At the start of the pandemic I wrote about the strategy with National Cabinet, how it was nothing about ‘all…
At the start of the pandemic I wrote about the strategy with National Cabinet, how it was nothing about ‘all working together’, or any of that nonsense.
National Cabinet was the key weapon to destroy the public health response. Time to revisit, as the ‘Inquiry’ refused to. /1 https://t.co/gq0NLEW7fU
Scott Morrison knew that the federal government had very little constitutional role in fighting a pandemic. That role belonged to States, and their health departments.
He desperately needed a way to deal himself into the equation. National Cabinet was that way. /2
Under cover of platitudes about all working together and being consistent, the real function of National Cabinet was to give Morrison a seat at the pandemic table. A spoiling seat.
Suddenly he had a say in everything going on. And often the Premiers pushed back. /3 https://t.co/vaqfmVltNc
That’s how federalism is designed to work, to enforce the checks and balances of multiple levels of governance, rather than the risk of a bland groupthink unanimity.
But that’s where the LNP had rat cunning. Because it understands human groups. /4
It knew that once it established National Cabinet, the group solidarity there would gradually rupture the checks and balances of federalism, undermine the constitutional design.
National cabinet became a team. People who follow me know what comes next. /5
As the pandemic went on, National Cabinet found solace in each other, in the face of genuinely massive and stressful challenges.
Their team bonding grew. And once that social mechanism kicked in, it was game over for our constitutional governance arrangements. /6
Premiers, who constitutionally work with their health departments and their CHOs to manage disasters, were gradually decoupling themselves from that arrangement, and siding with their team instead. National Cabinet.
They even moved to sideline CHOs in legislation. /7
Victoria held on, which is why the federal LNP fired such continuous vitriol in that direction, it was upsetting their plans. WA too.
But eventually all succumbed. CHOs and their Health departments are now rarely seen, or heard. /8
Instead we had Premiers posing for ‘smiles are back’ videos. Team National Cabinet. Today who even knows what that group does. It’s a constitutional abomination.
Team sports had won the day. As it is winning everywhere else in our societies. /9
Of course our Covid inquiry (cough) didn’t look at any of that. I doubt the people hand-picked to run it know the first thing about federalism.
That’s the point. Politicians establish inquiries to determine something they’ve already decided. To shut something down. /10
Vigorous, skilled health departments acting in each State to fight local health emergencies is what the system is designed to do.
Through National Cabinet instead we ended up with meaningless, lethal slogans applied generically. ‘Living with the virus’. ‘Just like the flu’. /11
In other words, no public health response at all. A political response, to shut that public health response down. Morrison had an election to go to, and also the Coalition today has a deep-seated contempt for public administration more generally.
/end