While Liberals may think Gladys Berejiklian is a dream candidate to dislodge Zali Steggall in Warringah, she herself will have to completely abandon her climate views in order to sign up Scott Morrison’s fossil fuel donor-dictated policy of climate inaction.
It’s only a couple of months since then-premier Berejiklian, with NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean, was proudly announcing that NSW would be pursuing a 50% cut in emissions by 2030 — the sort of figure that’s getting close to the kind of action needed by developed countries to prevent climate disaster.
Berejiklian said that target would create 9000 jobs, tens of billions of dollars in investment, and slash electricity bills.
By running as a federal candidate, Berejiklian would have to abandon all of that. She’d have to argue that Morrison’s target of just half NSW’s was appropriate, and that Labor’s target of 43% would be catastrophic and jobs-destroying, despite all the jobs she claimed would derive from a 50% target.
Go back further and certain words of Berejiklian’s will come back to haunt her. In 2020 she said legislating a target of net zero by 2050 was a “dream” for her, while praising the British government’s commitment to climate action. Morrison of course refuses not merely to legislate such a target but has no plan about how to reach it, beyond hoping technology produces something.
Berejiklian would have to ditch any suggestion that active policies by the federal government could help deliver net zero by 2050 — despite her own suite of policies designed in NSW to do just that.
Whatever happens, the persistent floating of Berejiklian as a viable candidate in a federal seat should demolish the lie from Scott Morrison, The Australian and assorted legal nonentities that the NSW ICAC model is some sort of reckless, career-destroying monster.
Berejiklian faces serious questions about the abuse of public trust and her misuse of taxpayer funding while politically looking after her corrupt boyfriend, Daryl Maguire. Yet she can seriously consider running for public office even while ICAC is investigating her. So much for the outrageous abuse of the rule of law.
Then again, by the standards of the Morrison government, with its relentless pork-barrelling and rorting, constant lying, looking after mates, sexual misconduct, forging of documents, intimidation of female MPs, leaking of sensitive information and hostility to accountability, even Berejiklian with findings made against her would look a comparative cleanskin and breath of fresh air.
As a New South Wales resident, I hope they run her and I hope she’s annihilated!
I don’t know why they think she’s such an attractive candidate: she was the most unpopular premier in the country thanks to her mishandling of the last COVID outbreak- you know, the one that spread all over the country that isn’t quite over yet?
And that’s ignoring the fact that Gladys “I don’t need to know about that bit” Berejiklian hasn’t been cleared by ICAC and told us there was nothing wrong with her buying the last election because “It’s not unique to our government.”
Bad enough the Federal LNP expect us to believe their propaganda. Far worse they believe it themselves. Worse still journalists continuing to try to convince me she’s some kind of breath of fresh air despite all the evidence!
As a Melbourne resident I am astonished that ‘Gold Standard Gladys’ would even be considered as a suitable candidate. Can we introduce a DAMP (Drug and Alcohol Management Plan) for the Federal LNP?
Perhaps following on, I don’t understand how the PM talking about a NSW figure, currently in front of a corruption body, does him any good in the rest of the country.
People in WA for example already think of NSW as a Pacific style “failed state”, so I can’t imagine the “PM for NSW” would be more popular outside of Gladis’ville for this backing?
Is he not after all PM of NSW?
ScoMo would bring back Ceasar to run i he had the chance.
We already have Mein Fuhrer Dutton a reincarnate.
Gladys ( i had know idea) would fit well on that ship of fools
Just always remember that this Government thrives on corruprion and dirty deals and Gladys would fit right in.
Allegedly.
One word gives everyone rights to carry on as usual. Allegedly.
Feel the slow desensitisation as we are no longer astounded at the complete absence of propriety and integrity. Have we normalised narcissistic and sociopathic behaviour to the point that abiding by the law is an optional extra?
When it comes to our political class Billy, I think the answer to your question is yes, in fact a very big yes. But hey, for indigenous people, kids from the western suburbs, environmental “terrorists” etc, that same political class wants to incarcerate you in a blink.
Disgusting to see Morrison backing Gladys B as a federal candidate while she’s actually under investigation for corruption. Shows how little they care about corruption, or even the opinions of the voters whose money is siphoned off to the corporate donors.
Just wait, once St. Gladys of Integrity has ascended, carried by angels, unto her rightful place in Federal Political Heaven, Morrison will also find a suitable position for the nation’s favourite lovable rogue, Daryl Maguire.
Would ‘Groom of the Stool’ be a suitable position for Mr Maguire?
Nah, he’d be the stool which the groom had to remove & dispose of.
I think they are so far gone that there is nothing ICAC can find that they would see as corrupt. It’s just ‘the business of politics’
If she’s the answer for the LNP they are truly truly desperate
If she is the answer the question requires a serious redraft.
If Gladys truly believed she had done nothing wrong, but resigned anyway, then she’s simply abandoned the people of NSW who voted for her and when they trusted her to lead them through the pandemic.
Why would she do any different to the people of Warringah if a little pressure was applied again?