11 November 2013

Lesson for Abbott: you can't keep a secret when others are talking

| johnboy
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By Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

With the 44th Parliament opening on Tuesday, the next phase of the Abbott government begins. Already we’re seeing its early modus operandi, including its sometimes losing battle to control and often hide information and to keep discipline, and the first indications of good and bad performers.

There are two narratives currently running about the government.

One is that not much is happening. This bobs up from time to time in the media, still weaning themselves off the hung parliament. The other is how everything is orderly. That’s the government’s story line, maintained even when there is blinding evidence to the contrary.

In fact, quite a lot is happening, and some things are going awry.

In style, Tony Abbott appears genuinely consultative with his ministerial colleagues. While there is a formal leadership group, there is no sign of a Rudd-like preference for a small “kitchen cabinet”. Abbott is said to work the phone a lot with senior colleagues, including those he knows might have a different view on issues.

Addressing the West Australian Liberal state council on Saturday, Abbott highlighted a rather arcane point about process: that he is imposing the “Westminster tradition” (often previously honoured in the breach) that cabinet submissions must be in 10 days before they are discussed. “If the various experts don’t have time to chew over all the consequences of these proposed decisions, invariably you end up getting important details wrong.”

Although senior colleagues’ influence rises once in government, particularly on policy, Abbott’s chief of staff Peta Credlin retains her great clout. Combined with her high profile, this makes Credlin a dartboard for ministers, MPs and staff with grouches, especially about process issues.

The government’s aim has been to start quite a lot moving, while projecting an image (as Abbott said in WA) that “we are calmly, purposefully, methodically getting on with doing exactly what we said we would do in the campaign”.

Abbott is preoccupied with being seen to be delivering on election commitments, most notably repealing the carbon tax, the first legislation to be introduced this week.

In a social media message on Sunday night he said: “This is my bill to reduce your bills”. In his constant references to the carbon tax he also wants to score to the maximum off Bill Shorten and Labor for holding up the repeal.

Much-remarked features of the new government are its tight control of the information it provides and its penchant for secrecy. But these are proving more troublesome and difficult than expected.

“It’s more important to be involved in governing our country than it is simply to be giving endless interviews which are all about glorifying politicians rather than about doing the right thing by the people of Australia,” Abbott told the WA Liberals.

In fact, the issue has become not the number of appearances but what the government is refusing to address in those appearances, and what information is denied in other contexts (such as FOI).

The Prime Ministerial Office’s attempt to keep control of who goes out when into the media has created some resentment in the ranks.

And some situations have been beyond control.

Nationals leader and deputy PM Warren Truss is presumably outside the PMO’s reach. Truss a week ago fired a rocket at those supporting the foreign takeover bid for GrainCorp. It was a bit late when the following day Abbott said at cabinet that people should keep quiet on the matter. Anyway, Treasurer Joe Hockey returned fire regardless.

On another front the PMO’s control, involving an elaborate vetting process, of ministerial and even electorate staff appointments has meant some ministers and even ordinary MPs have had to wait a long time to get their offices sorted out. (There’s always a happy medium here – scrutiny is needed to avoid problems later.)

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has become the poster boy of official secrecy – and testament to how it can bite the government on the behind.

With the asylum seeker boat arrivals slowing, it would have been more savvy to continue Labor’s practice of just putting out a release about each boat, rather than have weekly briefings and an attempted silence in between.

Morrison and Angus Campbell, the military head of Operation Sovereign Borders, have become easy targets for refusing to talk about so-called ‘’operational’‘ matters at the briefings, and when particular issues have arisen between briefings, Morrison has been forced to say something anyway.

With last week’s stand off between Australia and Indonesia over a boatload of people that Canberra wanted Jakarta to take back, the secrecy policy left the Abbott government outsmarted.

The blackout imposed by Morrison and Abbott on Friday became almost as embarrassing as Jakarta’s rejecting the boat people, because the Indonesians were the ones talking.

The Jakarta Post quoted an Indonesian government spokesman saying that the policy was that Indonesia should no longer accept asylum seekers from Australia, and that Indonesia had declined to accept the last three requests for transfer of people that Australian ships had rescued.

On Sunday Morrison said in a statement: “For the sake of correcting the public record, our post had made four such requests, under Operation Sovereign Borders, two were accepted and two were not. These requests have been for at sea transfers in response to a Search and Rescue incident (SAR). They are not a ‘turn back’ operation, although they do achieve the same result.”

“We are in constant dialogue with Indonesia on these issues and we will continue to work with and discuss these issues with Indonesia directly, and not through the media.”

