At the start it was all baseball caps,soft photo ops,lots of smiles,“how good is (insert something Australian here)” all the way to an election win after a campaign in which he sold nothing but his uncomplicated self and an overt unwillingness to offer a single challenging policy idea. Things were apples,for a while.
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There are two big problems with basing your success on your image. One is that you can’t afford to let up tending to the front-of-house stuff even for a moment. Morrison discovered this during thebushfires of the 2019-20 summer – first theHawaiian holiday,then “I don’t hold a hose,mate” and the empathy-bypass interactions with victims. Bushfire Scott took a big hit,but he was soon restored.
In strictly political terms,the Prime Minister’s image was rescued by the global pandemic. Understandably,most Australians have seen the past 12 months as a time to get behind leaders and each other to fight off the deadly threat of the virus.
But now that our population is starting to immunise itself against COVID-19,regular political transmission is resuming and there is room in our heads for other big issues. Thus,the second key problem with relying on one man’s image comes to the fore:if there’s not enough substance behind the style,there’s a problem.
In only a matter of weeks,the allegation of the rape of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has opened a roiling nationwide debate about the treatment of women,not just in politics but across society. The Prime Minister tried to treat it as just another issue to be managed and endured,part of politics’ passing parade. By Monday night,with new information about the alleged assault and reports of bizarre exhibitionist acts in Canberra by a whole new set of government staffers,it was set to consume his carefully maintained image,bushfire-style.
And so to Morrison’sTuesday morning press conference in which he sought to regain control of how Australians see him. Two Scott Morrisons were on display:he toggled between humility and a prickly,glowering defensiveness.