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We'd hoped to be able to write about the other stuff that happened on Wednesday. The efforts by scientists to bring back from extinction by genetic engineering the thylacine. The slower than expected wage growth in the face of inflation. The bounceback in consumer confidence. Liz Cheney's loss in Wyoming and the inevitable Trump fist-pumping that will follow.
But no. Here we are again, compelled to focus on Scott Morrison and that infamous power grab. When the former PM called a lunchtime press conference yesterday, there was a brief flicker of anticipation that maybe he'd resign and allow the political dialogue to get back on track. What we got instead was classic Morrison dissembling, blame shifting and gaslighting - and a refusal to resign. There was also a generous dollop of poor me.
"There was a clear expectation established in the public's mind, certainly in the media's mind, and absolutely certainly in the mind of the Opposition, as I would walk into question time every day, that I, as prime minister, was responsible pretty much for every single thing that was going on, every drop of rain, every strain of the virus, everything that occurred over that period of time," he said. So many hoses and not enough hands to hold them.
He didn't inform the ministers whose portfolios he was administratively sworn into, he said, because he didn't want to undermine their confidence. And, apart from the intervention in Keith Pitt's resources portfolio for transparently political reasons well after the pandemic's peak, he'd never exercised the powers he had accumulated. Distilled right down, Morrison basically told the nation his actions, probably lawful but ethically questionable, were in the national interest. It was domineering Dad telling the quarrelsome kids he knows best and to stop arguing with him.
For those watching, it was a reminder of what voters ditched on May 21: the doubletalk, the control of the narrative, the headache inducing spin. For the opposition, it was a depressing reminder they face a torrid time in September when Parliament resumes. It won't be the government under scrutiny, it will be the Coalition. You can hear it already: "Mr Speaker, my question is for the Member for Cook, former prime minister, health minister, home affairs minister, finance minister, treasurer and resources minister..."
The longer Morrison, reveling in the renewed limelight, hangs around, the weaker the opposition looks. Risking defeat at a by-election in Cook is nothing on the self-inflicted wound that won't heal if ScoMo clings to his spot on the back bench. Forget the "Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years", the "Morrison-Morrison-Morrison-Morrison-Morrison years" aren't going anywhere.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Was Morrison's explanation of his secret portfolio grab convincing? Do you wish this story would go away? Should scientists be trying to resurrect the thylacine? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- NSW Police maliciously pursued washing machine repairman Bill Spedding over unreliable child sexual assault claims as part of a "high risk and improper strategy" to help their investigation into William Tyrrell's disappearance, a judge has been told. Mr Spedding is suing the State of NSW in the Supreme Court for malicious prosecution, seeking compensation for reputation harm and psychological treatment. He's also seeking exemplary damages to punish police for purportedly using the courts for an improper purpose.
- Australia's highest court has ruled Google is not a publisher of news content, finding search engine hyperlinks do not amount to publication. A majority of High Court justices on Wednesday found Google was not the publisher of a defamatory article by The Age about a Victorian lawyer, as it was a search engine that only provided hyperlinks to such content.
- A new disaster prevention authority, rescue training for residents in flood-prone areas and a back office merger of emergency services will form part of the NSW government's response to this year's devastating floods. Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced he has accepted every recommendation in a report by former chief scientist Mary O'Kane and former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller.
THEY SAID IT: "Leadership - leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses." - Mitt Romney
YOU SAID IT: The Morrison millstone around the opposition's neck and whether he should resign got you talking but not always agreeing.
Vince took issue with the topic: "How about a hack job piece on our current non-performing PM? No? Yet another coal-raking Old Mother Hubbard piece. Very boring and repetitive nonsense." Sorry you feel that way, Vince, but a PM secretly assuming powers seems an important issue in a democracy.
Kevin is breathing a sigh of relief: "The COVID-19 crisis must have provided Scott Morrison with a perfect opportunity to extend his power and control over his government of Australia. His excuses for the extra ministries ring hollow, in the very same manner that many of his previous statements have landed. I do think Australia has dodged a bullet here, given his disdain for public accountability and institutions like Parliament."
Rosa reckons the media should move on: "Nothing ScoMo did in the past or does in the present or future could possibly damage the LNP any more than it is already damaged by their own actions and inactions over the past decade. Who cares if he stays or goes? They are an irrelevant mob. It's only the media, including the ABC (tragically), who keep wheeling them out as if we could even be vaguely interested in seeing their hated images in front of our damaged eyes. All I'm interested in is what an ICAC with teeth will manage to find and to see lawbreakers punished so we never have to put up with such a lawless, immoral, self-absorbed mob ever again."
Peter says: "The right and honourable thing would be for Scott Morrison to resign. That said we can expect him to do the opposite. I have only recently began receiving your newsletter. Thank you for your insightful articles and to Fiona for her great cartoons." Thanks, Peter. Your expectations were correct.
Derek wants Morrison to stay put: "Let him keep doing harm to his party. He has always been and will always be pompous and overblown."
Mark says the real focus should be on Peter Dutton: "The broader issue is that it shows that Dutton does not have the skill to be a true leader if he thinks that he can have someone who is so contemptuous of his own party and colleagues to sit in the party room. It can't be out of loyalty, because Morrison has demonstrated that he has none, and therefore none is owing in return. Dutton can afford to lose another seat, since it doesn't matter that much, but he can't afford to be a weak leader. He should force Morrison to resign to re-establish liberal conventions and demonstration of the right way to behave."
Michael suspects there's a witch hunt against Morrison: "There's no question that in extraordinary times, such as in the middle of a pandemic, we expect our leaders to use those measures in place at short notice to protect us and to do what may be required in order to maintain order and safety. We don't expect our leaders, at such times, to waste time justifying all their actions before taking those measures. What we do expect is our leaders to justify their actions after the event, when requested to do so. Scott Morrison has done just that, and it seems he used none of the additional powers to do anything wrong. It would be another matter altogether if he had held on to those powers longer than necessary or used them for the wrong reason. This is simply a witch-hunt being used by certain individuals in an attempt to remove the former prime minister from parliament."