IDEAS NOT DRAMA

IT COMES as no surprise to hear Gold Coast Federal Member Steven Ciobo doesn’t want to “rake over the coals” of last week’s paralysing leadership turmoil in Canberra.

He nailed his colours to the mast early, resigning his tourism portfolio, saying thenprime minister Malcolm Turnbull had lost party room backing and the leadership needed resolving. Questions will linger about how he could turn on Mr Turnbull, whom he has long supported.

But Mr Ciobo is right to try to move on from the bloodletting and shift the focus back to the where it should be: the contest of ideas between the major parties for voter support at next year’s election.

The public have little patience for personality-driven political upheaval and the resulting uncertainty it inevitably causes.

It hasn’t just been an ugly time on a Federal front – the running feud between Mr Ciobo and Mayor Tom Tate continued to simmer as of Friday last week when the latter threw more coals on that bonfire.

A Federal election is now a mere nine months away and what voters really want to see is a more settled landscape and policy platforms, not political games.