The lot of a first-term opposition leader is hell on earth. No matter what initiative is promoted, the cry will be: “Well, why didn’t you do it while in government?” And, of course, every problem the new government faces is the fault of the previous government, which left everything financially booby-trapped.
On top of that, there is the unpopularity suggested by the polls, which means there is a deficit of political capital to expend should needed, yet difficult, policies be explored.
And so it was with Peter Dutton’s Budget-in-Reply speech.
With the weight of opposition and less than encouraging opinion polls with which to contend, Dutton strode into parliament to lay down a partial blueprint of a future Coalition government.
The reckless spending on which the government has embarked provided a no-win outcome for the opposition. Such spending and its resulting baked-in ongoing deficits will be passed by parliament.
The beneficiaries will have been enjoying living on the largesse of the taxpayer for a couple of years before the next election, at which time the opposition will be confronted with the claim that they had voted against the measure and, therefore would remove the extra funding if elected.
It’s a no-win for an opposition.
Vote on principle on such an occasion and enjoy long-term principled opposition.
So adopting the measures was an exercise in realpolitik, whilst, one hopes, leaving a bitter taste in the collective opposition mouth.
Nevertheless, Dutton had the courage to raise the issue of eligibility and promised to raise the threshold to allow welfare recipients to be engaged in the workforce.
Such a move will incentivise recipients to look for and obtain work while easing the pressure on the job market.
Long-Term Planning for Middle Australia
Where Dutton has shown himself to be a leader for the long-term with strategic thinking and boldness is his embrace of the cost of living issues and marrying them to the extreme green ideology of the government.Apart from interest rates, the household energy bill is being mugged by the ever-soaring energy costs due to the manic adoption of renewable energy at breakneck or break economy speed.
It is crystal clear that the bringing online of new renewable energy sources is not keeping pace with the closure of coal plants. For these activities not to be carefully calibrated and synchronised is zealotry at its worst, with no desire to deal with the obviously foreseeable consequences.
Placing the need for cheap, reliable, and non-emitting energy firmly on the table and linking it with affordability is the leadership that Australia desperately needs. Sound future planning with real, believable answers is the formula for success.
The answer which has been staring in Australia’s face, if not screaming at Australia’s face, for decades has been the nuclear option.
With the latest small modular nuclear energy plants, much-needed cheaper energy could be provided while obviating the need for the inefficient, aesthetically hideous, and landscape-scarring wind turbines and solar panels.
Drawing the obvious link with the safety of nuclear-powered submarines, Dutton shrewdly delivered a policy that enjoys near unanimity in the Coalition and divides the Labor Party down the middle.
It is often and rightly said that good policy is good politics. The Labor government, in adopting nuclear-powered submarines, cannot say out of one side of its mouth that they are safe and then out the other side assert that if the same technology was brought ashore, it would somehow become intrinsically dangerous.
This bold initiative was offered in the context of the Liberal opposition reframing itself in the mold of “Howard’s Battlers” and “Tony’s (Abbott) Tradies.” Both, it will be recalled, won government from opposition with a handy margin.
Appealing to hard-working Australians by providing a sensible, workable, and understandable solution to the ever-burgeoning cost of electricity will be a vote winner.
The cost of energy is a household issue, as it is with every small business. Reduce electricity costs, and you lower the cost of running a household and doing business.
Sounding the right note to the community struggling with the cost of living pressures, Dutton also promised that a Coalition government would limit the capacity of the gambling sector to advertise during sports fixtures.
The temptation to try one’s luck and supplement the family income with a quick online bet during your team’s weekend game may be too difficult to resist for some.
While betting is part of the Australian larrikin spirit, it can be a devastating pastime. The simple fact remains that those lucky enough to win do so out of their fellow Australians’ losses.
Focusing on long-term solutions and being critical of excessive expenditure is not necessarily today’s winning formula but given the passage of time and a more uncertain economy, Peter Dutton may well be laying the foundations of credibility so vital come election time.
In the meantime, let us all fasten our seat belts in anticipation of the economic turmoil that may confront us.
