6 February 2020

Ordinary Australians will continue to suffer because of our venal, shallow leadership

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Cobargo

Cobargo’s main street burning on 31 December, 2019. Photo: Josh Mead.

After 30 years as a journalist, I don’t often bother getting angry with politicians.

I know there are good people on both sides doing their best. You only have to look at Bega MP Andrew Constance’s honesty and pain on Monday night’s Q&A to know that, or Member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly’s deeply felt response to the bushfire crisis that’s racked our region.

But I’m angry now, because 10 years of venal, shallow politics have come to this: an apocalyptic natural disaster that will take a toll on this nation for years to come.

And who will pay that price? Ordinary Australians.

Ordinary people who should have been helped earlier, supported better and recognised more, except it wasn’t politically expedient to do so.

There will be post-traumatic stress disorder and family breakdown after the fires recede. There will be suicides. Despite all the strength and resilience we have to muster, there are communities and families that will never be the same again, their lives permanently scarred.

Those on the frontline are worst affected but everyone in south-eastern Australia has been touched. Half a dozen times, I have talked to colleagues about letting the tears come, amidst relentless disaster coverage of the places they love.

In our staff meetings at Region Media we talk about referred trauma. On Monday I watched Four Corners and sobbed, helplessly, for my own friends who have faced down the blazes again and again. I cannot bear thinking about the suffering wildlife.

It’s felt like death is stalking us all.

You can argue all you like about who or what caused these fires, but an impeccably qualified panel of former fire chiefs gave clear warnings many months ago about this season’s exceptional risks. By November, as the fires began their deadly progress down the coast, it was abundantly clear those warnings were coming to pass.

Yet no deep planning had taken place. There was no coordination with the states to map a response, no recognition that this time it was different.

So what did we have?

We had a Prime Minister on holiday in Hawaii.

A government that said it wasn’t its role to deploy the ADF, it would wait to be asked.

A government in which someone, somewhere, thought it appropriate to throw shade at NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian while she was managing a crisis so considerable it would floor many nations.

A government that followed the long-overdue decision to deploy the ADF Reserves with a cheap political ad that initially included a Liberal Party donations link.

A government that didn’t want to poke the ant’s nest around climate change, preferring, instead, to minimise the situation as it became clearer and clearer this was an unprecedented disaster.

Make no mistake, we’ve seen impeccable leadership: Premier Berejiklian was clearly across her brief. Coastal mayors Kristy McBain and Liz Innes have been on the frontline for months. ACT ESA Commissioner Georgeina Whelan has been steady, unflinching, courteous and calm at all times. NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has not wavered.

But we have a Prime Minister who couldn’t handle meeting a Cobargo firefighter who’d lost his house, or a request for more RFS resources from a pregnant woman accompanied by a leashed goat.

Who told Scott Morrison to walk away from locals instead of dismissing the cameras and sitting the PM down to listen amidst the smoking ruins of their town? Who put together a flotilla of shiny white Comcars without thinking to load up every bottle of water to be had from Coles in Manuka to deliver to a town where people were queuing at the oval to get their drinking water out of a tanker?

I’ll tell you who: people who think about spin and polls and images first. Politicians and advisers who have learned that government is about how to massage the message and keep the donors onside. To attack rather than to listen. To tell critics that they are being unAustralian or, God forbid, part of the “Canberra bubble”.

That’s what leadership has been reduced to.

I don’t blame any one side of politics for this parlous situation. I blame a federal political class that has been captured by cynical opportunism for the last decade, Liberal and Labor alike. I blame the spinners and the dodgers and the sliders who think winning points matters more than serving the people.

Let them all think long and hard, up there on the Hill, about why they are there. Let them consider how different it could have been if they’d put the people before their own interests. And then let them consider what they have wrought.

Do you think the federal political class has been captured by cynical opportunism for the last decade?

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Yes, we should totally have listened to the “Former fire chiefs”, most of whom had ZERO experience in bush fire or bush fire risk management, and had been metropolitan fire chiefs. Then the few that did have any experience with bush fire were the people who were responsible for doing absolutely nothing about risk management while they were in the job.

