When it comes to claims of sexual assault from within government ranks, Scott Morrison really should take advice from Scott Morrison.
That’s the Scott Morrison, at least, who delivered a soaring address to Parliament by way of a national apology to survivors of institutional abuse.
In late 2018, the newly elevated Morrison stepped into a role to which, at least on the day, he seemed born: offering salve and succour to a nation sickened by the years-long revelations of institutional abuse laid bare by the McClellan royal commission. With a tone and bearing befitting the nation’s pastor-in-chief, Morrison deployed a soaring rhetoric which drew deep on the wells of compassion and understanding.
These are some of Pastor Scott’s words from the national pulpit, with some edits for brevity:
“Mr Speaker, silenced voices. Muffled cries in the darkness.
Unacknowledged tears. The tyranny of invisible suffering.
The never-heard pleas of tortured souls bewildered by an indifference to the unthinkable theft of their innocence.
Today, Australia confronts a trauma — an abomination — hiding in plain sight for far too long.
Today, we confront a question too horrible to ask, let alone answer.
Why was their trust betrayed?
Why did those who know cover it up?
Why was our system of justice blind to injustice?
Why didn’t we believe?”
Such moral clarity.
To be sure the royal commission dealt with the experiences of children. But it also dealt with institutional power imbalances and those who put an institution’s interests first.
Funny then that Morrison in 2021 should now be so confounded by how to deal with claims emerging from his own ranks. And odd that he should be so unclear as to the impact of sexual assault that he would need to consult his wife, Jen.
Yet one thing we might have learnt from the royal commission is how quickly moral clarity disappears when allegations of sexual abuse land at the door of an institution — and the lawyers get involved.
Far from the listening and believing Pastor Scott of 2018, the 2021 version has challenged anyone to prove he was told anything of recent rape allegations involving former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins. He conceded he hadn’t even read the document setting out historical rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter.
With the Liberal party in the frame, though, maybe it’s not so easy to simply believe.
At a press conference this morning the mounting allegations and revelations of the last month appeared to catch up with Morrison who tearfully conceded that the things he’d learnt were “just so foreign to me that I can hardly process them”.
Perhaps Morrison 2021 needs to heed the advice of Morrison 2018:
“We will endeavour to bring some healing to our nation and to learn from our past horrors.”
I may be being cynical but our Prime Minister’s tears seem to be for himself and his Government. Many, many people (overwhelmingly women) have wept bitter tears over these issues long before he did. Bitter tears on his watch.
Like those of Porter at his own presser, the tears are solely a result of seeing his future career prospects going down the gurgler.
It’s only a question of time – once the plumber has wielded the RotoRooter – a new PM will slide into place.
All hail, the Gestapotato!
I don’t think it’s at all surprising that he can’t heed his earlier advice – he didn’t care then and he doesn’t care now. The only thing that matters to our dear PM is himself. Oh, and his owner, uncle Rupert, of course.
Faith sustains him, not honesty or decency…..
Yeah, my thought was that he was just reading a speech. Nothing more, with a little bit of pastor gravitas, learned in acting class or at debating.
That’s my impression also. His behaviour and cruelty towards refugees, to the poor through robodebt, his talking over the top of female interviewees were there long before he became PM. His lying and dishonesty and bullying were there in his pre Parliamentary jobs and in his taking of the seat of Cook.
And yet how many times does the media ask itself – “How can Scotty turn this around?”?
When his problem is innate?
It’s his featured selling point.
Not a bug.
Pastor Scot is as fake as daggy dad and go sharkies
A false profit.
The daggy dad is now, as of this morning’s apology following the previous 11pm apology, just typical of the boofhead “blokes get things wrong!”. aahhhh…
Honestly, how many women talking about hte blokes haven’t sighed and said “well, you know what they’re like” followed by resigned, if not bitter, laughter?
Why isn’t the Bechdel test more widely invoked?
All good, Hardaker. Except that sneaky “Pastor Scott” threw in an irrelevant and invented reference to “ritual” child abuse that wasn’t a feature of the report, and turned the “apology” into a bizarre shout-out to his friends in the right-wing conspiracy business.
Yes. This. The man who claims its so foreign to him, while his mentor’s father…………………..
Cover ups, denials and disappearances in times of disaster do not paint a picture of one who wants to heal. We know them by their actions, not their words.