issues.oz

Senate Sensation

John Howards wants to geld the senate: the upper house of federal parliament.

Paul Keating in his time would get angry and abusive with the senate. He used to bang his fists and carry on, refering to senators as "unrepresentative swill". But Howard does no such thing. He is composed like a man that knows very well what he is doing. Howard offers Senators a choice: pass his contentious legislation or be made politically irrelevant. A mere rubber stamp on the executive. Mere lip service to the ideal of power separation. This is what Howard wants to do to the senate if it continues to defy him. His gelding knife will be a national referendum.

You have to admire the approach even if perhaps not the result that may come of it. It is a Prime Minister feeling very comfortable in his job that starts to talk about changing the constitution to further his adgenda for the nation. It is a Prime Minister that knows he can't be beaten (out of a job he doesn't even want) that invades foreign nations in a very unpopular war merely because he likes shaking hands with George W Bush. I've no doubt that sitting down to coffee and a chat at the White House makes one feel very important. Perhaps the Prime Minister feels that strutting importantly across the world stage with a geopolitical relevance rarely afforded to Australia, is nothing less then what he deserves after 7 years in the top job. At any rate it seems to have given him a brand new arrogance here at home on domestic matters.

In early May 2003 when Howard was in America schmoozing with the Bush Administration, he went to a baseball game at Yankee Stadium. When the crowd was informed of Howards presence in the VIP box, the crowd of over 45 thousand gave our Prime Minister a long standing ovation. New Yorkers wanted to thank Australia for its involvement in the "War on Terror"^TM. All I really mean to say is that if it were me leading the country, and I were in New York watching a game of baseball at Yankee Stadium and the entire crowd stood up to cheer my presence then that would inflate my ego to bursting point. I'd come home thinking I could push people around too. Especially if 73% of Australians prefered me as Prime Minister over my struggling opposite number (Simon Crean has a meagre 16% support).

So it's in that frame of mind that Howard tells us of his plans for constitutional reform. His plan to rewrite sections of the constitution that deal with the operation of the senate. It's either incredibly savvy (politically wise), or incredibly arrogant (political poison). Either way its bad for Australia.

Possibly he is constructing a straw-man for the opposition to knock down. Maybe he will pitch his case to Australians in a referendum some time early 2004. While the ALP and the minor parties waste effort fighting this referendum, they (or rather the Australian people) will be distracted from the double disolution election that may follow the referendum by mere months. I mean Howard doesn't have to spend any time or effort on the referendum. He can call the referendum and then let it go. Like setting off a mechanical bunny and watching the dogs run, Howard will call for a senate referendum and then sit back as the ALP wastes resources fighting it. In all likelyhood the referendum will fail. But Howard will still come up smelling like roses with the Australian people after forcing such a frivoulous referendum because he will be able to claim that the supposedly mandated legislation of his government is being blocked by an obstructionist senate.

The second thing motivating Howard in his concern for his legacy. In his time as Prime Minister he has done a lot of stuff. Some cool, most of it not so much so, but all of it falls into what will be known in 15 years time as "the Howard Legacy". Geopolitical gravitation towards the United States and away from Asia, a Goods and Services Tax, gun reform, deregulation, a return to 1950's immigration policy, cuts to health and education, refusal to join the rest of the world on the Kyoto Protocol. All this will be seen in the future as "the stuff that howard did". But none of it is set in concrete. Everything, even the GST, can be undone by a future Labor government. Heck... forget about Labor. Howard is worried that his legacy will be undone from within his own party. Costello, widely tipped to be the next leader of the Liberal Party, is not the same breed of political animal that Howard is. He is a socially progressive Minister in a Cabinet of hardcore conservatives. So Howard sees threats to his monument from all angles. You can almost see the thoughts coursing through the Prime Brain in that shiny little head of his. What's the ONE thing that Howard can file away under the "Howard Legacy", that nobody will ever be able to reach? Constitutional reform. In 50 years time people will ask themselves "What was that silly little tiff with Islam all about?". Nobody will remember that it was Howard who dragged Australia into a war with Iraq. So very little of what Howard has done in the last 7 years is set in stone. It can all be undone, fixed up or forgotten. But if Howard leaves his mark all over the constitution... that sticks. Forever.

Thats why we can't let Howard have his way with the senate. If he wants to have his legislation through the senate then by all means call a double disolution election. Bring it on. Bring your legislation that has manifestly been rejected by the Australian people in the senate, bring that to the people in a general election and seek a fresh mandate.

But its unlikely that Howard will see things so democratically. Expect a senate referendum early 2004. At least expect the threat thereof to get much louder.

Got a bone to pick? Hit the comments and flame me up. Next week im going to continue writing about Senate reform.