We certainly live in strange times. 2022 has unfortunately begun much as 2021 ended for Scott Morrison: under intense pressure, his poll numbers dwindling and a growing disquiet amongst the electorate that renders the prospect of an Albanese led Labor government more than just a leftist fantasy.
On one level, this is understandable. Morrison has made several political blunders that were easily avoidable. The ill fated trip to Hawaii that he will never live down, the ‘it’s not a race’ comment in reference to vaccinations, and the clumsy response to the Brittany Higgins allegations were all mistakes that will haunt him come election time.
This writer is prepared to acknowledge these political mishaps, but one also needs to look beyond the politics to what has actually been done? Beneath all of the noise and the obsessive campaign from the fanatical tribe on Twitter to remove Morrison, there are inconvenient facts that fly in the face of their hysterical cries to boot him from office.
The great Winston Churchill once said that it is all good and well to obsess over good intentions, but occasionally one should look at outcomes and results. So, let’s look at the actual outcomes and results during Morrison’s tenure as Prime Minister.
Fact 1: Australia’s unemployment rate is at its lowest point in 13 years
At just 4.2%, Australia’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the world. In the middle of a global pandemic it is remarkable that the government has been able to provide an environment where jobs are being retained and created.
Even The Guardian, an outlet seldom known for its praise of the federal government, had the following take: The latest figures underscore the strength of the economy at the end of 2021. The huge fiscal stimulus by states and the federal government, household savings topping $200bn and record-low official interests all combined to stoke economic activity.
Fact 2: Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world
We keep hearing ‘failures of the vaccination rollout’ or ‘vaccine rollout disaster’. Question: what failure? Australia’s population is one of the most vaccinated in the world, exceeding countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. You can check here for the data yourself, courtesy of the New York Times.
You see, the Labor Party and their fellow travelers want to instill in the public’s mind that apparently the vaccination rollout was and is a disaster, but how could this logically wash when the outcome of Australia’s rollout is superior to most other countries? Honestly, an onlooker from overseas would look at the bizarre narrative being pushed here and be gobsmacked at the lack of self awareness.
Fact 3: More women are in employment in Australia than ever before
Women problem? Say again? There are 1 million more Australian women in work today that when Labor left office. You can read further here.
Fact 4: Youth employment is at one of the highest levels in the nation’s history, despite the pandemic
Another narrative pushed by Morrison’s political opponents is that the Liberal Government is doing nothing for younger voters. Again, this does not wash with reality.
As the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Bjorn Jarvis, points out: “The youth unemployment rate fell by 1.5 percentage points (in 2021) to 9.4 per cent, the lowest since November 2008, and the youth participation rate increased by 0.4 percentage points to 70.5 per cent, the highest it had been since September 2008.”
Nice work.
Fact 5: Morrison’s response to the 2019-2020 bushfires was unprecedented intervention
Ah yes, the Hawaii holiday. What about the actual response though? Well, the government announced 3,000 Army Reservists to to support the effort, the first time in Australian history that the federal government had run such an intervention for what was actually a state issue. In addition, the government invested a further $20 million to lease firefighting aircraft and deployed the Navy to assist the effort.
In May, 2020, the government announced a $650 million Regional Bushfire Recovery and Development Program.
Fact 6: Rapid Antigen Testing and PCR testing is actually the responsibility of the states, not the federal government.
It seems that the biggest political problems facing Morrison, from the bushfire response to the current test shortage, comes from the lack of voter awareness about the nuances of federation. Morrison made the political error of leaving the bushfire response to the states, as had always been done. In 2022, the states also failed to order enough Rapid Antigen Tests and the blame unfairly fell on Morrison’s shoulders.
Check out this press release from former Victorian Liberal leader, Michael O’Brien. The then Opposition Leader was calling on the state government to provide access to RATs in August. The Andrews government ignored him.
The federal government is only responsible for tests in residential aged care facilities and certain other high-risk settings.
Once again, Morrison is a victim of misperception of federal/state responsibilities.
Fact 7: Australia has been one of the best managed countries throughout the pandemic
Australia has one of the lowest death rates in the world, even with the latest Omicron wave. As of the end of last year, Australia accounted for just 0.035% of deaths with Covid worldwide. For those who wish to point out that this is due to Australia’s small population, the figure of 0.035% is roughly 10 times lower than Australia’s proportion of the global population (0.33%).
So when someone just mindlessly repeats ‘Morrison’s failure to manage the pandemic’ from some idiot they heard on Twitter, just reply with the obvious: what the hell are you on about?
Fact 8: Australia has enjoyed a period of economic growth comparable to other countries
Along with China, Australia was one of the few OECD countries to experience consistent economic growth through 2020 and 2021. Australia is also one of only nine countries to maintain its Triple A Credit Rating.
Fact 9: Australia has reduced its carbon emissions by 20 percent
Leftists don’t like this claim. They say it is false. They claim it is a falsehood by eliminating Land Use Changes and Forestry, or LULUCF, from the data. You can see the ABC do this neat trick here.
So, in order to maintain the narrative that Australia is doing nothing about climate change, Morrison’s opponents literally have to remove an entire category of emissions data in order to maintain their claim. One would think that reducing land clearing and deforestation (a significant problem in Brazil and Indonesia) would be lauded but for the Labor Party and the Greens, it’s an inconvenient fact to be wiped from the books.
Fact 10: Australia has enjoyed record investment in renewable energy under the LNP government
As reported by The Conversation in 2018, Australia is on track for 50% renewable electricity in 2025. Australia had a 2020 target of reaching 20% renewable energy. By 2020, 24% of Australia’s total electricity generation was from renewable energy sources, including solar (9%), wind (9%) and hydro (6%). Not bad for a government that hates renewables, apparently.
Oh, and because the government is overseeing a manageable and responsible transition, electricity prices have only risen modestly compared to under Labor. Annual increases have averaged only 0.3% under the Liberals from 2013-2021, compared to 12.9% under Labor from 2007-2013.
So, a useful guide for the next few months:
When you are arguing with a leftist, you are likely to hear the following claims. You’re welcome to use the added retorts:
Leftist claim: Morrison’s vaccine rollout was a disaster.
Logical retort: Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, outpacing even the UK and the US.
Leftist claim: Morrison has an awful record when it comes to women.
Logical retort: 1 million more women are currently in work compared to when Labor was in office.
Leftist claim: Morrison went on holiday while Australia burned.
Logical retort: Yes, because bushfire management is a state responsibility; however, when he came back he initiated an unprecedented federal response.
Leftist claim: Morrison and the LNP are doing nothing about climate change.
Logical retort: Actually, Australia’s emissions have dropped by 20 percent based on 2005 levels.
There is a truism in politics: perception is everything. He who controls the narrative wins. If Morrison has had one failing, it is (ironically for a marketing man) allowing the Labor Party and their media sympathisers to construct a narrative of chaos and failure. Yet one simply needs to look at the outcomes to see that this does not actually match reality.
Frankly, Scott Morrison deserves more credit than he gets. One can seldom recall a single term where a Prime Minister has had more to deal with, and yet despite everything, Australia has sustained low unemployment, economic growth, and one of the lowest death rates in the world, all while reducing emissions.
Not a bad record for a bloke who was written off once before. Only a fool would write him off again, especially when voters seriously consider the alternative on offer.
The Thought Hub 
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