THE LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA DOES NOT NEED A COMPLEX REVIEW.
As an autistic person who has been forced to mask, I can tell you how draining it is and how it feels when the mask slips. Political commentators are saying that Anthony Albanese is the first Prime Minister since 2004 to have won back-to-back elections. The 2004 Election was significant for two reasons. It was an election where a serving government won another term with an increased majority and control of both houses, and Labor, then in Opposition, had elected Mark Latham as its leader. Mark Latham was renowned from having a foul mouth (he referred to John Howard’s 2002 overtures to George W. Bush as “an arse-licking effort,” and that is just one example) and a violent temper. Mark Latham tried to present himself as more measured, but the electorate saw through that and deemed him too risky, and rightly so, since he moved from the Labor Party to One Notion and was even considered too extreme for that and left after an offensive meme earnt Hanson’s condemnation and he refused to answer her calls or apologize.
The lessons that John Howard and Mark Latham should have taught us all are that when a person shows you who they are the first time, believe them the first time. It was a lesson that people seemed to have learnt about Dutton. During the Botty-Turnbull-Morrison Circus of 2013–2022, Dutton held the portfolios of Health, Immigration, Home Affairs and Defence. It was in the latter three portfolios that he showed his extreme hard side, and as Defence Minister, told the Army that they could not hold a rainbow morning tea for LGBTIQA Members. When he became Opposition Leader, he told the public that they would see his softer side. The problem was, he didn’t have one.
Dutton was aligned with Tone the Botty, and the fact that Turnbull was able to convince the Liberal Party room that he could lead the party better, after 30 consecutive negative Newspolls, the party said, “Okay, but you cannot change the agenda.” Changing the leader but not the agenda is like pooping your pants and changing your shirt. Turnbull was less conservative (he was a republican in the Australian sense of wanting the country to no longer be a constitutional monarchy) and unlike Tone the Botty, was socially progressive and wanted action on climate change. Tone the Botty did not believe in climate change.
So, not only was Dutton a poor choice as leader despite a dearth of talent, his policy agenda, from the get-go, was to make life difficult for Labor. Okay, the Liberals had lost government, and their pride had been hurt, but that doesn’t mean that they have to act in a born to rule manner. The Liberal Party needs to understand that being in Opposition means being the major party not in government, not opposition to the government for the sake of opposition.
Dutton purported to be understanding of climate change, but instead of supporting Labor’s initiatives, came up with nuclear power. He was involved with mining magnates and that was why. I am not against nuclear power per se, but nuclear power is not a good option for Australia because it’s a dry continent and nuclear power needs water!
Furthermore, John Howard, when first confronted with Hanson, let her speak, and then swung to say that she was “bordering on the deranged” and had the Liberals put her last. This time, Tone the Botty and Dutton decided that she should be accepted towards the mainstream fold and did a preference deal with her party. John Howard also adopted her policies on asylum seekers. The Liberal Party were trying to win back voters who were drifting to the extreme right rather than those drifting to Labor.
The Liberal Party needs to learn some serious lessons from this election.