The cycle of destruction in Australian politics continued last week as the nation now has its 7th prime minister in a little over 10 years.
The last prime minister to see out a full term was John Howard when he lost to Kevin Rudd in the 2007 election.
It was nothing short of a political catastrophe as the ruling party went into full-on self-destruct mode – Peter Dutton’s failed coup further widening the chasm within the Liberal Party with Scott Morrison emerging as the 30th Australian PM.
Now regarded as the blood sport of the nation, another leadership spill seems incredulous for a wealthy, developed nation with a strong economy and high standards of living yet here we are again. The turnstile of national leaders has been driven by the narrow focus on opinion polls. The paranoia created by the 24-hour news cycle now ensures that our political parties believe it right to ditch their leaders without waiting for the public to have a say in an election.
As the revolving door of leadership continues, politics continues to trump policy as we continue to struggle to find new drivers of economic growth, deal with an overvalued housing market and immense levels of household debt or implement a coherent plan to tackle climate change.
Best of luck to Scott Morrison who faces a huge task in trying to unite a party deep in civil war and an even bigger task in trying to win the next election.