This week the Great Hall of Parliament House was transformed into a rollicking fair. On Wednesday evening, stalls showcasing Tasmanian produce decorated the parquetry. There was wine of both colours and there was whisky. There was dark chocolate, soft cheese, salmon (so much salmon!), sausages and sauces. There was even the obligatory wooden chopping boards – a must at any self-respecting market.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With entry and consumption being free if you were an MP, diplomat or journalist, it will not surprise you to learn that come 6pm, the hall was abuzz with the sound of fairgoers asking each other if they had tried the salmon.
The event's helmsman was Eric Abetz, who apart from being employment minister and government leader in the Senate, is also an out-and-proud Senator for Tasmania. And so, once everyone had had a chance to find a drink, it was Abetz who took to the podium to introduce the Prime Minister.
Tony Abbott then made some brief comments about how awesome Tasmania is, before leaving the stage. As Abetz explained, Abbott – being the Prime Minister and all – had another event to get to and could not stay.
The hall was already only half concentrating on proceedings on the podium – who cares about the official spiel when there is complimentary pinot noir and sausage sandwiches! – but the overall murmur increased when instead of leaving straight away, Abbott visited nearby stalls. As Abetz continued to talk about how awesome Tasmania is, a sizeable chunk of the crowd became completely distracted by the fact that the Prime Minister was talking to a guy who sold fish, then a guy who made cheese, and then another who made whisky.
The providores were no doubt delighted. But it was awkward and distracting as Abetz kept trying to address the crowd.
The episode says much about where the Abbott government is right now with national security. It is pulling out the big and flashy guns on an issue that it says is very important. But with people doing different things at the same time, the execution is messy and counterproductive.
The government's self-proclaimed careful, methodical approach – each step painstakingly foreshadowed – to going to war in Iraq again can be contrasted with the way it has handled Team Oz.
Almost two months ago now, Tony Abbott, flanked by George Brandis and Julie Bishop, announced new counter-terrorism measures for a "safer Australia". Among the $630 million flagged for Australia's security and intelligence agencies and new laws (coming in tranches), the Prime Minister invoked the concept of "Team Australia".
This came as Abbott justified dumping the Coalition's plans to repeal sections of the Racial Discrimination Act at the same time. As he said: "With] counter-terrorism everyone needs to be part of 'Team Australia' and I have to say that the government's proposals to change 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act have become a complication in that respect".
Since then, Abbott has deployed the term more broadly, noting those who are "decent law-abiding people who support the police … and who are utterly repelled by the murderous rage of ISIL" are part of the team. As the terror alert was raised and police conducted counter-terror raids, the PM also used it to try and quell any anxiety that might be bubbling in the community. There is only a "small network of extremists," he argued. People have come to Australia because they wanted to "join our team".
The government took a lot of political pain over its decision to axe its proposed changes to 18C. It broke an election promise and has stirred up such a revolt among some Liberal MPs that they have decided to sponsor and support crossbencher Bob Day's similar bill to amend the race hate laws.
All this was in aid of community cohesion. But you have to ask, what's the point when at the same time, Abbott and other senior members of his government have carried on in the way they have about the head and facial coverings of Islamic women?
It's not just the fact that the comments of people like Cory Bernardi have not been hauled back. It's the fact that the Prime Minister's own chief-of-staff has been seen to be pushing for a ban on burqas (or more accurately, niqabs) at Parliament House. And that he himself has unnecessarily and repeatedly described the garment as "confronting". To say nothing of the bizarre bunfight about what people can and can't wear in the public galleries – driven by Abbott's ideological Ma, Bronwyn Bishop.
There has been much backpedalling by MPs across Parliament in recent days, with all calling for tolerance and goodwill. However, such comments have not made headlines in the same way that missives about burqas have. You cannot help wondering not just how much damage has already been done, but what – if anything – it will take to fix it.
Judith Ireland is a Fairfax Media journalist.
