By Paula Matthewson February 2, 2015

Despite renewed promises to consult with colleagues and listen to voters, the address by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to the National Press Club was an affirmation of his government’s reform agenda more than willingness to reform himself.

In fact, the speech was mostly a plea for Coalition MPs to fall back into line and just stick with the program.

Huge expectations had been placed on the address by media and other political commentators in light of the precarious state in which the PM currently finds his leadership. Disgruntled government backbenchers and nervous ministers looked for an indication that Abbott was able and willing to take a more considered and collegiate approach, while voters wanted an acknowledgment that the government had gone too hard and fast with its policy reforms and budget cuts.

Those expectations could never have been fully met, but a nod in their direction still would have gone a long way. Instead, the Prime Minister elected to rebuff the doubters and stare down his critics, using the speech to announce he would not be for turning and to recommit to the government’s reform agenda.

It was a higgledy-piggledy speech, reportedly crafted by Abbott himself over the past several weeks and designed to touch a nerve on several key voter concerns. In so doing, Abbott drew upon the only two issues remaining that are considered to be the government’s strengths: economic management and national security.

The PM inelegantly combined the two, arguing, “That’s why a government with the plan and the will to strengthen our economy and protect our nation is so important.”

With the confidence of one whose belief is unshakeable, Abbott claimed his government had made the right decisions in the budget even if they weren’t popular ones. “This government would hardly have taken the political risks it has without the conviction that some change is absolutely unavoidable if our country is to flourish.”

No regrets, no apology, no turning back. 

The speech also contained the usual references to the economic drift and profligacy of the former Labor government (without mentioning the budget-busting GFC), the wonders of successive surpluses during the Howard years (without reference to the mining boom that underwrote them), and the need to fix the debt and deficit quick smart before we end up like Europe.

In addition there was a blatant attempt to rekindle the approval voters fleetingly felt for Abbott when he first announced enhanced counter-terrorism measures to deal with the rise of Islamic extremism.

Stressing that people are sick of Australian citizens making excuses for Islamic fanatics, Abbott vowed to “crack down” on organisations that “nurture terrorism in our suburbs”, such as Hizb-ut-Tahir, by giving police and security agencies all the laws, money and support they need.

Abbott also widened the national security theme to encompass economic sovereignty, throwing a bone to the protectionists and xenophobes by promising to improve scrutiny and reporting of foreign purchases of agricultural land, and enforcement of rules against the foreign purchases of existing homes.

The only concession made in the PM’s speech today was to take his beloved paid parental leave policy “off the table” because something that’s “desirable is not always doable, especially when times are tough and budgets are tight.”

Even then, there was no recognition on Abbott’s part that the PPL was misguided or that it should have been shelved long ago. 

Little direct mention of the PM’s leadership woes was mentioned in the actual speech, other than a closing reminder that “Australia deserves the stable government that you elected us to be just 16 months ago.” This mythical stable government apparently involves “budget repair, no return of the carbon tax, no restart of people smuggling, and no in-fighting”.

The media assembled at the NPC to hear the address leapt at this glimmering tidbit, giving Abbott several opportunities to answer questions about his beleaguered leadership and poor polling.

His answers were mostly appeals for colleagues to STFU, using homilies about former John Howard saying that to stick it out during the hard times was a “test of character”, and warning that giving into fear (of further bad polls, one can only assume) will make “a bad situation worse”.

“We were elected in 2013 because the Australian people rejected chaos,” Abbott warned, “and we are not going to take them back to that chaos.” Of course, the Coalition could easily avoid repeating that chaos if Abbott stood down of his own accord.

When asked about the unfairness of last year’s budget and the inequitable impact on those least able to bear the cost, Abbott demurred that what’s really unfair is the intergenerational theft occurring because of the debt and deficit racked up by the weak former Labor government.

And there it is in a nutshell – Tony Abbott is facing potential electoral oblivion because he doesn’t want to be seen as weak.With much of his electoral credibility vested in building a strong economy, the PM is resisting any move away from his current reform agenda lest his critics and opponents depict it as a sign of weakness.

However there is a world of difference between strength and just plain stubbornness.

Abbott can talk about his government being more consultative and collegial than any other. He can even acknowledge, as he did at the NPC, that the community must be brought along on difficult policy decisions.

But until the PM denounces the harsh reform approach taken by his government and affirms a new approach, Abbott will seen by voters as neither competent nor trustworthy, and undeserving of their support.
*Paula Matthewson has worked in and around federal politics for nearly 25 years, variously as a media adviser and lobbyist but now as a freelance writer. She’s been tweeting and blogging about politics, the media and social media since 2009, and in 2013 founded the popular group blog AusOpinion. She blogs at Drag0nista’s Blog and tweets as @Drag0nista.

ABBOTT. STRONG...OR JUST PLAIN STUBBORN? |