By the end of his first year in government Tony Abbott had conceded the need for a political reset. The new year, he declared, would be about "jobs and families". We were told he planned to travel less and get back to domestic issues. Major end of year personnel changes were not just confined to the government's public face – the ministry. Another significant adjustment occurred behind the scenes.
After months of conservative columnists calling for a shake-up in media strategy, the Prime Minister replaced his communications chief of one year and announced a successor – the ABC's political correspondent Mark Simkin.
They need a better communications strategy latched on to a better governing strategy, says Lachlan Harris
Affable, respected and clear-eyed, the well-liked press gallery veteran has the badly needed skills required to mend some of the PMO's broken relationships with parts of the media. But his task is herculean and will only be surmountable if the Prime Minister is capable of fundamentally recasting himself by rediscovering the political instincts that served him well in opposition but ditching the tactical approach that is crippling him in government.
The test for Abbott is if he can show he is capable of drawing a line under the last year and learning the lessons of what one Liberal describes as the "horror stretch" of 2014. Simkin is yet to begin but the immediate signs don't look promising. Tony Abbott has begun the New Year much like he ended the last. More overseas travel and sending new confusing signals about what he stands for - crucially - throwing open the prospect of a Great Big New Tax.
His newly minted Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is talking of imposing the GST on goods bought from overseas which are currently exempt if they are worth below $1000. This is in spite of Tony Abbott's promise that there would be no changes to the GST. A trio of backbenchers, led by the Victorian country Liberal Dan Tehan who was overlooked for promotion in the recent reshuffle, has begun lobbying for a debate about extending the GST to fresh food. This has now been backed by at least one minister. Their political courage is admirable.
...Scare campaign aside, the greater cost of opening debate on new taxes is that once again, the Prime Minister is baffling voters about what he is and what he will do. He pledges no surprises then wastes political capital astonishing the public by restoring Knighthoods and Dameships. He promises no new taxes but unveils a deficit levy and agrees to float the prospect of a 10 per cent slug on fresh food, health and education. On one hand, he is the leader happy to rid families of the cost of living pressures associated with the carbon and mining taxes. But on the other he is the big-spending Liberal PM who will cheerfully levy big businesses to pay for an expensive paid parental leave scheme that few want.
As one MP puts it, it's very hard to explain to pensioners that they should cop the budget's "tough choices" with paid parental leave lurking in the background. Of all the demographics, older voters accept and understand the need to pay down the debt and deficit, says one MP, but their response is always 'well why are you having the PPL?' 'That's what cuts across fundamentally,' says the MP.
John Howard was successful because he gave voters a compass, a framework, which they could use to navigate him. Says one Liberal, even a reasonably disengaged voter knew that on any given day, John Howard stood for reducing income taxes, controlled migration and aiding families through huge middle-class welfare handouts.
In contrast, Tony Abbott has spent his time in office constantly confusing and perplexing voters. By the end of 2014, he was left with no shortage of friends giving him no end of free advice. He might legitimately complain that when Julia Gillard was in similar trouble the left rallied behind her while the right has appeared to pile in. But unlike Gillard, Abbott is seen so far, as a great disappointment to his base.
....Good governance in the Howard years was never about waking up to win the media cycle - "You need to get your policy ducks in a row first".
The Prime Minister has made the right noises that he is willing to reset. Now he must show he is capable.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-must-stop-baffling-the-voters-20150109-12kv1q.html
