Lot's Wife Edition 1 2016

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