As it becomes clearer and clearer that the Berejiklian government has presided over a disaster in New South Wales that will inflict major damage on the national economy, the questions around what drove — and continue to drive — its decision-making about lockdowns become more serious.
The line from both the NSW and federal governments is that the Delta variant is a “gamechanger” — a word that always signals you’re expected to turn your brain off for what follows — and that previous policies that worked have become unsuccessful. Except that only applies in NSW, where six weeks of lockdown have only pushed up the numbers of daily infections above the 350 mark. As Ross Gittins succinctly pointed out recently, much of the blame in fact lies with industry lobby groups and business cheerleaders in the media and their influence over the NSW government.
Gladys Berejiklian appears to be out of ideas about stopping the growing wave of infections, reducing herself to a hapless bystander who can only urge people to abide by the rules and get vaccinated, a mere premier who only controls what legislation applies and what a whole police force and health system do — why ask her to take any further action to reduce the spread of COVID? How long that stance is politically sustainable is an open question if the daily numbers climb to higher-three figures.
Less than an hour after Berejiklian gave her latest “Well, what can I do” act, Scott Morrison emerged in Canberra to offer a response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. It was a response that could have been — and, like his “gas-led recovery plan”, very well might have been — written by his fossil fuel donors and supporters: Santos, Origin, Woodside, Whitehaven Coal, Adani, Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer, Chevron, Energy Australia, Delta Energy, the petroleum explorers and the Minerals Council.
Aside from the usual “meet and beat” lie about 2030 targets and the “technology not taxes” silliness, Morrison threw in some other tricks and tropes: it was all the fault of developing countries and China (“the big carbon club” as News Corp calls it), yay for carbon capture and storage, and he’s not going to let regional communities bear the impact of climate action.
Some of those tropes (blaming the world’s poor) are relatively recent additions to the denialist lexicon; others, like the claim that any kind of environmental action necessarily has an economic cost compared with business as usual, have been around for decades.
Amusingly, Morrison also attacked the “vandals” who graffitied a few prize spots in the national capital: “I’ll tell you what the Australian way isn’t, the Australian way is not what we have seen with the vandalism in our capital today.”
Actually, vandalism is the Australian way, PM — vandalism much more profound than a bit of red paint on some masonry. Like vandalism of the entire political and policymaking process. Vandalism in which corporate donors get to dictate — even draft — energy policy; in which consumers are compelled to subsidise commercially unviable fossil fuel power stations; in which coal and gas companies control the National Party and get to veto even hopelessly inadequate climate targets. Vandalism in which a government uses taxpayer funding to buy its way back to power with hundred of millions — billions — of dollars of pork-barrelling without even a pretence of consultation with affected communities, local governments or its own public servants.
A bit of paint on the wall of the Lodge? That’s not vandalism. The government’s pork-barrelling and corruption? Now that’s vandalism. The people who splashed a bit of Taubman’s around Parliament House ought to take some lessons from the pros inside the ministerial wing.
More than timing united yesterday’s media conferences. Both were of governments that refuse to lead, that refuse to even govern in the public interest, because of the toxic influence of powerful business interests that provide a steady flow of funding to the Liberal Party, that offer the prospect of lucrative post-political employment, and which are run and assisted by former political staffers and even former political colleagues.
That influence has given us a lost decade on climate action, and an escalating emergency in NSW where we can only vaguely hope for Christmas with our families.
Another thing unites them as well. The Morrison and Berejiklian governments are both deeply corrupt. We’ve seen from the ABC this week another example of Berejiklian’s willingness to intervene in policy processes to help her former boyfriend, Daryl Maguire. The rorting and pork-barrelling of her government is so blatant she herself has defended it as a perk of office after her own staff shredded documents to evade accountability. Both Berejiklian and her Health Minister Brad Hazzard visibly resent being questioned about pandemic decisions — a stark contrast to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who for all his many faults fronts up to the media and stays there until the media runs out of questions.
Berejiklian’s hostility to legitimate scrutiny and questioning is of course relatively limited compared with the molecule-thin skin of Morrison, who seems to find the basic accountability requirements of being in government some kind of profound affront to his personal dignity.
