Double fault

THE truth was revealed in minutes. After a month of speculation and argument, the Bennelong by-election boiled down to an hour of half-hearted tally room talk.

Antony Green was calm and considered. The Sky Panel was alert but not alarmed. The swing was evident but not big enough and the sitting member was returned with a reduced margin. Cue the most excited man in the room . . . Malcolm Turnbull.

The PM strode to the stage to introduce his champion, in shirt sleeves, sans tie. He looked like a man who had fought tooth and nail for a month on the hustings. “J.A.” was wearing a suit.

The Keneally camp had conceded and the PM enthused about the unity of the crowd and the re-energising of his party.

This win in this safe Liberal seat ensured his Christmas would be peaceful.

The PM introduced his champion candidate with a bursting sense of pride. Like an announcer at a title fight, he raised the champ’s hand aloft. Then he stepped back to listen to the thoughts of the member.

John Alexander, pictured, is a former tennis player. He spoke to the crowd like they were old friends.

He demonstrated his 1980s charm. The quiet confidence that had him employed as the referee on a TV game show about modern-day gladiators.

Malcolm was happy to let the big man have the floor.

He stood by his side, grinning, while J.A. held court. Then in an instant it started going south.

J.A reminisced about a back injury from his tennis days. His anecdote included a moment when a doctor informed Mr Alexander he was eligible to apply for a “disability parking sticker” for his car.

J.A told the masses he turned down the offer because he “still had some pride . . . that was before I got into politics”.

The PM did not react. His smile stayed fixed, he did not laugh. You could see he was dying inside.

This sportsman’s-night improvisation is why J.A. had been kept on a short leash in the street walks.

He was always accompanied by a senior Coalition figure and rarely handled press conferences alone. In the video of the moment you can see Malcolm Turnbull realise the thrill of victory is fleeting and wrangling a backbench is akin to herding cats.

And so it came to pass that within hours of J.A. acing the Bennelong by-election he was in front of the cameras again, this time with an apology for his insensitive remarks in his victory speech.

“If anyone has been offended, I apologise but . . . ”

This was the start of his stock standard apology. It came straight off the George Brandis bookshelf.

The “if” apology removes the need for any personal responsibility.

It automatically suggests the problem belongs with the person who is the butt of the joke. It suggests the MP is surprised. It reminds us he does not feel the need to apologise at all and he is doing it under pressure. It is a revealing inner monologue.

The “if anyone has been offended” apology demonstrates an inability to self-reflect or show genuine understanding. The champ even concluded with the modest reminder ,“. . . no one has done more for people with disabilities than I have”.

The PM stood beside J.A. again and worked overtime to top-spin this last comment. In the end, Malcolm blamed Labor and talked about the Coalition commitment to the NDIS.

But instead of basking in the 5 per cent glory of the near death by election, this Prime Minister was forced to confront the fact his backbencher lacked the ability to empathise.

It was no surprise to discover that in the ministerial shake up on Tuesday, the Member for Bennelong was quietly overlooked, but Malcolm must have been thanking his lucky stars that J.A. had chosen to relay his anecdote after the polls had closed.

If he had slipped it into a press conference in the lead up to the election, the result may have been a few percentage points closer.

Politicians are elected to represent all of us. They tell us this in their victory speeches. They purport to speak “for all Australians” in public.

They are supposed to be articulate and walk the fine line between pushing their own agenda and the needs of their constituents.

The by-election in Bennelong proves we still have a long way to go.