The lies and fall of the Coalition

After nine years of corruption, economic ruin and misogyny, the time has come to vote the Coalition out, writes Geoff Dyer.

ON SATURDAY 21 May 2022, Australians will be put to the test. Anything less than a landslide in favour of Labor and integrity-minded Independents would not do justice to the nation.

For nine years, the L-NP Government has dismantled, corrupted, outsourced or sold off the public institutions we rely on.

The L-NP has also purposefully fostered divisions within Australian society. It has promoted misleading media content, made false accusations, stirred up moral outrage wherever it can, regardless of whether it is dealing with genuine issues, and with no care who it damages along the way.

Whether it be gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, place of birth, wealth, or lack of it, the L-NP is eager to weaponise an issue to appeal to the worst in human nature and garner a few votes. Unity, forward planning, addressing community needs and good governance mean nothing when a desperately incompetent political party is willing to sink so low.

Morrison and the full falsetto media chorus against Anthony Albanese

Another day, another anti-Albanese smear campaign.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is the L-NP’s biggest grub. He revels in his cleverness at tapping into the politics of hate, moral outrage and division.

He clearly sees the victimisation of transgender children as a positive in his campaign, despite transgender status being a red herring (false issue). Shamefully, many elements of the media have likewise revelled in magnifying this, blowing it up as a central issue, a disgusting distortion of reality led by Morrison’s captain’s pick, Katherine Deves. Her campaign is reportedly being run out of the PM’s office, which he naturally denies.

However, voters can rest assured no party or candidate has the intention of turning boys into girls or vice-versa. Nor is anyone going to ban the words “mother“, or “breastfeeding”.

For a fairer, safer, stronger and inclusive future, Australia’s political landscape needs to drastically change. We need to banish lies, distortion and self-interest and reintroduce the integrity that the Coalition Government has so comprehensively abandoned.

In nine years of government, the L-NP has invested exclusively in its own political fortunes at the expense of the best interests of the community. It has operated behind a wall of secrecy and deception, using the Treasury as its personal piggy bank.

'Net zero is dead' — so is the Coalition we used to know

This Government seems to have broken a fundamental continuity that has defined the Coalition since Robert Menzies.

Worse still, the Morrison Government is dysfunctional and has dissolved into warring cliques and factions. Corruption is rife, bribery in the form of pork barrelling rampant. Insider lobbyists, cronyism, patronage and influence peddling have stripped this Government of any claims to integrity or competence.

Under the cover of COVID-19, fires and floods the Coalition has shuffled billions out of Treasury without due diligence. Rules have been ignored or discarded. Dodgy contracts awarded without public oversight. Cushy jobs for the boys – and some girls – on public authorities and boards have been given out en masse to party members and affiliates to ensure a continuance of corrupt practices in the future.

Electors need to clean out the government benches.

I believe that we can afford anything, but we can’t afford everything. Choices must be made. The thing we can least afford is the incompetence, malfeasance and divisiveness that Morrison has brought to his role as Prime Minister of Australia.

We need to make it clear to the L-NP that an ICAC is not a kangaroo court. Accusations of dishonesty are not sledging. Rules and laws are not red tape. Bribery, influence peddling, cronyism and pork barrelling are all forms of corruption and need to be weeded out of our political system.

At least as easy with Albanese – and nowhere near as sleazy

We are all, on average, about 3% poorer every year under the Morrison Government. Founder and publisher Dave Donovan debunks the "Coalition are better economic managers" theory.

In the coming Election, our choices are stark and will define Australia for many years to come.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese is a man who openly displays humility and honesty. He and his front bench are offering two things that Australia desperately needs: integrity and action on climate change. They will also act on improving a few of the issues ignored and shoved in the bottom drawer by the current Government — aged care, childcare, housing and rental affordability.

The great seismic difference between the major parties is that Labor offers to govern for all Australians while the L-NP is heavily invested in offering a different product: government of the people, by the factions, for vested interests. This Election is a test of the integrity of the Australian people and their gullibility and greed.

Let’s face it, our self-fabricating PM Morrison lies, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg twists the truth, Defence Minister Peter Dutton froths at the mouth, and Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce speaks fluent bullshit. Furthermore, the L-NP ministers’ successes are a work of fiction. They should all be gone. The L-NP is a group of self-interested bullies with little interest in maintaining the integrity of the democratic process.

The message needs to be clear: Scott, we don’t like you, we don’t need you, we don’t want you. You have earned the title of worst Australian Prime Minister ever and the sooner your smug smirky face is off the front pages the better for this nation.

Geoff Dyer is a retired teacher with 41 years of experience in the classroom, teaching subjects including English, Modern and Ancient History, Society and Culture, and Aboriginal Studies.