Face of Nation : There were not a lot of similarities between Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison’s election victories, but their approach afterwards has been similar. Mr Abbott’s pledge was to get politics off the front page, and while Mr Morrison has not gone public with his aim, his description of “quiet Australians” was instructive.
Not only did he think these voters wanted to avoid political debates, but they also wanted the noise turned down on politics in Australia. The strategy is an obvious one. Parliamentary sitting weeks are still a free-for-all, with MPs talking to national media about anything and everything. But when the politicians return to their electorates — which is about 285 days of the year — there’s a lot less going on.
Ministers, in particular, are being told to stick to their knitting. If the weekly story involves their portfolio, then they’ll get out to every outlet. But otherwise, there are a lot of polite declines going out to eager journalists. All of those taxpayer-funded Commcars and yet somehow none of them can get to a studio.
Back benchers have a bit more freedom, but when they do ask head office about doing media there’s a common question — do you really need to? First-term MPs have an even tighter leash.
It didn’t work for Tony Abbott. MP expenses stories started to dominate the news cycle, and then followed his own frolic of knights and dames. So why is Scott Morrison going back to the well?
This column understands internal party polling has given Mr Morrison a very clear message — voters just don’t want to hear much from their politicians, at least for now. As ever, any messy argument looks bad on the incumbent. And according to the polling, the Barnaby Joyce Newstart intervention has gone down badly. Voters aren’t ready for any new debates just yet.
They are being encouraged to get out and about in the electorate. Go to the local footy or netball match. Turn some sausages on the barbecue. Say g’day to your voters and ask about the family. It’s a style that comes very easily to Scott Morrison, whom one Liberal MP described to this column as a “community politician”. It’s no surprise given he first learned politics answering the phone on behalf of his father, a local councillor who made it to mayor. Nobody in the government thinks the community approach will last forever, but for now, it’s what voters want. And there’s another aim: get some discipline back into the team.
The freelancing within the Turnbull government, which spiralled into constant noise after the 2016 election, was debilitating. By enforcing some discipline now, when the Coalition is riding high, it’s hoped that when things get tougher there won’t be another outbreak of disunity. A political version of getting match fit.
Andrew Hastie is a prime example of breaking ranks with his forceful warning about the rise of China last week. While other MPs and defence bureaucrats share the concern, there was white-hot anger at Hastie within his own party for making such conspicuous headlines. It won’t matter. He feels strongly and won’t go quiet, and there are other backbenchers who don’t appreciate being told not to talk, who will continue to fill the airwaves with their thoughts about the direction of the country.
It sets up an interesting test of Scott Morrison’s authority. Every time you hear a freelancing Coalition MP this year, know that they are defying the PM.
