Once, when politicians mostly answered questions and believed in accountability, there was a truism in journalism: the more a leader shouted, complained, dodged and abused, the closer you were to the truth.
Today, bullying is supposedly abhorred, particularly by some on the Left who have actually mastered the dark art and use it against anybody who disagrees or questions.
Which is why these recent weeks it has been revealing to watch the behaviour of the premier, Jacinta Allan.
She is rattled. You can see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, and smell it in her strategy as she blusters and bullies and bumbles her way through the Big Build scandal.
She has now blocked parliamentary discussion on changes to IBAC which would enable it to follow the money in one of the most important issues in Victoria in the past 50 years, the CFMEU Big Build scandal. She has refused to launch a royal commission despite wide pressure, and thrown several tantrums in media conferences under intense but fair questioning.
But this government does not answer questions, legitimate or otherwise, as the dodging and tantrums have shown.
When questioned on Thursday by an unusually aggressive gallery, the premier bullied her way through.
She spat out self-righteous anger and halted the press conference to demand a “retraction” when Channel 10 reporter Jessica Maggio suggested to Allan she looked “disinterested” in questions about victims of the CFMEU thuggery.
Her eyes and her body language flashed with anger. She finally reneged and said Maggio’s silence was an indication of retraction. Nonsense.
It was petulant, weak and harmed her. If a leader can’t calmly handle a pack of baying press hounds, they are scarcely fit to lead.
Today, Allan looks more like Dan Andrews Mark II than like a leader sworn to transparency, honesty and working for the interests of the people.
The Andrews playbook was this: when a crisis developed, he would downplay, deflect and abuse questioners or critics. It was strategic political bullying, and I won’t complain about experiencing it first hand. That’s the game.
Allan is now trying to do the same, but she is not very good at it. She also has a rattled caucus watching very carefully to assess how she manages the toughest crisis of her time.
Victoria Labor Party rules make replacing the leader a drawn out process involving a vote of parliamentary and branch members. But it is possible, although unlikely, that if she does not get this together, Allan will not lead into the next election.
If the polls get worse there could be pressure on her to resign and for a new leader to be elected unopposed, dodging the new rules.
But that is speculation. Back to the mess today. As is its way, the government spin machine has attempted to muddy the whole CFMEU issue, so let’s keep it simple:
There are credible allegations the public has been robbed of a staggering amount of money.
A decent government would accept that allegation, investigate it fully, and try to track down where the money went.
Then, the ministers responsible for allowing this to happen under their watch would resign. But this is not a decent government.
Respected corruption investigator Geoffrey Watson SC, has outlined allegations of a criminal web within the construction industry which may have taken $15- $30 billion out of Victorians’ pockets.
True, he has not presented forensic evidence, but he has put forward strong allegations which demand serious consideration and action from the government.
Watson is a distinguished barrister, not a conspiracy theorist or a right-wing activist. He deserves respect. Instead he has been mocked and insulted by a government that stands accused of allowing corruption to thrive.
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines accused Watson of chasing headlines and even “making things up”, which apart from being absurd and offensive could also keep the courts busy should Watson choose to act.
This scandal has worsened because a government that should have been ensuring the judicious spending of our money has instead constructed a defensive strategy designed to mislead and confuse the public and undermine allegations. That playbook again: downplay, deflect, and attack the critics.
The premier has refused to adequately answer questions about how, as minister in charge of the Big Build from 2018, and then leader the state since 2023, she knew nothing of what was going on.
There were two options: either she knew and ignored it, or did not know and was incompetent. Either way she’s accountable.
Labor strategists are watching this carefully. Social media is bristling with complaints about corruption. That’s Labor’s political guiding light. So they’re worried.
But let’s finish with another truism. It is said that a government will never call an inquiry unless it knows in advance what the outcome will be.
In this case, Allan may well be avoiding a royal commission because she knows exactly what the outcome would be.
It’s not unreasonable for any Victorian to argue that the $15 billion or more of taxpayers’ money that was allegedly siphoned off could have eased the crisis in hospitals, hired more police, fixed potholes, and replaced crumbling fire trucks.
Then for them to shout at their leader “Premier, just answer the bloody question!”
Neil Mitchell is a journalist, podcaster and former 3AW morning radio host for more than 30 years.
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Neil Mitchell broadcasts on 3AW and hosts the weekly podcast “Neil Mitchell asks why?”
