Scott Morrison is at least showing that he is the bigger person in the trans-Tasman relationship, by throwing Jacinda Ardern a bone she has done little to merit. At every turn in their relationship, Ardern has sniped, cry-bullied and hectored Morrison and Australia.
Realistically, Australia is naturally going to open its borders to New Zealand ahead of any other nation. Geography, politics, history and shared culture make that a given. But with extraordinary generosity of spirit, Morrison is going further than he probably needs to and granting Ardern a seat at the grown-ups’ table. Here’s hoping she doesn’t start throwing the bread rolls again.
Australia and New Zealand will mark a historic moment in their longstanding alliance when Scott Morrison welcomes Jacinda Ardern into the inner-sanctum of national cabinet, in a show of trans-Tasman solidarity not seen for 120 years.
Ms Ardern will take a seat alongside Mr Morrison and the state and territory leaders at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss ways to allow a quick return to travel between the two countries and to kickstart businesses in the region that have been devastated by COVID-19[…]
The national cabinet meeting, which Ms Ardern will attend via video-link, is believed to be the first time that a New Zealand prime minister will have attended a cabinet meeting of the Australian government.
Naturally Ardern’s jumping at this undeserved opportunity. Because the simple fact is that she needs this far more desperately than vice-versa. Of course both nations need to test the waters of lifting travel restrictions. Governments everywhere are waking up that they’ve not so much painted themselves into a corner, as, like so many Wile E. Coyotes, sawn off the branches that bound them to the economic tree.
Right now, they’re doing that running in mid-air thing while they try and figure out how to save themselves. Reopening the trans-Tasman border is something both nations need to do.
But, politically, it’s Ardern who’s clinging to Morrison’s ankle.
Ms Ardern has been widely lauded over the past six weeks for clamping down on the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand, but as the country has started to emerge from the crisis in recent days she has faced criticism for the severity of the economic measures her government imposed.
With a New Zealand election set for September, Ms Ardern has plenty to gain from securing a beneficial travel deal with Australia. Her government is preparing a national budget, to be delivered next week, against a backdrop of soaring unemployment and collapsing business activity.
“Widely lauded”, perhaps, by the sucker-fish in the New Zealand legacy media. Yet even those invertebrates have been nipping at Ardern’s soft underbelly, with their first dim flickers of realisation that Ardern’s whack-a-mole approach to managing the Chinese virus has crippled the nation for little real benefit. Small wonder that Ardern’s minders are actively nagging media to change editorials and stories to put a positive spin on the PM’s halo.
Ardern imposed – and is still imposing – far harsher restrictions than Australia, yet Australia has still fared relatively better than New Zealand in terms of infection and death. And the evidence is mounting around the world that severe lockdowns have done little to mitigate the disease while wreaking devastating economic and social costs.
New Zealand Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett said quickly establishing links with Australia was essential for the New Zealand economy[…]The trans-Tasman economic relationship is worth approximately $22.6bn a year.
Australia is New Zealand’s largest trading partner overall.
Australia and New Zealand need each other, but Jacinda Ardern needs Scott Morrison’s indulgence far more than he needs her fake empathy and insincere hugs. It remains to be seen how she capitalises on the golden lifeline she’s being thrown.
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