You’d have to be all kinds of special to not notice that.

Yeah–nah mate they had experience of bush fires than urban fires. Not sure where you get that patently false claim from, you have a powerful imagination. They warned the Morrison government about the severity of the bushfire season, which is what actually happened, due to climate change. Morrison ignored the warning, we all know that now. You’d have to be all kinds of in-denial to not notice that.

I don’t know how you included Mayor Liz Innes in your list of politicians & leaders doing their best. All she did was make a very poor video (in which she couldn’t even enunciate correctly)
She invited everyone back to the Coast, despite the danger from the fires being far from over & the fact we were running out of water & many homes & businesses still didn’t have any power, a monumental mistake, as our towns came under attack again & more homes were lost & even more sadly lives.

I agree with Vicki. Mayors Kristy Mc Bain to the south and Amanda Findley to the north of Eurobodalla shone during December/January. Time and again I heard them updating their communities on the changing situation, providing clear, calm and sensible advice on all manner of challenges facing their communities. It was clear they and their Council staff were on the job and trying to do all within their power to find out what was happening throughout their regions and to advocate for their residents. Sadly, this was not the case in Eurobodalla. Many of our communities felt abandoned. The council website was not updated with bushfire information between Christmas shut-down until after the disastrous fires of New Year’s Eve. Some of our elected representatives and Council staff were visible, some did all they could. Others, our Mayor included, fell way short of how they should have/could have helped their communities prepare for, and respond to, our recent emergencies. And worryingly, after the first Council meeting of the year held this week, it is clear that most of our Councillors are unable or worse, unwilling, to recognise or reflect on the deficiencies that were so evident. Instead they are brazenly denying how close so many people and so many communities came to panic, riot and annihilation.

Capital Retro8:48 am 11 Feb 20

The recent fires were on a similar scale to ones in 1926 but back then we had very little media input so the rest of the world probably didn’t even know it had happened and today the media is ignoring history to maximise the HD images and the “one on one” interviews.

Spare a thought for the pioneers of this country and how tough they did it after bushfires.

What a lot of drivel. We have been through this many times before and far worse. What is the matter with journalism today that everything has to be exaggerated? Is it more exciting and self-stimulating to catastrophise? Do we want our kids to be constantly fearful as each new event is breathlessly reported with ever more hyperbole? Floods, fires, droughts, dust, hailstones and even flu viruses have always been with us and are insignificant compared to real disasters like world wars, mongol invasions, starvation and black deaths.

Capital Retro11:34 am 10 Feb 20

Have you ever wondered why there is an annual mandated bushfire season in Australia?

This covers the fact that there are bushfires every year so there is no need for “predictions”.

Capital Retro9:00 am 10 Feb 20

“Our politicians do not seem to have been aware of what the majority of Australians think”

The last election was “the climate change election” and LNP won it which reflects that the voters think the current settings which addresses “climate change” are fine. The recent bushfires have nothing to do with climate change.

Yet again you come out with the drivel that it was a single issue election, Capital Retro, and therefore claim a mandate for climate deniers … What about self-funded retirees, who may believe in climate change, but were more concerned about losing their tax return for franking credits? What about the ‘mum and dad’ investors, who may believe in climate change, yet were more worried about the impact on their future super, if changes to negative gearing provisions were made? Then of course there’s the voters, who while they may believe in climate change, could never bring themselves to vote for Shorten. You are great at pushing for absolute proof on the existence of anthropogenic climate change, where is your proof that every LNP vote was cast on maintaining the status quo in relation to climate change.

Capital Retro8:31 am 13 Feb 20

Remember Shorten’s failure to give costings for Labor’s proposed climate change policies? The closest he got was “the cost will be cheaper that doing nothing” which translates as “a blank cheque drawn on the Australia taxpayers” which is the best reason any voter will get to support the other party so there is your proof.

