Morrison finally pencils in a win for women

Illustration: Eric Lobbecke

Scott Morrison’s neglect in appointing good women to key posts was beginning to look inexcusable. Until Monday, when word leaked that Ita Buttrose was going to become chair of the ABC.

It was Morrison himself who, over summer, chose Buttrose after it became clear the headhunters — who should refund their fees to the taxpayer — had come up with three blokes, Ian Robertson, Kim Williams and Greg Hywood, each of whom could have done the job but none of whom would have excited interest. Except in a bad way.

Being chair of the ABC is a bit like being governor-general. It is a very important job where the occupant is largely a figurehead.

That’s not to say Buttrose lacks the qualities to succeed in her new gig. Another distinguished former chairman, Donald McDonald — who also had a rough beginning because he was friends with the conservative prime minister who appointed him — is convinced she has them in spades.

In any case the chair doesn’t run the ABC. Not that anyone does, really, although the managing director, selected by the board and the chair, is supposed to.

The chair and the managing director can set tone and direction, make appointments, try to hire and fire, do their best to change the culture, while acting as buffers between the politicians, the vocal spruikers of Left and Right, and the broadcaster. Ultimately, though, staff run the place.

Until Buttrose, Morrison’s captain’s picks were suspect. It was about time he led by example. A prime minister cannot lecture his party to choose more and better women, given the Liberals regard quotas as anathema, if he doesn’t take his own advice when he has the chance.

His failure to appoint capable women is nowhere more obvious than in his own cabinet.

At a time when the party is under fire over lack of female representation, Morrison does not have a woman in his cabinet — other than soon-to-be-retired Kelly O’Dwyer, bless her — prepared or able to get out there day or night to argue the government’s case. And boy, or rather girl, does it show.

Morrison has spent this week desperately trying to convince Australians that Liberals really truly deeply care about the environment. First he released his climate solutions package — as close as he dares come to mentioning climate change — picking up where Tony Abbott left off, which commits billions to impress upon us, among other things, how important it is to enhance the quality of our land, sea and air by reducing emissions.

Melissa Price was there when he announced it. But later the Environment Minister was nowhere to be seen or heard spruiking the government’s splendid plan for the environment.

The next day, when Morrison picked up where Turnbull left off on Snowy 2.0. Price was present and spoke briefly.

Later from Price, again nothing. Zero emissions! Her personal emissions reduction target. People see through windbags or media tarts but there is a happy medium which Price shows no interest in exploring.

Michaelia Cash, formerly a star of the Turnbull government, is still in cabinet, responsible for, er, whatever, you have to look it up, because these days she is seldom seen outside the Senate chamber or a courtroom.

Marise Payne does what foreign ministers do and travels a lot, but she also does what her predecessors haven’t and puts the media on strict rations. It’s a pity because when she does front, she does it well.

As I have written before there were other capable women who should have been given decent promotions, including Linda Reynolds, Anne Ruston and Sarah Henderson — instead of Cash and Price — particularly as Julie Bishop’s departure, first from cabinet and soon from parliament, has deprived the Liberals of one of their most energetic and most popular figures, male or female.

Bishop has faults, which I have written about before — and let’s get real here, it’s not like the men were or are perfect — but she was the only woman in the federal party with leadership potential, first identified by Peter Costello in 1998. He opened her campaign for Curtin because Howard couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Howard’s good friend Allan Rocher, who had quit the Liberals after losing preselection because of factional power plays, was running as an independent against Bishop. Howard would not personally campaign against him.

All those vilifying Julia Banks for quitting and going to the crossbench, then announcing she would be running against the deeply internally unpopular Health Minister Greg Hunt in his seat of Flinders, seem to have forgotten that.

Bishop failed in her leadership bid for a number of reasons but it will now be a long time before another Liberal female can put her hand up.

The dearth of good men, particularly if there is a wipeout, is also very real. That’s a column for another day.

Replacing Bishop will take a long time. There are some impressive female candidates this year — Jacinta Price in Lingiari and Fiona Kotvojs in Eden Monaro spring to mind — but there should have been many more, and in safer seats.

Once upon a time the likes of Zali Steggall and Kerryn Phelps would have been seen as great candidates for the Liberals. Smart, professional, articulate women with small-L liberal leanings were the lifeblood of the party. Women like Bishop and Banks.

Morrison had made two other decisions over summer which sent the wrong message to Liberal preselectors and to the community generally about the role of women in the government.

The first was when he appointed David Hurley as the next governor-general. No offence to Hurley. He seems like a very nice man with a lovely family.

But he already has a pretty good job as Governor of NSW.

And no offence to the man he replaces, Sir Peter Cosgrove, who has done a terrific job, but did we really need another ex-military male at Yarralumla?

Was there no woman in Australia, not one of the roughly 12.4 million, capable of doing the job? Bishop perhaps? Or even Ita?

Then, in the marginal seat of Gilmore vacated by Ann Sudmalis after she complained of bullying, Morrison stepped in to impose a man when local preselectors had already chosen another man to ­replace her.

Warren Mundine, who had tried and left two other political parties — Labor and the Liberal Democrats — joined the Liberals only hours before Morrison announced he was the candidate.

Buttrose helps tip the scales back a fraction, but the Liberals have a long way to go.