Unfortunately for the government, the Indonesian government seems to have decided that it can be in its best interests to get its stand out through the media.

The takeout from this saga is twofold: information came out regardless of the Abbott government’s efforts to stop it, and there was a political cost to the unsuccessful attempt at secrecy.

As people start compiling early scorecards of ministerial performance, Treasurer Hockey appears to be among those taking to government competently (although he has been getting some flak for adding to the deficit when the Coalition in opposition talked of a “budget emergency”). But for Hockey these are the easier days: the big tests will be his first budget, and before that, his decision on the GrainCorp takeover bid.

Truss is already signalling that he won’t be muzzled on issues that are core for his party. Again the real questions are ahead: most immediately, will he win or lose on GrainCorp?

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, caught awkwardly in the problems with Indonesia over boats and spies, looks to be finding that heavy going.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, while beavering away at the considerable challenge of restructuring the NBN, gives the impression that he will let be known what he thinks on various issues, within the broad confines of cabinet government.

The stand out bad performer is Morrison, whose public arrogance has shocked even some of his colleagues, especially as it has on occasion been accompanied by getting his basic facts wrong and having to correct them later.

He has not taken note of Abbott’s exhortation about “tone”.

Abbott puts a lot of emphasis on that word. He told the WA Liberals: “I think all of you have noticed there is a new tone and a new style in Canberra”.

With the new parliament commencing, the PMO says it will have a different “tone” from the last one.

One would expect the volume and aggression to be down. It’s not hung and Abbott is not opposition leader. Last time he set as much of the tone as did Labor.

Bill Shorten’s style and circumstances as opposition leader will be different. There is more in it for him (most immediately) to be forensic in questioning the government and (in the medium term) to build new constituencies (he already has an eye to women voters) than to be a brawler. (How the opposition will use Anthony Albanese, the natural brawler, will be interesting to see.)

Abbott said in his social media message: “The Parliament is coming back and I want to assure you that as far as the government is concerned the adults are back in charge.”

The parliament is likely to see, however, a good deal of that child’s game of hide and seek.

Listen to Brendan Nelson on the Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast, available below, by rss and on iTunes.

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.

The Conversation

This article was originally published at The Conversation.
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Gosh just saw the parliament footage. When did Matilda start sporting that possum skin cloak? Did she get it off Geoff Clark?

My impression of the Conversation is that it is not pro-Left but pro-Labor (who stopped being Left Wing a long time ago). Their coverage of the Greens was very limited in the lead-up to the election.

Yes, their articles are more evidence based and rigorous than more mainstream media, though a lot of that is down to the articles just being longer, unlimited by page size or attention span. But there’s a lot of unsupported opinion in the articles – just being an academic doesn’t excuse you from having to back up your opinions. “Trust me, I’m a Doctor of Philosophy” doesn’t cut it.

IP

dtc said :

watto23 said :

I love how the labor party were advertising to the boat people about how many successful boats were arriving, yet at the same time were wasting money advertising about their PNG policy. This is what annoys and intrigues me about politics.
Now we have the cone of silence, yet Indonesian papers are reporting it….. Because we all know they are biased and foreign owned. Unlike the Daily telegraph…….. 🙂

Its going to be a fun 3 years!

The PNG advertising was partly aimed at the suburban voter but mostly was actually aimed at overseas/immigrant people here who are the main source of convincing others to come to Australia. You dont think all those Iranians suddenly think ‘Australia’ out of the blue? I mean, Europe is much closer for example. They come here because their relatives are here telling them to come. Scare the relatives and you stop a lot of people trying.

For all that they are criticised, the Immigration dept has a lot of research showing why people come here, what drives them and what the key issues are. The Malaysia solution is still clearly the best.

There was a bit of tongue in cheek in my statement. I find it intriguing how party a can criticise party B for doing something. then do something that reinforces what Party A was doing. Regardless of how the information gets out, the coalition through their actions are actually saying the Australian newspapers information actually does reach people smugglers and refugees overseas. Before the election it was a waste of money.

For the record I think both sides have the asylum seeker policy wrong and are using it for the sake of easy votes from a large proportion of voters easily swayed on this and have no experience or idea of what a refugee goes through, whether it via a camp or a boat.

watto23 said :

I love how the labor party were advertising to the boat people about how many successful boats were arriving, yet at the same time were wasting money advertising about their PNG policy. This is what annoys and intrigues me about politics.
Now we have the cone of silence, yet Indonesian papers are reporting it….. Because we all know they are biased and foreign owned. Unlike the Daily telegraph…….. 🙂

Its going to be a fun 3 years!