By the way, I am a self-funded retiree and I haven’t got any shares nor do I believe in negative gearing which is useless for retirees in pension mode anyhow. How about all you hand-wringing warmists who have billions of dollars tied up in fossil fuel companies through your superannuation funds take a look at yourself ? Bit of a double standard there, eh?
https://www.theage.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/divestment-is-simplistic-cbus-backs-23-coal-producers-20200210-p53z8k.html

There you go again with your totally unsubstantiated generalisations directed at people about whom you know nothing, yet you assume you know their circumstances. How about addressing your other unsubstantiated generalisation which I challenged – you claim “The last election was “the climate change election” and LNP won it which reflects that the voters think the current settings which addresses “climate change” are fine.” Proof please – which you are so fond of consistently demanding of others. Or are you just good at slinging accusations of double standards while not avoiding them yourself?

I recall mention of “the climate change election” several times in general media and it was certainly promoted by the ABC. Franking credits are an issue for me but neither determined my vote. I was concerned with stopping Shorten and the rest of the socialist tribe.

Capital Retro7:29 am 14 Feb 20

Thank you Gilavon.

“I recall mention of “the climate change election” several times in general media and it was certainly promoted by the ABC. “
OK – so now we have you both agreeing with the general media and ABC on the single issue election … well I recall mention in the general press and certainly on the ABC that these recent fires are unprecedented. So can we assume that you both now acknowledge the fires were unprecedented – given it’s the same source … or are you going to be hypocritical and cherry pick what you accept as gospel from the general media and ABC?

I think whingers need sit and take stock and ask if had they had the weighty responsibility of fairly extreme circumstance, if they could have done it better?

Capital Retro11:36 am 10 Feb 20

…..or stand for election and show us all how it is done.

HiddenDragon8:16 pm 09 Feb 20

“….or a request for more RFS resources from a pregnant woman accompanied by a leashed goat.”

It’s perhaps worth noting that, unlike the federal Budget, the NSW Budget is already in surplus, and could doubtless have found more resources for the NSW Rural Fire Service –

“The NSW Government continues its record of sound financial management and is on track to deliver average surpluses of $1.9 billion over the four years to 2022-23.”

source – https://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/half-yearly-review

This, of course, is just one relatively small detail, but it’s a reminder that facts and details – particularly those which are inconvenient to a preferred narrative – have too often been lost over the last few months.

Fair point …. but looking at the “record of sound financial management” – the NSW economy is larger than South Africa, Thailand or the Philippines. Much of it’s income is derived from the housing market. …… NSW has the largest population in the country, with sky rocketing house prices driven by the demand for housing, which returns stamp duty. Other taxes the state gains revenue from are GST and gambling. NSW unashamedly scoops up revenue from an inflated housing market and taxes on gambling, as well as letting mining companies run rampant over agriculture, and encourages agriculture dependent on high water crops like cotton and rice, in a country where the water should be shared.

Why blame Morrison, again? How long did it take for Berejiklian to realise federal help was needed? Irrespective of Morrison’s status at the time we do have a Deputy Prime Minister with the power to do what so many people thought Morrison was too slow to do. Neither can act until the states or territories ask.

Whilst you’re allegedly fed up with politicians Genevieve you haven’t called out Andrews who didn’t show his face until 2 January and Paluszuzck (?) who was absent, I understand, on a cruise.

But you’re right about the spinners and weavers and the preoccupation with polls (ban them) by all sides of politics. There is also the insidious side of social media, so much negativity from mainstream media (too much of either) and sabotage by activists (outlaw them).

Don’t know when and where the rot set into our society but it’s high time we all took a deep breath and counted to ten.

Capital Retro9:13 am 14 Feb 20

“……counted to ten….”

That would be challenging for some.

Capital Retro5:18 pm 09 Feb 20

What is an “Ordinary Australian”?

