National politics last week had a faint sense of raggedness to it.
asserted
politics → have → it
There are two and a half months until Christmas and what is usually – unless bushfires break out – the long political break.
asserted
bushfires → be → Christmas
The problems should not be exaggerated – the government is very far from being in serious trouble.
asserted
government → exaggerate → trouble
Still, unless Labor can find a way of seizing the initiative, it will be wishing those months away.
asserted
it → find → months
The most prominent example of this creeping quality of unkemptness was the government’s swift retreat on the ATO’s decision to stop accepting credit cards for the payment of tax.
asserted
example → creep → tax
On Friday, Jim Chalmers announced the transition period would be extended until mid-next year.
asserted
period → announce → year
Faced with the consequence of an earlier announcement by the Reserve Bank – banning credit card surcharges – the government listened to concerns and fixed the problem.
asserted
government → face → problem
These are just the usual minor bumps of governing.
asserted
These → govern → governing
And, as Chalmers pointed out, this was part of a package of changes – businesses will also save money as banks are forced to cut the fees they charge for credit card usage.
asserted
they → point → usage
One is that the government should have seen this coming.
asserted
this → see → ?
Remember, too, that while the surcharge ban was technically a Reserve Bank decision, it was something the government argued for in late 2024 – a point the Liberals have been making – and boasted about after it happened.
asserted
it → remember → 2024
That means shouldering responsibility for the problems, too.
asserted
That → mean → problems
Politically, Labor made the right call in the end.
asserted
Labor → make → end
But you can see, too, in all this just how sensitive the government is right now.
asserted
government → see → this
Labor obviously knew it could not afford a flare-up among small businesses.
uncertain
it → know → businesses
And that is in part because it is heading towards what it must hope are the final stages of dealing with lingering budget legislation, with its trust changes likely to reach parliament this week.
asserted
changes → head → parliament
Again, it is not really unusual for budget matters to be drawn out – nobody should pretend this is something unique to this government.
asserted
this → draw → government
Angus Taylor clearly senses this.
asserted
Taylor → sense → this
In recent weeks, he has ramped up attacks on Chalmers.
asserted
he → ramp → Chalmers
First, he dismissed the treasurer as only a “media adviser”, fond of spin.
asserted
he → dismiss → spin
Then he began to ask where Chalmers was (this was unfair – Chalmers had been in Japan).
asserted
Chalmers → begin → Japan
Finally, he started calling for Chalmers to resign.
asserted
Chalmers → start → ?
This last was an extreme overreach, a bad habit Taylor seems to be developing (he calls this government both “socialist” and the “worst” in Australia’s history), leaving him nowhere to go when genuinely significant things happen.
asserted
things → seem → him
It may also have worked better had Taylor not been dealing with his own raggedness.
uncertain
Taylor → work → raggedness
Last week, he announced the Coalition’s migration policy.
asserted
he → announce → policy
It seemed broadly unloved and quickly attracted critics.
asserted
It → seem → critics
It also raised two significant political issues.
asserted
It → raise → issues
The first was: why, when the interest rate hike had just landed with a thud, did Taylor choose to return almost immediately to One Nation territory?
asserted
Taylor → land → territory
There is an answer of sorts: as I wrote two weeks back, Taylor has been focusing on culture war issues, presumably with the hope of moving on to the economy.
asserted
Taylor → be → economy
But it still seemed odd: finally, the politics were moving in his direction – and he zigzagged away.
asserted
he → seem → direction
The second was that the policy angered business so much.
asserted
policy → anger → business
When Peter Dutton tried to position the Coalition as separate from, even opposed to, the interests of big business, it sounded halfway plausible.
asserted
it → try → business
This holds true when Andrew Hastie says it.
asserted
Hastie → hold → it
But Taylor’s avowed strategy is all about the economy – and his image is tied to his own business acumen.
asserted
image → tie → acumen
All politicians are constrained by how the public sees them.
asserted
public → constrain → them
With last week’s announcement, Taylor risked cutting against one of his personal strengths.
asserted
Taylor → risk → strengths
Now, presuming he can segue back onto the economy, the test arrives for Taylor.
asserted
test → presume → Taylor
Can he prosecute the economic arguments?
asserted
he → prosecute → arguments
The conditions are immensely favourable – so how long will the Liberals give him?
asserted
Liberals → give → him
Liberal minds – including Hastie’s – may be focused by Josh Frydenberg’s reappearance on the political scene as he releases his memoir.
uncertain
he → include → memoir
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
