As I reflect on the Morrison government I wonder how it was okay for the former Prime Minister, who fervently professes faith in his God, to treat with such disdain so many people for so long.
In the early days of COVID-19, it appeared he was being guided by a superior force, even if in fact it was the chief health officers showing the way.
I give him credit for his initial response of putting protections in place quickly, though not without problems. There was ability and leadership in bringing the premiers and health advisors together in a National Cabinet at the time, almost as though the consensus approach of National Cabinet was potentially a new dawn in government.
Double-speak
But the cracks soon appeared. His double-speak on having Commonwealth vaccination mandates for certain workers while supporting protests against vaccination mandates and lockdowns in Victoria was a twisted attempt to drive a wedge between the Victorian premier and Victorians.
Morrison supported Clive Palmer’s challenge to WA lockdowns, though West Australians seemed more than happy about being spared from covid until adequately vaccinated.
What minster for aged care?
Meanwhile the Commonwealth-managed aged care homes were a disaster zone for lives lost from covid, and his minister for aged care was hard to find. There was pressure on states to open borders before populations were adequately vaccinated. Yet he was quick to take credit for the low death rate from covid compared to other developed countries, when in fact it was largely because the states were following health advice despite pressure from the Commonwealth – and because the health workers were assiduously working to protect us.
Were we supposed to sympathise with him in what appeared to be his resignation speech – in the company of his pastor and congregation – when he characterised it in terms of ‘we are all here to serve; …the policeman, the teacher, the pastor, and the PM’ and ‘it is the most appropriate place for me to make this speech’. As though he was faithfully serving the cause with the blessing of his particular God.
Lack of moral direction
How, as a staunch Christian, could he not bring real integrity to a parliament lacking moral direction?
How could his government continue to splurge money on his favoured electorates?
Isn’t Reconciliation worthy of constitutional change for the benefit of all of us and especially for Indigenous Australians?
Why was he so late in acknowledging climate change, even though a large part of the Liberal heartland were convinced?
Why use the difficult issues relating to transgender kids in a political way?
How is it that he believed it okay to coerce strangers in the street into shaking his hand?
And then there were the boats
Is there anything more manipulative than, in his last breath, releasing information about the interception of a Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV), when for years he classified those events as ‘operational’ and not for comment?
So, on all these character aspects, was there any shred of credibility? Or was it all a case of ‘whatever it takes?’
He probably would claim his religion as his ‘moral compass’, but his course was constantly suffering deviation, and eventually he finished on the rocks.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
