown, at least three Coalition MPs or senators were talking of crossing the floor and voting against government legislation, aged care was falling into an abyss of worker shortages, tourism operators were calling for lifesaving action and international tensions continue to rise.

Labor is still well placed to embarrass Morrison in question time on Tuesday over whether he’s a “liar and a hypocrite” and to try to seek the scalp of Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck and keep the government off balance, but Morrison, Greg Hunt, Karen Andrews and Peter Dutton have moved determinedly to give the government the best response - action.

Reopening the international border to double-vaxed visa holders from February 21 has been welcomed by tourism operators and business as a lifeline and a further boost to economic recovery.

Sending the ADF into aged-care homes to help fill vacancies created by Covid is a demonstration that the feds are doing what they can and support for Ukraine is a sign of big jobs beyond the pandemic.

The Opposition Leader will still be able to say it’s all “too little, too late” but Morrison has shown he’s not going to be cowed into submission or give in to a siege mentality while under siege.

Seat belts are buckled, crash helmets are on but making big decisions served to reduce media interest to one or two queries about text messages, which were brushed away.