Costello our best hope
Costello our best hope
You think Australia has problems now? Imagine everything going from bad to worse as it will when, say, Bill Shorten becomes prime minister. What a depressing thought.
Time flies. The next election grows closer by the day and all across the country people are preparing mentally for what they see as the horribly inevitable — rearranging their affairs, battening down the hatches, plotting their escape routes.
While Coalition supporters can feel the darkness coming with growing dread, Coalition politicians seem determined to bring it on. With the odd exception, government types present a despondent front.
Australia looks like a poorly managed business under union attack, run by executives who haven’t a clue how to defend it and can’t really be bothered anyway. Let them have Labor and see how they like it then — this is the vibe emanating from Canberra.
In the absence of adequate leadership, the question becomes: How do we save Australia from Shorten?
No one seems to know. But this week a reader came forward with a historical book by Robert M. Edsel, Saving Italy, set in 1943. Italy has been occupied and the world’s greatest cultural treasures have been seized. The book recounts the tale of two unlikely heroes, an artist and a scholar, both American, who go on a mission to find and save billions of dollars of missing art, including works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Titian, Caravaggio and Botticelli.
In the book, German field marshal Albert Kesselring is pivotal in helping the heroes. Against orders, he arranges an unconditional surrender of the Germans in Italy to prevent imminent shelling of the artworks and precious monuments. He has to choose between saving the treasures and risking his life. While agonising over his choice, Kesselring is asked by another officer: “What will you do, sir, what answer will you give the German people, if at the critical moment they should appeal to your sense of responsibility?”
“You can be sure,” answers Kesselring, “that in such a situation I would not hesitate to place everything I have and am at their disposal.”
The federal seat of Higgins lies in Melbourne’s leafy southeast. It’s a blue-ribbon seat for the Liberals and flush with funds because generous donors live within its boundaries.
Peter Costello — our greatest treasurer in living memory and the prime minister that should have been but wasn’t — held this seat for years. When he left, it was passed down to his staff member, Kelly O’Dwyer, and what a fine mess she has made of it. She is a living example of why political staff with barely any life experience should not be allowed to graduate into the parliamentary ranks.
Some time ago Peta Credlin made the headlines, as there was a rumour she was being recruited to take the seat of Higgins off O’Dwyer. To save Australia, though, we need Peter, not Peta. We need Costello, and perhaps Peter needs us as much as we need him. For sure, there is unfinished business here, a path avoided that should have been trodden, opportunities missed that can now be taken up.
With regular monotony, people within Higgins contact me to criticise O’Dwyer. This does not happen with any other politician. My sympathies go out to these people, and I agree with their sentiments, but at some point the complaints must end and decisive action must occur.
This week, heavyweights within the seat met again to talk about the situation. Considerable funds are at the ready and a plan of action has been discussed.
There is common agreement O’Dwyer must go, and the aim is to persuade members in the seat not to endorse her at the next preselection. There are several people prepared to throw their hat in the ring, but the preferred candidate would be Costello. However, there is uncertainty about how to approach him and how to make that pitch succeed.
Members in Higgins need to stand up and be counted. Not to endorse O’Dwyer would involve some awkwardness and discomfort, but circumstances warrant it. A delegation must be sent to Costello, and then he needs to stand up and be counted, too.
As soon as he is in the seat, he must challenge for the leadership and the partyroom must endorse him. His return must take the form of a fast track to the top job. It has to be all or nothing as he has already done his time, proved his worth, and shouldn’t have to gin around doing it all again.
In Saving Italy, one man stood up when he didn’t have to and saved the nation’s treasures from the German army. There is no comparison being made here between Labor and the Germans, but our nation is precious, our economy is a treasure, and we do need saving at this point.
Costello is our best hope. He could save Australia from the present version of the Coalition and a Shorten prime ministership. To readers I ask: What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you want Costello back and do you think he should go straight into the top job? To Costello I ask: What will you do, sir? What answer will you give the Australian people if, at the critical moment, they should appeal to your sense of responsibility?
Grace Collier Australian
Costello was our best treasurer
World best
Eliminated all labor debt
Put the budget back into surplus
helped Australian with their super
highly principled man - would make a great Prime Minister