Lot's Wife Edition 1 2016

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OPINION Malcolm Turnbull: a leftie love affair By Ovindu Rajasinghe Art by Sian Mann September 14, 2015: Malcolm Turnbull challenges Tony Abbott for the leadership of the Liberal Party, and in winning, finally fulfils his lifelong ambition of becoming Prime Minister. When the Whips read out the results of the ballot, a collective sigh of relief could be heard across the country as ‘Lord Tone’ was consigned to the ignominy of the backbenches. The leadership spill was no surprise. It had been a horror year for the government, up to its ears in scandal and incompetence, all following the disastrous 2014 budget. It was also no surprise that the Liberal Party’s stocks rose astronomically after Turnbull’s ascension. Two potatoes tied together loosely by a piece of string could have been sworn in as Prime Minister, and the Libs would have received a bounce in the polls. What was a surprise, was that a man presiding over an only slightly-less conservative government has remained so popular into 2016. I have spoken to committed Labor voters who are seriously considering voting for Turnbull’s Liberals; I know intense Greenies who have told me they might well preference the Libs above Labor this year. Whilst it is understandable that many in the moderate right love him, this is unclear: why are so many progressive voters so enamoured? Obviously, Malc’s popularity has at least a small part to do with the stark contrast with the previous occupant of The Lodge. On a superficial 26 | Lot’s Wife
SOCIETY “Two potatoes tied together loosely by a piece of string could have been sworn in as Prime Minister” level, Turnbull is an infinitely more polished operator. The glamorous former journalist, lawyer, and businessman speaks with a supremely confident and measured tone, oozing intelligence and charisma. He doesn’t make stupid PR mistakes like winking after hearing about the plight of a grandmother forced to work for a phone sex hotline. He is able to articulate policy positions without the use of three word slogans, respecting the intelligence of the electorate. His public front is the antithesis of Abbott’s bumbling, awkward presentation. More importantly, he is a more consultative, less divisive leader. From the night of the spill, when the Prime Minister-designate fronted the media, his focus was markedly different. Rather than stirring up fear with divisive rhetoric about Australia’s perceived enemies, we heard that “...there has never been a more exciting time to be Australian.” Beyond his rhetoric, Turnbull has also proven to be a much more adept negotiator, open to compromise. This was demonstrated in the deal that Turnbull struck with the Greens to pass tax transparency legislation that had been bogged down by the Senate crossbench. But maybe it’s not just Turnbull’s charismatic and consultative front. Perhaps Turnbull has been able to steer his party towards more centrist positions. Perhaps the electorate is looking past personality politics and like what they see in Turnbull’s substantive policy views, which are clearly more progressive than Abbott’s. There are two factors to consider here. Firstly, Turnbull is the leader of a party with powerful conservative factions. Turnbull might hold progressive views on issues such as climate change, marriage equality, and the republic, but many of his party room and cabinet colleagues certainly do not. Since becoming Prime Minister, the dud Direct Action policy on climate change has been retained, the time-wasting plebiscite on marriage equality is scheduled to go ahead, and the stalled cuts to education and health in the Senate have not been dropped. Perhaps Turnbull’s moderate allies will be able to purge the radical right from his party, or maybe he will continue to be beholden to the conservatives. Liberal factional intrigue is murky and difficult to understand, and there is no guarantee that Turnbull will come out on top. It is important to note that, when you vote for the Liberals, you are not just electing Turnbull, but also a party that has been hijacked by the likes of Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz. Secondly, Turnbull is still a committed believer in free market libertarianism and his economic views might not sit well with many progressive voters. When Turnbull announced his first Cabinet, Small Business Minister Bruce Bilson was sacked. Bilson was a strong advocate of an ‘effects test’ which would strengthen competition law so as to prevent anti-competitive behaviour from big business, a reform which has been lauded by the Council of Small Business Australia. The new Minister, Kelly O’Dwyer, and Turnbull himself, are reportedly opposed to the effects test, and it has been put on the backburner. Turnbull is still very much beholden to the big end of town. Turnbull reportedly once stated that he wanted to be Prime Minister before the age of forty. When asked which party he wanted to represent, he famously replied that it didn’t matter. Turnbull is a man who has worked tirelessly over his incredible career, making valuable contributions to the law, media, business, and public life. He has come from a broken family to amass a fortune that has made him one of the richest men in Australia. I admire him, and I can see why so many Australians feel the same way. But the electorate must ask themselves whether a man so driven by ambition and hubris can be trusted to deliver on what he has stood for, or whether he will be held hostage by the rest of his party so he can cling to his job. Malcolm Turnbull is a welcome change from Tony Abbott. His appointment ended the lunacy of the previous administration, and might challenge the parties of the left to a genuine contest of ideas rather than a ‘Shorten vs Abbott’ slogan writing competition. If Turnbull’s Liberals genuinely represent your beliefs and values, then by all means vote for them. But don’t let the Tories sneak in the back door because you like the look of the salesman. The party is bigger than the leader, and the leader is not all that he seems. Lot’s Wife | 27
Page 1: LOT’S WIFE — EDITION ONE —
Page 4 and 5: EDITORIAL EDITORS DESIGN Timothy Ne
Page 6 and 7: Tips & tricks for first years by Br
Page 8 and 9: STUDENT TOP 8 SPACES: CLUBS & SOCIE
Page 10 and 11: STUDENT MUMS Monash University Mini
Page 12 and 13: STUDENT How to plan your exchange (
Page 14 and 15: OFFICE BEARER REPORTS MSA PRESIDENT
Page 16 and 17: Do one thing Contribute to the sust
Page 18 and 19: illustration by Julia Pillai
Page 20 and 21: SOCIETY to work for the seat they s
Page 22 and 23: ESSAY Let’s talk about education
Page 24 and 25: OPINION Flüchtlingskrise By Ben Ne
Page 30 and 31: WEEK 1 MSA Women’s ‘Meet the De
Page 33 and 34: PROTEST AGAINST EDUCATION CUTS
Page 35 and 36: SCIENCE The big screen science of c
Page 37 and 38: SCIENCE Beyond 140 by Emma Simpkin
Page 39 and 40: SCIENCE need to follow, in order to
Page 41 and 42: The skinny on gluten-free diets SCI
Page 43 and 44: PUZZLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Page 45 and 46: CULTURE Nowadays, the release of a
Page 47 and 48: CULTURE but ultimately, when there
Page 49 and 50: CULTURE ALBUMS OF 2016 Drake - View
Page 51 and 52: CULTURE Undying: Parasocial relatio
Page 53 and 54: CREATIVE “All I ate the first day
Page 55 and 56: CREATIVE Lot’s Wife | 55
Page 57 and 58: CREATIVE she resurfaced s m a t t e
Page 59: CREATIVE JK Dress-up by Jemma Cakeb

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