The Palmer pattern: cause maximum drama then support government
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Version 0 of 1. After six days of the new Senate a “Palmer pattern” is emerging and it looks like this – cause maximum drama and disruption and then support the government after extracting minimal cobbled-together concessions during chaotic backroom meetings from which all stakeholders are excluded. It makes the government look like donkeys being led by the nose, but much worse than that spectacle, it is a terrible way to run the lawmaking process. Especially when Palmer boasts that he has absolutely no intention of listening to expert advice from anyone because he’s a billionaire and he and his team know better. Tuesday’s circus involved the highly-contested future of financial advice (Fofa) reforms, which the government is seeking to weaken. A month ago Palmer sounded as though he was definitely opposed to the government’s changes. “What sort of an idiot tries to take away from Australians their normal rights to a fair go?” he said. “We’ll get rid of [the Fofa amendments]. The men and women of Australia – the pensioners and working classes – should be allowed to rely on the advice they’re given.” On Tuesday his senators voted against disallowance of the changes, after the government agreed to introduce a series of minor amendments that the financial industry insists make no difference to what the government is doing or to consumer protections, but which add considerably to paperwork. Palmer and his senators took this decision, he boasts, without any discussions with the relevant industry, because billionaires don’t need any advising. Asked whether he had spoken to any banks or experts from the financial advice industry, Palmer said he had not. “I’ve been dealing with banks for 40 years and lobbyists and advisers, I didn’t become a billionaire by listening to advisers tell me how to do it that don’t earn half as much.” It was similar to an answer he gave me in a recent interview when I asked him who was advising him on climate policy matters, after his sudden protestations of concern about global warming in the company of Al Gore. “First of all we don’t have advisers, we have employees that follow our direction and our party policy, we don’t need to be advised on what to think or what’s the difference between right and wrong … I just have my brain which is very effective and I’m quite happy with my own advice,” he said. On that issue as well, Palmer’s advice to himself achieved chaos and then a few changes to the repeal bills that made precious little difference. Electricity and gas companies were going to pass on cost savings anyway. No one else has to do anything. But in the craziness and confusion of dealing with PUP the government almost agreed to an amendment that was unconstitutional and did initially agree to an amendment that could have unintentionally extended regulatory requirements to thousands of businesses the law didn’t intend to capture. Luckily they had the weekend to tidy that one up. Representatives of the businesses that would have to comply with whatever nonsense was being negotiated in the back rooms had no idea what was going on, and the lobbyists representing consumers and seniors who have lost billions in financial collapses were completely shut out of the process. So PUP created drama and attracted a lot of attention to little end. The government will get its way, but only after looking ridiculous and agreeing to demands that add pointless paperwork. So much for red tape repeal day and the bonfire of regulations. So much for orderly decision-making and grown-up government. Now the Palmer pattern rolls on to the mining tax repeal bills and the budget. |