Coalition learns Politics 101

THE Liberal Party’s failed leadership spill motion seems to have changed its leader after all.

Tony Abbott is still in the job, of course, but the scare has prompted dramatic changes in his style and substance.

A sharply revised communications strategy has the Prime Minister and frontbenchers doing more live interviews while they shift the debate onto their areas of strength.

And the Coalition spruikers are trying to kick the habit of slogans and talking points – the crack-cocaine of modern political communications – by relaxing into more engaging conversations.

This is the sort of approach that critics, including in The Australian, have been urging on the government.

And if the polls are any guide, the public appreciates it.

The new strategy was biting last week when the Prime Minister’s Boeing 737 landed at Sydney airport on the morning of a parliamentary sitting day.

As soon as its engines wound down a whining sound was heard in Canberra - press gallery journalists were whingeing about being isolated from the media appearance.

They complained that Abbott had not held a press conference in the nation’s capital for a fortnight.

He hadn’t been media shy – quite the opposite – but his nine press conferences over that period had all occurred away from Capital Hill.

By adopting the tactic of talking around, rather than through, the Canberra press gallery, Abbott is denying those journalists the opportunity to shape and frame his agenda.

For Coalition politicians, who often confront gallery antagonism, this is a tried and tested routine.

Such plans can never be absolute and since that Sydney trip last Wednesday, Abbott has made two Canberra press calls.

In the past fortnight he and his ministers have saturated the media - Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Joe Hockey, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have been most prominent.

Breakfast television, morning radio and evening current affairs programs have been peppered with pollies; dealing with the unavoidable leadership questions, then shifting onto their preferred ground of economic reform, policy revisions and national security.

This is demanding and time-consuming but it is the only way to overcome skewing through the press gallery prism.

Gallery journalists sometimes obsess over leadership, Senate censure motions or the site of Prime Ministerial press conferences when the government prefers to talk to the public about foreign investment in real estate, national security and dropping its Medicare co-payment.

Abbott and his frontbenchers have tried to engage with the electorate, taking questions (even on occasions answering them!) and doing it in a more relaxed style.

The Prime Minister’s strongest moment was probably his self-deprecating joke in a joint press conference with New Zealand’s popular and recently re-elected Prime Minister, John Key, at the weekend.

“John and I obviously have discussed leadership,” said Abbott, “and I’ve come to the clear conclusion that John’s leadership is safe!”

It is early days. The new approach can only help Abbott and the government if they can maintain the energy each and every day.

And it is not only about media. Tellingly, Abbott delayed confirming his Iraq deployment and Medicare co-payment announcements until he had discussed them with his party room.

This was a welcome courtesy extended to his team.

Again, such processes will only work if Abbott adopts them as the new norm.

Apart from dumping troublesome policies Abbott has been upfront about admitting error (on Medicare) and accepting alternative views (he was generous towards Palmer United Party’s Jacquie Lambie when announcing the revised defence pay offer).

In a way, this is a return to Politics 101 - Abbott is dancing with the ones who “brung” him and showing respect to those he needs.

He and his team have started talking to voters instead of dumping ill-formed decisions on them.

If he continues to recover and survives, Abbott might look back on his leadership scare as a turning point similar to John Howard’s “mean and tricky” memo from then party president Shane Stone in 2001.

Unwelcome but justified criticism can sometimes prompt much-needed change.