The gloss is wearing off the government as the broken promises pile up and it dawns on inexperienced ministers that being in charge requires more than just photo-ops and massaging the media.
It’s a common mistake for a newly minted minister to think they can get away with political doublespeak.
That’s the term I use to describe politicians saying one thing and meaning another.
The Treasurer, Jim Chalmers was exposed on this front this week. He told us that it was the Reserve Bank’s (RBA) decision to omit King Charles' image off the new $5 note.
That wasn't quite true.
It turns out that the government advised the Reserve Bank of its preference not to have he King appear after the RBA said it was the government’s decision to make.
It’s a seemingly small matter but it is symptomatic of a government that thinks it can get away with almost anything.
Why else would they target your savings in superannuation?
Sure, it’s a honey pot of cash for any big spending government but they’d leave it well alone if they thought they’d be a serious political price to pay.
Remember, before the election Labor promised no substantive changes to the super system. But this week they announced a review that points toward a massive super shakeup and it’s highly unlikely you will be better off at the end of it.
It's almost certain that there will be proposals for more restrictions, higher taxes and more government control of your money by the time this review is done.
Then there’s the Albanese cost of living crisis.
Labor have made things worse as they cover everything with their ideological web.
There’s no promised $275 saving on electricity, instead a massive jump in prices, made worse by government policy decisions.
House prices are falling but that doesn’t make them more affordable because the cost of maintaining a mortgage is becoming impossible for many.
When Labor came to power, a million dollar mortgage cost around $30,ooo in interest every year. Now, the same interest bill allows you to borrow less than half that amount.
And how do falling house prices fit in with labor’s promised ‘shared equity’ home ownership scheme?
This was a promise that the government would go halves in the purchase price of your home. Right now that means more tax-payer losses which is probably why we haven’t heard a lot more about it since the election.
Then you’ve got the PMs platitudes and FIFO visit to troubled Alice Springs.
There are reports that the local trouble-makers were rounded up and moved prior to the PMs four hour visit. One can only assume it was to present a sanitised version of the outback town to the Prime Minister.
But four hours in a town in crisis. He'll likely spend longer than that at the Gay Mardi-Gras this weekend.
Is it any surprise that things in Alice Springs are heading back to the way they were - crime, looting and violence. The real problem is kicked into the long grass for a photo op, while the government talks incessantly about something conceptual called ‘the voice’.
Have you heard them say anything about the price of eggs or milk or meat? Have they made things easier for employers so more people can keep their jobs?
What have they done to strengthen our national defence or maintain an orderly and sustainable immigration system?
They've dismantled one of key border protection measures and welcomed back 40,000 students from Communist China to help make home rentals even more unaffordable.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the government doesn’t really care about how our lives are impacted by these substantive policy issues.
Instead, they only seem to care about pushing their ideological framework into almost every aspect of our lives.
They’ll spin that lack of concern with soothing words about consulting and sustainability and the like.
We also know they won’t tell the truth about even the smallest of things which suggests they’ll have no compunction if they need to lie about the big issues.
The Honeymoon is well and truly over for the government. It’s just unfortunate that we are the ones left with the hangover from their self-congratulations.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