And when your government is corrupt, and when you hate accountability, is it any wonder that you can’t lead, and preside over disasters? They go hand in hand. A contempt for governance leads to incapacity to govern. And now we’re in a colossal mess because of it.
Many thanks for that succinct, yet comprehensive article Bernard. I really like the way that you tell it ‘as it is’.
“political parties corrupted by business interests have failed to lead — and in fact may be incapable of leading”
Yes, that is the outcome. Corrupt government, no followers, incapable leaders. But who corrupted whom? Check out the Howard government and Woodside.
We need a change of government very quickly because the place is very close to falling apart under the present corrupt drongos.
Government Debt $ says the place has already fallen apart and the AUD is responding.
But Keane got it right. Political parties (plural) are fundamentally corrupt and can no longer lead. Albo sees no corruption because he chooses to look the other way while accepting his share of Woodside party donations. Every Cabinet since Howard knows how Woodside got $12bn of our helium and all chose silence.
So, we need a change of government, quickly Nigel, but to whom?
Almost anything would be better than this. I mean, you might think the Mafia are bad but they do at least deliver.
Vote Independent?
Be sure to check that they ARE Independent – not fronts for the usual suspects.
It is easy enough, do they have any history, have you read their views and, finally, do you trust them?
The only true alternative, failing honest Independents were the Greens who, alas, are swiftly becoming as sclerotic and hide bound by hierarchy & formulaic blather as the others.
Thanks Selkie !
“Two-Party Preferred” has become a very outdated concept. (Or a race to the bottom?)
The Fed parliament has some notable independents. But where do we find enough of them to govern?
Nominate?
As advocated here by our resident maddie, JackR – against all reason he is standing in his local council election.
I’m too old & cynical personally but suggest that he has the right idea, start small – it is surprising how much that is important to our everyday lives is decided at that level, not least because they have a source of income via rates.
Similarly with state politics, despite their relative lack of revenue – stamp duty, fines (a sudden windfall with covid, entirely unintentional…?), rego. and various licences & regulatory imposts but it is where the really crucial events can be affected.
Federal is the Dream but so utterly corrupted that only the truly delusional attempt to enter – and when they succeed shame us all.
I cannot recall a real Independent who was ineffective and endured calumny, traducing and dirty tricks for that very reason.
Examples would be Janine Haines when she left her position as Queen of the Senate to contest the Reps in SA and the NDP which almost won a Senate seat against the wildly popular Hawke in 1984 – both so terrified the duopoly that they combined to exchange preferences to prevent their elections.
How different are the majors?
As wholly owned subsidiaries of Big Buck$ about as much as two cheeks around the same sphincter.
Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie and others provide a start. There is not time to wait for JackR’s graduation, much as we all here seek it..
As Keane points out, the major parties have made themselves non-electable for graft. The polls have not realised it yet because they are still asking the tired old question which assumes one of the two major parties will form government. The Libs don’t even have enough members in WA to lead the Opposition, so the tide is nearly out.
But we need good independent candidates from outside the present ‘donation’ system.
Or better, vote Green. If you’re not yet convinced, read their programme. It’s a whole load better than anyone elses’s. And, of course, they got the climate and pollution problems years ago!
I have that feeling also and I’ve never experienced such a falling apart of a Government or complete loss of trust as much as this one. Even with Howard there were at least some decent members in the Government but not one now in this one
I agree. BK’s articles, in the last week in particular, have absolutely hit the tell it as it is target. Great stuff Bernard.
Gladys Berejiklian appears to be out of ideas about stopping the growing wave of infections, reducing herself to a hapless bystander who can only urge people to abide by the rules and get vaccinated
BK calls her out for what she is pretending to be, a hapless, helpless victim. She is nothing of the sort, she is ruthless, and every bit as corrupt as her mentor Scovid; but instead of a smirk she has perfected the poor little me poor little woman persona while quietly shredding documents that point to her corruption.
