You have to give it to the Prime Minister.
He’s just faced nationwide revolt over his ‘captain's decision' to award the Queen's husband a Knighthood, been cut loose by the most powerful media mogul in the world and is staring down the barrel of an uprising by his inner and outer cabinet. Yet all he offers by way of contrition is a pledge to consult more widely the next time he intends to decide to make such a contentious decision. That of course, assumes he recognises when a decision is likely to be contentious. It also begs the question why he didn’t think this decision would be contentious.
The Knighthood for Prince Phillip, who barely needs another title to accompany the dozen or so others he owns, shows the depth of Prime Minister Abbott’s love of Monarchy. He is entitled to be a monarchist. He is not entitled to foist that commitment on to a country divided on the question. But Prime Minister Abbotts monarchism seemingly knows no bounds, not even when it is so unambiguously telling his own people that no Australian was, in his mind, worthy of it. Even the other recipient, former military chief Angus Houston seemed a tad embarrassed, despite gallantly asserting that the Queens escort was a worthy recipient.
More than the prime minister's commitment to the monarchy, ironically reinforced the day after opposition leader Bill Shorten called for renewed debate on the question of Australia becoming a republic, there is the issue of his political judgement and who is influencing it.
At a media conference today Mr Abbott batted away questions about whether he’d consulted his uber powerful Chief of Staff, Peta Credlin. Ms Credlin is widely disliked within the Coalition for pulling too much weight, keeping her boss too shielded from the problems his ministers want him to help solve.
"I am just not going to get into this sort of internal navel gazing. I did what I thought was appropriate,” said Mr. Abbott. That, he said, was to consult the Chairman of the Order of Australia and the Governor General.
Australians are generally a forgiving lot so it could be some solace for those offended by the decision that Mr. Abbott acknowledges it is a “distraction” from which he has learned a lesson. Still, they are unlikely to be convinced by his argument that three quarter of a million young Australians go through the Duke of Edinburgh award system. Goodness, even some of his own daughters had taken part in the program.
Being reminded that his daughters play a role in his prime ministerial decision-making so soon after the fury over one of them received an uncontested $60,000 scholarship from a design school, won’t cut it in the homes of battlers around the country. The Prime Minister wasn’t speaking for all Australians when he bestowed the award and is speaking for even fewer when he cites the privileged upbringing of his own daughters as justification.
The big question now is whether the prime minister emerging to address the displeasure will actually stem it.
The timing certainly looks cynical. Embattled Queensland Premier Campbell Newman wasn’t impressed with the Knighthood decision and said so. Pointedly, he hasn’t invited Tony Abbott to join him in his campaign for re-election, which is odd given the prime minister knows more than most about how to win an election when you are personally extremely unpopular.
Nor will the contrition likely stop the rumbling noise of federal backbenchers, already feeling nervous for their future over the more controversial budget measures, the Medicare co-payment and deregulated university fees amongst them. Several are now adding the displeasure of their constituents over Prince Phillips latest award to that list.
But in politics there is usually an upside to all disasters. And cynical though it looks that Prime Minister Abbott chose today to finally address the scourge of domestic violence in Australia, at least its now on the political agenda.
“It is going on the COAG agenda, and COAG will be asked to act urgently this year to finally agree on a national domestic violence order scheme so that domestic violence order in one jurisdiction holds in another jurisdiction,” he said.
“I’m the father of three daughters, I am the brother of three sisters – the last thing I want to see tolerated is violence against women and children.”
The 2015 Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty was not by his side when the prime minister announced that domestic violence was now a priority for his government. It would have been so much more convincing had this extraordinarily brave woman, who tragically lost her son Luke in one of the most harrowing domestic violence cases the country has seen, been front and centre when Mr. Abbott finally, publicly recognised the problem. The two had earlier met to discuss the issue. Perhaps he forgot to invite her.
Australians are forgiving. They are also wonderfully skeptical. Long may that skepticism reign.
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