It's been a while but the Coalition has pulled the old 'Commission of Audit' trick again. For those too young to remember, this is how it works:
Step 1. Select an 'independent' commission composed of extreme ideologues. Give them a brief to look at how to 'fix' things which are assumed to be desperate, especially if they are not. 'Fix' in this context means both emasculate wherever possible and put in place future rorts (as in 'the fix is in').
Step 2. Put off doing anything much for as long as possible saying the commission needs time to report. This allows the government to do some of the policy development it didn't do in opposition when it was concentrating on naysaying, abuse and developing slogans for the election.
Step 3. When the Commission reports, watch while everyone explodes in indignation at the proposed absurdity and cruelty. Carefully gauge from these reactions what may or may not be a policy winner (usually in a substantially modified form), what is only mildly crazy, criminal or immoral (suitable for future policies), and what can be publicly canned as evidence of rectitude. Wait while the public and media exhaust themselves.
Step 4. Present watered down versions of the selected policies in the Budget relying on people to think 'Well at least it's not as bad as the as Commission of Audit proposed!'. Rely on over exposure, emotional exhaustion, inertia, depression and distraction to allow the Budget to pass, possibly after making a few relatively cheap side deals to buy votes.
Step 5. Repeat after being returned to government next when people have had time to forget.
Basically it's all touch flame to blue paper, stand back and rob people while they're blinded by the flash. It seems to work every time because political opponents concentrate on the issues rather than the process. I wonder how we'd go if we concentrated on exposing this process as being a con job? That the people of Australia are being handled by spin doctors in an extremely dishonest, disingenuous and cynical way?