Diane Asenoguan4:31 pm 09 Feb 20

Thank you for echoing many Australians thoughts and emotions at this time. Love the tags but the last one wont bother to read let alone respond. We need to find a new way of choosing our politicians and to look at banning all donations to every political party

Well put but not harsh enough. The time for polite rebuke is over. The LNP, particularly Abbott have ridiculed respectable and reasoned science. Molan’s recent gaffe exposes their mendacity. This government has no plan, has failed all Australians and is culpable in the deaths of 33 people, thousands and thousands of livestock and more than a billion native animals. Their neglect and self interest has resulted in the loss of 2500 houses and thousands of ancillary buildings. The economic cost is in the hundreds of billions, the human cost is almost immeasurable and as stated will scar those affected for years some for life. Businesses lost and economic loss could plunge the already faltering economy into recession. All because politicians of both major parties are beholden to an industry that employs very few, repatriates most of it’s profits overseas and will drop Australia like a ravished whore when fossil fuels become stranded assets. We will be left with the holes to fill and a destroyed environment. Instead of working on a future for the country this current government is pre-occupied with rorting public money, spreading misinformation, peddling outright lies and sucking up to their fossil fuel backers and the Murdoch press.

A nonsensical rant. All of it. First responsibility is on the state governments, not the commonwealth who may only act when requested by the state. What has Murdoch got to do with bush fires?

So true. The dismissive attitude towards experts and everyday people and their concerns let alone questions, has reached an unbelievable level. As someone affected indirectly because of Asthma…. so far 9 days in hospital I find the sloganising and inability to listen to experts very dismaying.
I am actually now very angry that many lives including mine, are now being seriously affected by arrogance and refusal to act for all Australians. Choices being made are irresponsible. All we are getting is “resilience and adaptation”, absolute nonsense if you do not address the cause. I admire the way Gladys handled the situation.

If you admire the way Gladys handled the situation you can’t complain about anything else. It’s up to Gladys (and the other premiers) to request commonwealth assistance. The commonwealth must receive a formal request before it can act, them’s the rules.

Paula Simcocks2:43 pm 09 Feb 20

Our politicians do not seem to have been aware of what the majority of Australians think, so their ability to present a good image was impossible. Morrison is retreating to images with the military or pollies, as way out of touch with people’s experience of our environment. Totally ineffective leadership.

What does Morrison have to do with this? Be aware the commonwealth can’t move until a request is made by the respective state government. You are familiar with the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, aren’t you?

Carol Dutkiewicz12:44 pm 09 Feb 20

Well said and so very true. There are so many people suffering trauma as a result of these fires. I only hope that people remember when the next election comes around.

NSW and Victorian state elections not due for a while yet.

I’m still looking for something that describes what Morrison has actually done wrong, but keep only getting some dribble like this. Morrison was on holidays in mid-December before the major bushfire emergency started. He came back when the keyboard warriors demanded it.

Did he need to? No, not really. Responding to bushfires is a state and territory responsibility where their leadership was required and has largely been done well. People seem to have ignored that the leader of each state and territory also took holidays in December or January. Zero was made of that. Nor have we heard from the Labor opposition leader, whoever and where ever he is?

Claims of lack of defence force involvement? Long been disproven as a false claim by the forces themselves. Again keyboard warriors making claims with no actual knowledge.

The only claims left are an apparent expectation that he should have brought some bottles of water with him when touring the area? Seriously? A couple of warm bottles of water isn’t going to fix anything.

He didn’t deal with the people in that area well? People who are emotional and only intend on being rude will never be an easy conversation for anyone, try to make it work then withdraw.

Great leadership would have been either party developing a policy that reduced the risk of it occurring and getting bipartisan support from all states and territories to implement it. But each party at each level of government has their own agenda, no matter who you voted for, your party is to blame. The media just needs to stop bull dust blame game.

Wonderful writing by #GenevieveJacobs, always a class journalist. Why did #ABC ever let her go?
We have all now felt the fear and sinking feelings in this region- the coastal towns and villages, Braidwood and Bungendors, Bredbo, even comfortable Canberra at least on the southern perimeter ( where I live). A horrible, unhealthy, and scary summer, and yes, it is right to blame our incompetent and uncaring politicians . Not just coalition, but mostly coalition. Keep writing, Genevieve.
ABC News.
Tony Kevin.

“Coalition” has nothing to do with it. Read the Commonwealth Constitution.

One aspect of this climate disaster that also needs reviewing is the role the media has played in making the economic effects worse.
Most people have probably seen the many dramatic images that were splashed across the world’s media showing the extent of the fires.