The PNG advertising was partly aimed at the suburban voter but mostly was actually aimed at overseas/immigrant people here who are the main source of convincing others to come to Australia. You dont think all those Iranians suddenly think ‘Australia’ out of the blue? I mean, Europe is much closer for example. They come here because their relatives are here telling them to come. Scare the relatives and you stop a lot of people trying.

For all that they are criticised, the Immigration dept has a lot of research showing why people come here, what drives them and what the key issues are. The Malaysia solution is still clearly the best.

Bolt, Ackerman etc are right leaning, again, I see no problem here, people are entitled to their opinions, rightly or wrongly.

No their not.

From The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978 🙂

schmeah said :

Grattan is many things, but I would never think to call her a lefty. Using such cut-and-paste insults really just exposes how politically uninformed you are. I guess the truth, when it is spoken about you particular breed of politician, hurts.

“QUICK, pull out that insult … you Lefty”

I was commenting on the “conversation’ itself. Not Michelle .. Have not seen enough of it to make up a definate opinion. I thought of my few looks it sort of leans a little to the left, but then it could have been a bad week.

Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for the Jakarta Post, or we’d never know what’s going on in Australia.

Grattan is many things, but I would never think to call her a lefty. Using such cut-and-paste insults really just exposes how politically uninformed you are. I guess the truth, when it is spoken about you particular breed of politician, hurts.

“QUICK, pull out that insult … you Lefty”

I love how the labor party were advertising to the boat people about how many successful boats were arriving, yet at the same time were wasting money advertising about their PNG policy. This is what annoys and intrigues me about politics.
Now we have the cone of silence, yet Indonesian papers are reporting it….. Because we all know they are biased and foreign owned. Unlike the Daily telegraph…….. 🙂

Its going to be a fun 3 years!

I reallly enjoy these articles, please keep them coming!

As for Grattan being “a lefty”, that seems a cheap and easy way to dispense with a commentator, rather than going to the trouble of showing up where they are showing bias, are incorrect, etc.

The trouble with new politicians is that it takes them a while to figure out that (a) they themselves are not actually experts (b) the issues are more complicated than they like to think and (c) not everyone does what you think they should do and you cannot make everyone do what you think they should do (and/or sometimes things are out of your control).

Its easy to come in and say ‘it should be done this way’; harder to make it so.

johnboy said :

The reason we run Conversation content is because they:

a) Encourage republication, and contacted us asking we do so where appropriate.

b) Write long form pieces with academic rigour which would be difficult for us to reproduce.

They publish maybe a dozen stories a day of which we choose which, if any, are suitable for our readership.

Thank you. Very well explained. In the winter do they do the AFL ?

johnboy said :

by lefty you mean evidence driven and factual?

Well it was an interesting article.
As was a previous one by Michelle. So have looked into Conversation a little more as it may become a regular part of Riot.
Didn’t realise it was funded in part by the taxpayer, unlike Riot.
Found this article “The Conversation is taxpayer-funded with its key funders and backers including CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Western Australia (a further 13 universities also fund The Conversation).”.

The reason we run Conversation content is because they:

a) Encourage republication, and contacted us asking we do so where appropriate.

b) Write long form pieces with academic rigour which would be difficult for us to reproduce.

They publish maybe a dozen stories a day of which we choose which, if any, are suitable for our readership.

johnboy said :

by lefty you mean evidence driven and factual?

+1

Reality has a well-known left wing bias.

Have not read any other pieces of the”conversatoion’ except the couple Riot have put up from Michelle, so I had a bit of a squiz at some of their other past articles.
So would it be fair to say it sort of , kind of, perhaps ever so slightly, well you know, is a bit of a leftly
thing ? at all . Am only too willing to stand corrected.

by lefty you mean evidence driven and factual?

Truss won’t be muzzled but will Muzzle be trussed?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Read two first paragraphs, what’s this article about? Can anyone sum it up in 10 words or less, as I am quite busy now?

“DUB is too stupid to read” too long for you?

HiddenDragon10:51 am 11 Nov 13

The “cone of silence” approach to governing will only become an issue when the disappointments, frustrations and stuff-ups are noticed by the people whose votes determine election outcomes. In the meantime, this is essentially for the insiders. So Tony’s not feeding the chooks like Kevin and Julia (and indeed, John) did – big deal, a break from capering, posturing, bloviating politicians is very welcome. The comments about consultation and the “Westminster tradition” are quite encouraging.

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