ABC
News, 16 March 2021:
The
early signs of an earthquake can often be easy to miss.
Above
the ground, the initial tremors can seem innocuous. But deep below,
the tectonic shifting of plates can set in motion a series of events
that rip apart the earth and bring down all that stands above it.
Prime
Minister Scott Morrison could be forgiven for missing the early signs
of the quake that would destabilise his government and upend the
nation's political landscape.
When
those early tremors started, Morrison was riding high. The nation was
bouncing back from an economic recession and the man who'd won an
unlikely victory years earlier appeared on track for re-election.
His
focus was solely on a successful vaccine rollout, which he hoped
would bolster the public's confidence in his government.
Weeks
later, he'd find himself inside the House of Representatives, all but
praising the nation for not shooting the protesters that had gathered
outside.
"This
is a vibrant liberal democracy," he offered.
"Not
far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets,
but not here in this country."
Scott
Morrison is a man under pressure.
He
has two Cabinet ministers, representing a quarter of the government's
national security committee, on medical leave.
His
government is facing allegations of a toxic culture towards women,
particularly young female staffers.
Morrison
played an unlikely role in the catalyst that would shake the
foundations of the nation's Parliament.
He
beamed as he stood alongside Grace Tame as she held her Australian of
the Year trophy — an all-but-typical sight for a Prime Minister
each January.
It
was this sight that gave former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins the
confidence to come forward only weeks later, and make public an
allegation that she had been raped in a ministerial office, mere
metres from the Prime Minister's office within Parliament House.
As
she stepped forward into the light, so too came other women across
the nation, each unearthing a growing list of allegations that ranged
from bullying to sexual assault.
It
derailed the government's planned focus on vaccines and forced the
Coalition onto the back foot. The days of solely focussing on the
pandemic are ending and with that comes greater scrutiny of the
government on multiple fronts.
The
Prime Minister knows all too well the power of marketing and imagery.
He
projects the image of a daggy dad, the Sharks-loving, cap-wearing
suburban everyman who builds chicken coops for his daughters.
So
you only had to see the shirt he was wearing — the national netball
team's — when he got his first COVID-19 vaccine to realise how
aware he was about the reputational damage being inflicted on his
government because of its culture towards women.
That
culture has been a scourge on Parliament House long before Scott
Morrison became Prime Minister.
But
as the leader of the government it's his task to handle.
He's
faced blowback for saying he had to talk to his wife to realise he
had to respond to Brittany Higgins's allegations as if they were
coming from his own daughters.
He's
also faced criticism for referring to Ms Higgins as "Brittany",
rather than Ms Higgins.
The
same way he referred to Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison
McMillan, a professor, as "chief nurse Alison", while Chief
Medical Officer Paul Kelly gets a "Professor Kelly".
Though
each are small, the Prime Minister is facing questions about if they
add up to something bigger.
"Not
so much a tin ear as a wall of concrete," Labor leader Anthony
Albanese offered in Parliament yesterday……
Former
chief medical officer Brendan Murphy or the former NSW fire chief
Shane Fitzsimmons were heavy favourites to be named Australian of the
Year.
If
either man had been awarded the honour, they'd have easily joined the
ranks of the distinguished Australians to hold the position.
And
if Murphy or Fitzimmons had been named Australian of the Year, it's
unlikely the nation would still be talking about them more than a
month later.
It's
very possible it would've meant the Prime Minister would still be
riding high, talking about the vaccine and an economy in recovery.
Grace
Tame changed all that.
She
has advanced a reckoning that has long hung over the nation's
Parliament and its treatment of women.
It's
grown into a story beyond Parliament House and forced the nation to
confront how women in all walks of life are treated in Australia.
There
is no quick fix that Morrison could announce to solve this problem.
To
change a culture takes time.
But
for the tens of thousands who rallied around the nation, they were
looking for signs the nation's leaders were listening.
What
they heard was a Prime Minister who said they should be thankful they
weren't shot.