These images were shown with almost glee by media and conservation groups because they provided effective visuals to help support their climate claims.

Unfortunately many of them were also very inaccurate. See: https://www.indy100.com/article/australia-wildfires-viral-maps-social-media-fake-inaccurate-9273951

There were also very misleading claims made about the air quality.

Then surprise surprise, just when our devastated communities and economy need every tourist dollar we can get, many overseas visitors start cancelling their trips because they have the impression that everywhere interesting has been burnt and they are in danger if they visit.

I totally agree that our politicians have failed us. This summer has been catastrophic and perhaps even unprecedented. But like the fire triangle consists of three elements: Fuel, heat and oxygen, the solution to this crisis also requires three elements:

1) Better government
2) Voters willing to vote for what is best in the long term even if it hurts them now
3) Responsible media who report accurately instead of focussing on what sells best or appears to support their own political views

To ignore the negative impact of the media over this summer would demonstrate that the media has no interest in truth and honesty and really are venal and shallow, just like our politicians.

Spiral there is no “climate disaster”. I agree with everything else in your post.

Agreed to no climate disaster, and in terms of what fires need…fuel is the thing we can control. Govts have consistently not done enough hazard reduction burning despite every bushfire enquiry since 1939 saying this.

Pollies need to stop pandering to noisy minority green groups and actually doing the unpopular work of more hazard reduction burning.

rationalobserver10:09 am 09 Feb 20

Politics is responding to the environment it exists in. Any blame should be shared with the media and “progressive” types who feel entitled to demand this and demand that. Both serve to divert government from the course they might charter if they were left to get on with doing the job they were elected to do.
I also have to ask what steps these former fire chiefs took when in office to put appropriate systems in place to deal with these scenarios? Their legacy condemns them more than Tim Flannery manipulates them.

Your response is an insult to your own intelligence.

rationalobserver1:58 pm 13 Feb 20

Well that’s your opinion. Care to justify it?
Articulate for us all how all these protests & campaigns are fundamentally anything but an attempt by some to have a second bite at the old democracy cherry? Are they not seeking to change policy which was in place at the last election and by definition was the preferred choice by the majority of voters? (the only exception to that that I can think of was the greens policy on fire risk management which was changed at 2:30am on 8th Nov 2019 when the old one started to look a little un defendable in the face of the northern NSW fires at the time).
How can any public official, at the very top of their space and therefore the ones most responsible and accountable for the long term planning and strategy in response to changing conditions, be in any way credible when they allow themselves to be used to highlight the risks and impacts of an outcome which they claimed to have known about whilst being paid to do something about it? Talk about getting a bet on after the race is run.
Over to you.

Correct. The majority view prevailed in May 2019.

Thank you Genevieve I hope you speak for many Australians. I think we should also be calling out the numerous political advisers our politicians have at their side. If they are failing to advise the politicians to listen to ordinary Australians, then they should be sacked. If they are giving that advice, then the politicians are choosing to ignore that advice and that needs to be broadcast. I feel the current leadership is not showing leadership. By trying to ‘buy’ allegiance’ of the politicians who either deny climate change or fail to recognise the need for reducing our carbon emissions, they are failing Australia and Australians.

“Yet no deep planning had taken place. There was no coordination with the states to map a response, no recognition that this time it was different.”

How extraordinarily offensive to write something like this when massive amounts of planning through multiple agencies filled with tens of thousands of good people in every state, with federal government support provided wherever it was needed and asked for.

Sometimes bad things happen. It’s not remotely possible or feasible for governments to control these types of natural disasters.

People need to realise that their governments have never been, nor will they ever be some sort of omnipotent body that can control any and every bad thing that could happen.

Noelene Lafferty8:02 am 09 Feb 20

Genevieve, this is the best summary of this current disaster, and, politics in general ever. Thank you.

Capital Retro7:27 am 09 Feb 20

It’s clearly time for you to become a political leader and show us all how “leadership” should be done. You will have to stand as an independent though after bagging both the major parties.

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