Strewth: ScoMotion Pictures

We are witnessing the birth of Pollywood.

A scene from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's fair dunkum film. Source: Twitter

Sure, Malcolm Turnbull liked to crank out videos for social media, but the subtle enthusiasm he brought to the task has been eclipsed by the raw gusto of Scott Morrison. The new(ish) Prime Minister has been banging out videos at a prodigious rate, addressing the nation down the barrel of a camera. As ScoMo goes, so goes the nation’s government. Just yesterday we had two of his troops adding to the video mountain. We are witnessing the birth of Pollywood.

Fair dinkum films

Among the auteurs yesterday was Josh Frydenberg, whose video tipped a bucket on Labor, and not before time. There have been times the Liberal Party has taken something of a Choose Your Own Adventure approach to the ALP’s negative gearing policy. Take that fun period in 2016 when you could spin the government’s chocolate wheel and get something different each time. Turnbull managed — if we may briefly honour the late Stan Lee —to bring a touch of Incredible Hulk to it: “What Bill Shorten has done, he has set out to smash the residential housing market.” About the same time, assistant treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer took the everything-that-goes-down-must-come-up approach: “They (Labor) have got a policy that will increase the cost of housing for all Australians.” Some rapid finessing of the message followed. Anyway, no such ambiguity from the Treasurer yesterday. Unlike some of the ScoMotion Pictures we’ve been seeing, there was no feigned surprise to see you, no feet parked on the furniture, no fair dinkum. Instead Frydenberg, in what looks like just one take, walked a long way towards the camera with his hands in his pockets, maintaining an expression of appropriately pained gravitas as he went. Tougher than it sounds.

If you own your own property - under Labor’s plan, it will be worth less.

If you rent your own home - under Labor’s policy, you will pay more.

Only the Coalition can be trusted to keep your taxes low & keep the economy strong. pic.twitter.com/hxw93M5tqu

— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) November 13, 2018

Audio kills video star

Another video star yesterday was Tony Abbott who, like his colleagues, brought a naturalism that would have brought nods of approval from the ghost of Konstantin Stanislavski. (“All we ask is that an actor on the stage live in accordance with natural laws,” as the Russian theatre god wrote.) Abbott was at Coen School on Cape York Peninsula: “It’s been a bit of a sentimental journey because 10 years ago I was a teacher’s aide for three weeks here in Coen.” He let himself down a little with a rookie error, standing in the breeze with an unsheathed microphone. Cue audio havoc! It’s easily rectified with a mic cover, of course. One product we found online is called a micromuff, which would be more than up to the job.

Coen School in Cape York is a school with 90% plus attendance, where the year five kids are at or above the national average. This is a remote Australia success story so good on you Coen, you’ve done a great job. pic.twitter.com/2xMekH4eLa

— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) November 13, 2018

Shorten sweet

A small bit from Bill Shorten’s presser yesterday: “I wish Mr Morrison well.” We won’t dilute the warmth with context.

Aussie to the letter

One Christmas present possibility in the US is the Trumpy Bear, a Donald Trump-like teddy bear into which has been stuffed an “ultra cozy flag-themed blanket”. (An American flag, for those wondering.) Should there ever be a ScoMo equivalent, we’d like it to be called Bear Dinkum. (Paul Keating aficionados might hope for the Scum Bearg.) Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s flashes of Strine inspired proceedings in Senate estimates yesterday. Here’s Labor senator Glenn Sterle: “If Mr Morrison was a you-beaut managing director of Tourism Australia, why didn’t prime minister Howard refuse to save (him) from being sacked?” And: “If, as the minister’s letter asserts, PM Morrison was a competent, ridgy-didge managing director …” Over to Mathias Cormann: “While I didn’t use the words ‘ridgy-didge’, I do accept that they accurately sum up what I have expressed in this letter.” Five stars.

Yes, the #TrumpyBear is a real thing: https://t.co/78ASPAGBG8 pic.twitter.com/nbZMyCfpJy

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 12, 2018

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