There are so many things so many have missed during lockdowns that it is difficult to make a list – or even start to develop one in ranked order – even though there has been plenty of time to think about the problem.
For many two of them would be art galleries and museums. Some might deem that a First World problem and the Morrison Government wouldn’t rank it highly given that the arts – and those who like them – are high on their enemies list.
The Victorian Government is allegedly enthusiastic about parks and has recently announced it plans to spend $15 million to create 13 new pocket parks and five off leash dog parks across Melbourne’s suburbs.
It is all part of a bigger $154 million suburban parks program about which Environment and Climate Change Minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, has said: “The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the importance of open space close to home and these new parks will deliver just that – building on our reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities.”
There are two Morrisons who have confronted sexism in their ranks. One, David, showed leadership. The other, Scott, showed the antithesis of leadership.
It is eight years since the Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison addressed a sexist misconduct scandal involving more than 100 Australian Defence Force troops.
When Federation occurred in 1901 trade unions and conservative politicians were agreed on one thing – keeping Australia white.
Today trade unions are in the forefront of fights against racism and support for Indigenous causes while the descendants of those old white pollies are raising scares about refugees, Muslims and any other Others they can think of to scare voters.
It might be surprising given the scale of the problem but there is an emerging consensus about the current status of the science of misinformation and its debunking.
Arguably there was some evidence emerging in the US in November last year about the rejection of lies and misinformation but even then Trump managed to get 74 million people to vote for him. In Australia the lying, secretive and corrupt Morrison Government is still the favourite to win the next Federal election.
The apocryphal King Canute story has over the centuries morphed into a legend which shows the futility of trying to stop the tide.
In fact Canute was actually trying to demonstrate to his courtiers (and perhaps his god) his humility and recognition of limits to his power. The latter day legend, in contrast, is an example of misinformation promulgated over centuries.
A new Guardian Essential poll (3 March 2021) indicates an emerging Morrison vulnerability – he shares a female problem with Donald Trump. Not the major Trump one but the electoral one.
Just as the US November election result was heavily influenced by the voting behaviour of suburban women so the poll shows Morrison is less trusted by Australian females who also regard him as less honest than most politicians, less visionary and out touch with ordinary people.
As the Macquarie Dictionary declares fake news the word of the decade the epidemic of fake news and conspiracy theories is not showing signs of abating.
However, the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communications (4C) has made three significant contributions to combating the epidemic – a handbook addressing conspiracy theories; a project to combat misinformation; and, another handbook on debunking fake news.
Scott Morrison’s Prime Ministerial image is relentlessly upfront – making decisions, announcing things and re-assuring Australians that he has it all under control – even if he can’t hold a hose.
Yet that raises a perplexing question – how come he never knows what’s going on, or has gone on, in his government?
Back in the day when Australian society reacted to tall poppies by characterising them as too big for their boots many of them escaped overseas.
Today, as Australia has become more multicultural and cosmopolitan, it is almost okay to be a tall poppy as long as you aren’t a woman, a trade unionist, ABC journalist, environmentalist, Muslim or critic of the Morrison Government.