Lessons to be Learned

Choppergate

Tony Abbott's now infamous tweet from 2011, on the Peter Slipper scandal and the Gillard Government.

Google the words “Bronwyn Bishop Choppergate” and you’ll get almost 250,000 results. For a mid-sized political snafu that should’ve been over in a day, that’s an awful lot of hits. In fact, it’s a public relations disaster for Mrs Bishop, for her acolyte Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and for his stumbling government.

Almost three weeks of Choppergate reached their inevitable conclusion this afternoon, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s press conference in which he announced the resignation of Bronwyn Bishop from the position of Speaker of the House, backed up by a new review of parliamentary entitlements.

The events of this afternoon, and indeed the last three or so weeks, will be remembered fondly for decades by lecturers and students of Public Relations; it’s the new textbook example of the wrong way to handle a crisis.

In what will probably be a most unpleasant surprise for Mr Abbott and Mrs Bishop, it’s far from over.

Choppergate started on Wednesday July 15, when it was revealed that Mrs Bishop had chartered a helicopter to fly her from Melbourne to Geelong, a lavish folly that cost taxpayers over $5,000. At the same time, there were whispers of other, much larger expenses that might not hold up under scrutiny: a trip to Europe costing almost $90,000, and a tour around South East Asia costing over $40,000. 

Non-Apology 1

Instead of an immediate mea culpa, Mrs Bishop waited until July 19, four days since the story had blasted onto the front pages, and held a peculiar press conference in which she characterised her little helicopter jaunt to Geelong as “an error of judgment”, and refused to apologise.

 “The biggest apology one can make is to repay the amount.”

How wrong she was! The biggest apology Mrs Bishop could have made was an actual apology that included the words “I’m sorry.” Her media advisors should’ve known that they were the only magic words that would soothe the situation. Everyone else knew.

It wasn’t as if the nation had nothing else to talk about: The Liberal plan was that the winter recess should be dominated by outrage aimed at Bill Shorten over revelations he may have made at the Unions Royal Commission. Marriage equality was moving from a simmering issue to a rolling boil, Reclaim Australia had held controversial rallies across the weekend, and the QandA fiasco, complete with the Prime Ministerial ban on front benchers appearing, continued. Yet all were relatively minor stories when Bronwyn stepped into the spotlight to assert her supremacy.

Not only had Team Bishop waited too long to respond, they had taken the worst approach possible. Even inside the Coalition bunker, they must’ve known that Mrs Bishop’s wildly partisan approach to her duties as Speaker had damaged her personal brand. An arrogant Bronwyn, still claiming that she was right, that she need not apologise, that she would not step down, would feed the negative elements surrounding her and inflame the audience even further.

And it did.

On Probation

Under mounting pressure to show strong leadership, Mr Abbott slapped Mrs Bishop with a limp lettuce leaf, agreeing with her ‘lack of judgment’ and placing her ‘on probation’. To this day, no-one knows what ‘on probation’ means when the subject is the Speaker of the House. Despite calls from everyone from the Leader of the Opposition to my 94-year-old neighbour, the Prime Minister cannot sack the Speaker, so if she had broken the undisclosed terms of her probation, there’s not much available as punishment. 

Now the Liberals had a bigger problem than a minor rort involving a helicopter trip. Now, they had a leader who appears as weak, confused and partisan as the Speaker he appointed.

Journalists kept digging and social media kept on keeping on. Petitions to remove her from the Speaker’s position were started. Every helicopter picture on the internet became a meme, and they were retweeted, reposted, emailed and shared in a never-ending gigglefest at Bronnie’s expense. Conservative commentators with decades of experience were turning against the Speaker, and by association, against the government.

The first question on QandA on July 20 was from David Boothey.

The Prime Minister today has said that the Speaker, Mrs Bishop, is on probation over her helicopter ride. Can someone on the panel please explain the difference between the previous Speaker, Mr Slipper, Mr Peter Slipper's $900 Cabcharge error of judgment and Mrs Bishop's $5,227 flight to a Liberal Party fundraiser?

There was no support on the QandA panel for Mrs Bishop. None. Even shockjock Alan Jones voiced his concerns about the number of charter flights were being taken by members of parliament, and on Mrs Bishop’s excesses in particular.

…the notion of, for example, going from Tullamarine to Geelong in a helicopter is just bloody ridiculous. It’s as simple as that.

Trouble at the PR Mill

Mrs Bishop’s spin team was now in real trouble. If they wheeled her out again, and she apologised, she’d look flaky and insincere. If they dug in and kept her out of sight, they ran the risk of the media unearthing more damning evidence of rorting.

The Prime Minister’s PR group had a similar problem, but one which was easier to solve. All he had to do was ask Bronwyn Bishop to stand aside as Speaker while the investigation into her expenses was completed. It would get her out of the spotlight, rob the Opposition of ammunition, and settle the media. It was the opportunity for breathing space.

