It is no surprise to anyone that Malcolm Turnbull has squandered the COALition’s lead in the opinion polls. The Government has been rudderless since Tony Abbott’s ousting. As on the nose as the former PM was he at least stood for something. It was just that his something was out of kilter with the aspirations and fair mindedness of middle Australia particularly in regards to education and health.
On his elevation to the nation’s top job, Malcolm Turnbull enjoyed a honeymoon period waffling on about nothing of substance. Alarmingly for the electorate it has become apparent that the PM is still wedded to Abbott’s draconian policies. It became quickly evident that the progressive views that Malcolm purported to hold on gay marriage and on the establishment of an Australian Republic were not views he was prepared to defend in the party room. This failure on his part has made him look spineless. His personal wealth and the scandals rocking the corporate world have undermined his credibility in being able to deal with issues such as corporate tax and tax reform generally. In short the electorate is increasingly seeing him as engaging in flim flammery, viewing him as nothing more than a snake-oil salesmen.
Bill Shorten has adopted the usual self-deprecating noises politicians make when told they are leading in the polls. Given this position and given the current issues dogging the PM, Labor has an opportunity to campaign hard and sell a vision of the future to Australians. Labor’s reticence to do so is grounded in the success of John Howard’s small target success which followed a backlash against Keating’s big picture pitch to engage with Asia.
Shorten has an opportunity to offer a vision domestically that is located in the idea of a fair go for all, a notion increasingly important to Australians currently flabbergasted by the extent of corruption in the corporate world. Rightly or wrongly the prevailing sense in the electorate is that it is about time tax evading companies paid their way.
The ALP should declare emphatically that it will increase company tax. It should go hard on negative gearing. It should defend public health and education because on all these issues the COALition is vulnerable and Turnbull’s wealth exposes him as being out of touch with the public but a champion of private health companies and private schools.
Labor should declare that it will hold a referendum on the republic, that it will enact legislation to allow gay marriage and that it will hold a referendum to recognize indigenous Australians in our constitution. Turnbull can mount no challenge to any of these as he is on the record as supporting all of them. His party’s resistance to the republic and gay marriage will only highlight his ineffectiveness as a leader.
Labor’s Achilles’ heel has been perceived as the taint of corrupt Trade Unions and the cure all tonic as the establishment of the ABCC. However, the banking and corporate scandals have clearly shown that corruption is rife across all industries and Labor can assume the moral high ground by supporting and insisting on a commission with the power to investigate ALL industries.
Will the ALP think big and play bold? Don’t bet on it.