Too often, political journalism is the art of asking the wrong question. We can preoccupy ourselves wondering whether or not a particular tactic will work. These are valid enough deductions, but the whole exercise can read like theatre criticism. At the moment, there is only one question to ask, and it’s this. Is it right for Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton to weaponise national security in the run-up to an election they evidently fear they could lose? If you ask the correct question, the answer is simple and clear. The…
Tag: Coalition
Scott Morrison calls Labor MP a ‘Manchurian candidate’ in extraordinary scenes in parliament – video
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison branded deputy Labor leader Richard Marles a ‘Manchurian candidate’ amid extraordinary scenes in question time on Wednesday. Morrison then withdrew the slur, which infers that a politician is being used as a puppet by an enemy power. Morrison also cited a speech by Marles in Beijing in 2019 calling for Australia and China to strengthen ties. Australia’s domestic spy chief, Mike Burgess, told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Wednesday night that the weaponisation of national security is ‘not helpful to us’. It is the second forthright public…
Politicising national security ‘not helpful’, Asio spy chief says as Scott Morrison ramps up attack
Australia’s domestic spy chief, Mike Burgess, has declared the weaponisation of national security is “not helpful to us” after extraordinary scenes in federal parliament where Scott Morrison labelled a senior Labor frontbencher a “Manchurian candidate”. With Morrison ramping up the partisan rhetoric about risks to Australia’s sovereignty, the Asio director general told the ABC on Wednesday night the risk of foreign interference was “equal opportunity”. These risks affected all members of parliament, he told the 7.30 program, “so it doesn’t go after one particular party or the other”. Asked whether…
At the prospect of ending a decade of climate bollocks, the PM donned a dusty Abbott onesie and zipped up | Katharine Murphy
The Coalition has weaponised climate change at every election since Tony Abbott took the Liberal party leadership. Weaponising doesn’t have to involve lying, but when it comes to climate policy, there’s been truckloads of bullshit as well. Unsurprising, then, that Scott Morrison – in between the rebellion of Liberal moderates on Thursday morning and a damaging cabinet leak in the afternoon – returned to the climate policy fray during question time. Hello darkness, my old friend. Morrison was asked why he wouldn’t back Labor’s 43% medium-term emissions reduction target given…
Fresh leak reveals Scott Morrison rolled in cabinet over plan to win back renegade MPs
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has been hit with a damaging cabinet leak revealing he was rolled over a plan to convince renegade MPs opposed to the government’s religious discrimination bill. After a torrid start to the parliamentary year, which saw Morrison’s character come under question after the leaking of a damaging text message, the prime minister has spent the week attempting to corral MPs into supporting the religious discrimination bill. In a story published late on Thursday, The Australian reported Morrison had been rolled in a cabinet meeting on…