The End of Certainty: Scott Morrison and Pandemic Politics: Quarterly Essay 79

(Paperback, 79th edition)

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What has the caronavirus pandemic revealed about Scott Morrison, and where is he taking the country Epidemics are mirrors. What has COVID-19 revealed about Australia, and about Scott Morrison and his government In this gripping essay, Katharine Murphy goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the response to the crisis. Drawing on interviews with Morrison, Brendan Murphy, Josh Frydenberg, Sally McManus and other players, she traces how the key health and economic decisions were taken. Her account is twinned with a portrait of the prime minister. She explores his blend of pragmatism and faith, and shows how a leader characterised by secrecy and fierce certainty learnt to compromise and reach out - with notable exceptions. Now, as the nation turns inwards and unemployment rises, our faith in government is about to be tested anew. What does 'We're all in this together' truly mean Will Morrison snap back to Liberal hard-man, or will he redefine centre-right politics in this country 'Morrison's a partisan, blue team to the core, but his political philosophy is hard to pin down, because it is predominantly trouble-shooting. By instinct, Morrison is a power player and a populist, not a philosopher; a repairer of walls, not a writer of manifestos... his conservatism is extreme pragmatism in defence of what he regards as the core of the nation.' Katharine Murphy, The End of Certainty

Author Bio

Katharine Murphy has worked in Canberra's parliamentary press gallery since 1996 for the Australian Financial Review, The Australian and The Age, before joining Guardian Australia, where she is the political editor. She won the Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism in 2008 and has been a Walkley Award finalist twice. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Canberra in 2019. She is a director of the National Press Club and the author of On Disruption.