The State of Federal Problems

The latest Newspoll is in, and it isn’t good news for the Coalition.

If there was any doubt that an early election was off the cards, the idea is now dead, buried and cremated.

Instead, the government will need to use all the time they have to try and right the listing ship of state. It will be a mighty task, and I suspect too few of the officers on deck are truly capable of doing their bit.

There are some good ministers, men and women, more than capable of the role they have been given. You would know most of their names: Frydenberg, Dutton, Cash, and Hunt.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of duds too, and some have been promoted to cabinet based on their biology or even their religious beliefs rather than their ability.

It’s evidenced by the media presence of some ministers…or should I say the lack thereof.

The first time I saw Karen Andrews in the media was last week; she’s been a minister for years.

Melissa Price, the reborn Minister for Defence Industry, has been released from witness protection after her disastrous stint as Environment Minister and shoehorned back into cabinet.

I can think of two dozen people better suited to the job.

And what about the Minister for Employment? Who is that, I hear you ask…..well that is my point. We face a looming jobs crisis, and few know who the minister in charge is. His name is Stuart Robert, by the way.

Once you get through the top three or four in the government, the rest don’t seem to add much value, and the government is suffering because of it.

The Feds are also suffering poll pain because of the state premiers.

Most of these shameless political opportunists have sucked up the credit for handling the pandemic while sheeting home the blame for any problems to the Prime Minister.

The one exception is in South Australia.

Coincidently, it is also the state where the federal government is doing the worst. Today’s Newspoll has them behind 45:55

I am not surprised by that because my home state of South Australia is going nowhere. The state government is hopeless and led by a Premier with all the fight of a dead fish.

After three years in government and sixteen years to prepare for it, it’s hard to name a single achievement of note. This mob can’t even get themselves credit for the pandemic response like the other states.

That's why they too are behind in the local polls.

I think this is why the Federal coalition is doing so poorly in SA.

South Australians know their state is stagnating and don’t care who is responsible, so they will blame the most visible political presence. Right now, that's the Federal government.

The SA Premier, Steven Marshall, is rarely seen, and when he is, it’s either in a high-vis vest and hard hat in some ludicrous campaign stunt or hiding behind the health bureaucrat who tells him what to do.

When he does do a press conference, he has all the strength and conviction of a used tea bag. Hardly the stuff of inspiration.

So here’s my message to the Prime Minister.

If you want to improve your fortunes in South Australia, you need to inspire us that things will improve. Dump the current subs contract and have a fair-dinkum local build.

Help our winemakers, farmers, and fishers open up new markets. Support businesses to build a base load power plant that works properly….hint it will use coal…and help make SA a competitive manufacturing state again.

Yes, I know these are usually the tasks of a State government, but the Liberal one installed here is only damaging you.