Plots and Prayers

Journalist Niki Savva has a deep understanding of Australian politics. She served in the Canberra press gallery as a writer for The Australian, and then later for The Age/Sydney Morning Herald, and worked within government as an advisor for then federal treasurer Peter Costello and Prime Minister John Howard. She knows the ins-and-outs of the Liberal party. Drawing on her experience and her extensive contacts, Savva has chronicled the past decade of Coalition government in a series of books, the latest of which has just been published. 

Bulldozed (2022) tells the inside story on how Prime Minister Scott Morrison lost the 2022 election and trashed his own legacy. It is also about the rise of Labor leader Anthony Albanese, the success of the Greens, and the independents set to shake up Australian politics. Along the way she explores Morrison's pathetic bushfire response ('I don't hold a hose, mate'), vaccine stroll out (It's not a race), and how he became minister for everything (when he secretly appointed himself as Minister for five portfolios). By making everything about himself, Morrison failed to govern. He also ensured that those loyal to him, like Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, were burned from being too close to his flame.

It is clear from the outset that Savva doesn't think much of Scott Morrison. She paints a portrait of a petty man - a pathological liar who will throw anyone under a bus to further his own objectives. She laments the way in which Morrison has wielded religion and hatred to push the Liberal party further to the right, surrendering the tenets that have underpinned the party's philosophy. It is also apparent that many of those closest to Morrison questioned his behaviour privately but failed to act. 

The contrast with Anthony Albanese is stark. Consultative, committed and competent, Albanese has taken a different path. He relies on his team - Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers, Tony Burke, Chis Bowen, Linda Burney, Jason Clare, Mark Butler, Clare O'Neil, and so many more. He is also prepared to tackle the important issues. From his first speech on election night, he set the tone for his government and brought hope back to the nation.

I really enjoyed Bulldozed and could not put it down. Savva has crafted a fascinating book. My only quibble would be that it needs an edit to remove the repetition. I imagine that has something to do with last minute inclusions of the revelations about Morrison's secret ministries as Savva had to go back to people she had interviewed previously to seek their views. Ultimately, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand what happened under the Morrison reign and how the political landscape has dramatically changed.

My reviews of two of Savva's previous books are available on this blog:

• The Road to Ruin (2016) - about the downfall of Prime Minister Tony Abbott
• Plots and Prayers (2019) - about the fall of Prime Minister Turnbull and the rise of Scott Morrison