The irony of Morrison declaiming vandals is particularly potent
Bernard is doing his job and doing it better than most in Australia – should get him a Queens honours going next year surely? Oh wait that’s reserved for Sky News after dark QAnon proslytizers and Coalition mouthpieces.
Bernard Keane: “The line from both the NSW and federal governments is that the Delta variant is a “gamechanger” — a word that always signals you’re expected to turn your brain off for what follows — and that previous policies that worked have become unsuccessful. Except that only applies in NSW, where six weeks of lockdown have only pushed up the numbers of daily infections above the 350 mark. As Ross Gittins succinctly pointed out recently, much of the blame in fact lies with industry lobby groups and business cheerleaders in the media and their influence over the NSW government.”
Yet the Queen of Delta Berjikillthem enjoys a teflon coating extended to the most hardened of consorts.
Why not a knighthood?
What did the religious freak Abbbottomy do with all those medals he ordered??
Two-thirds of staff unvaccinated at Sydney aged care home dealing with Covid outbreak
Three SummitCare residents among 16 new local Covid cases in NSW as Gladys Berejiklian says case numbers ‘pleasing’
The outbreak has once again put the Morri$sin’s constipated privatised vaccine rollout in the spotlight – especially for aged care staff who were meant to be prioritised. That message didn’t get to Aaspen Medical to whom ScumLord Morri$sin ‘in-reached’ the vaccine rollout to private aged care under his watch and supposedly the mostly migrant exploited labour force working at the front of the virus.
And in response the pleased Killer Gladly will tell the nation with accusatory zeal, they weren’t vaccinated!
Anyone heard Frewen squawking lately?
The silence of General Frewen is thunderous. I wonder what it means?
That he can’t distribute what he doesn’t have?
It is continually claimed in Q/T, by Scum or the gHunt, that “…so & so many extra hundreds of thousand doses are being made available”
From whence?
Where they previously being stockpiled “in a secure location” to ensure that the ‘right people’ aka the Blessed Believers received them when, not if, the faeces interfaced with the air movement device?
It means that as a member of the defence force he is only able to fulfil his mandate, nothing more.
I agree Robert, if it wasn’t for Bernard’s words of truth my mental health would not be floating above the water line.
Very well articulated, a very good piece about a Government, ” for want of a better word” as this lot can teach MAFIA how to do dirty deals.
Pity more people were not on board with Crikey as it is the most open and honest magazine that pulls no punches.
Kudos to you and all who work at Crikey and keep the bastards honest !
Surely you mean, ‘MAKE the bastards honest.’ They are already up to their ears in dirty deals of all sorts.
The bitter sarcasm quotient is rising in Keane, Rundle et al. Attention to current affairs is becoming unbearable for all of us, yet pay attention we must. How to remain calm while outraged, breathe while exasperated? I’ve got a name for this skill, “exaspiration”, but that’s as far as I’ve got. Mainly I just have to tune out and look away.
We push so hard to be top of the table in the Olympics, but not as hard as our “leaders” guys push to be bottom of the world ladder in the important things: vaccination rates, climate change policy, corruption perceptions index etc etc.
Finding it gets tougher to be proud to be Aussie at the minute. Thanks Scotty
I am totally ashamed of my fatuous and corrupt national government. The NSW gov’t leaves me breathless.
I am disgusted every time Jikiller announces more deaths and ads her victims were unvaccinated! Victim blaming on steroids.
The reality is that the Coalition federally have caused this catastrophe.
TG: People desperate to get out of lockdown see Pfizer as their ticket out, but can’t find it. They call GPs all over the city, scour online booking sites, call friends and family, anything to get their hands on it. Another worry chewing away.
When the Lebanese Muslim Association ran a pop-up vaccination clinic in Lakemba with very small amounts of Pfizer on offer, they said people camped out to be first in line.
Agree totally Allan, but if you can’t get Pfizer, get an AZ. The difference in safety and efficacy is minimal to nothing.
Morrison, who seems to find the basic accountability requirements of being in government some kind of profound affront to his personal dignity.
Very well put – that’s exactly the impression he conveys.
He’s one seriously mentally ill nutjob, clap clap sing tongue twisting madness