Instead, the Coalition continued pretending that their world was still turning, despite a various stray comments that suggested that Mrs Bishop might not have the full throated support of her colleagues.

Within a few days, it was obvious that Choppergate was not going to fade away. Despite the ALP National Conference, the kerfuffle by various singers about their songs being used at Reclaim Australia rallies, the first close-up pictures ever or Pluto and Australia’s triumph in the cricket at Lords, the single story on everyone's lips was Bronwyn Bishop and her penchant for the high life at taxpayers' expense.

Non-Apology 2

By mid last week, they realised that they had to do what they should’ve done two weeks earlier. Whether it was public pressure, or a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office, a most contrite Mrs Bishop faced the media again, this time full of remorse. She was sincerely sorry, as far as I can tell, for being caught out, and nothing more. Deep down, she was still sure that she had every right to claim every damned entitlement. Someone should have told her that the schedule of entitlements is not an all-you-can-claim smorgasbord. 

"I am disappointed that it's taken the heat off Mr Shorten and his double carbon tax paper. I haven't noticed too much attention being paid to that and I'm sorry this has distracted from that."

A national chorus of “Too little, too late” echoed across chat shows, social media and dinner tables. She could  not have been worse if she was being paid by the ALP. It was an appalling performance, emphasising every failing of her first media conference, a week and a half earlier. Her tone was subdued, and her words more gentle, but ultimately, she failed to apologise to the Australian people, or to her Prime Minister and colleagues. Sheagreed to repay various small sums that she had claimed as expenses, but in light of recent revelations citing hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury travel claims, no-one was dancing a jig. All she had achieved as to ramp up community anger, and ensure she continued her domination of the front pages.

It’s not clear if she was taking any media advice at this stage, but if she was, whoever was advising her should be hung from the nearest clothesline by their toenails, and forced to drink warm fish and spinach milkshakes while being spun around and around and around at ever increasing velocity. 

They should also get out of the communications game because they don’t know what they’re doing…unless they’re undercover for the ALP, in which case, I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them.

Untenable

It’s highly likely that the word ‘untenable’ has been used more times in the last few days in relation to Mrs Bishop’s position as Speaker than at any point in history. Independent Andrew Wilkie teamed up with Clive Palmer to threaten a No Confidence motion against the Speaker, if she was still the Speaker when Parliament resumes on August 10. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke were determined in their calls on the Prime Minister to act.

Choppergate had persisted for far longer than it should’ve been allowed to survive.

The Silent Resignation

Finally, someone listened. According to the Prime Minister’s two-flag press conference this afternoon, Mrs Bishop advised the Prime Minister today of her intention to resign as Speaker, effective immediately. She was not at the press conference, which was the first sensible decision she’s made regarding her public appearances in recent times.

Unfortunately, the press conference was every bit as awful as the rest of the Choppergate catastrophe. Prime Minister Abbott was determined to convince us all that the problem was not Bronwyn Bishop at all. It was the system that was broken. Dear Bronnie was taking the fall for a flawed process that had forced her to rort her way through hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yeah, right. If the system was to blame, why was anyone resigning? If the system was broken, wouldn't every MP be chartering the aircraft of their choice to whisk them from venue to venue, high above the traffic snarls  and commuter mayhem? Would train-lover Malcolm Turnbull and notorious cheapskate Nick Xenophon be forced to reject their economy class plans for the plush and far more private surrounds of chartered entitlement?

In practical terms, as far as establishing a functioning government goes, her resignation is a relief to many, although I’m not sure if Prime Minister Abbott, Education Minister Christopher Pyne, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce or WA Premier Colin Barnett are happy; they seem to be her only supporters of substance.

There were political points to be won today, had Mr Abbott had the strength to take them. By positioning himself differently in the frame, he could’ve appeared to be a strong yet patient leader, who was capable of making personally difficult decisions for the good of the country. Instead, he tried to protect his friend and mentor, and the announcement of her resignation was framed as her decision, which Mr Abbott had reluctantly accepted. In framing it this way, Mr Abbott has allowed himself to look weak and out of touch, unable to accept the inevitable or unwilling to act on it.

When parliament does resume on August 10, the Government had better be prepared for a whole new set of rules. Acting Speaker Bruce Scott will fill the role until a permanent Speaker is appointed, and Bronwyn Bishop will pursue a far lower profile on the back benches. No longer will the Abbott government have the luxury of a blatantly biased Speaker who will allow her buddies on the Right to run wild, while chastising the opposition for such ghastly activities as laughing. God help us all if they had decided to sing a song!

What's Next? 

Firstly, what will become of Bronwyn Bishop? Will she stay on the back benches, a position she hasn’t occupied for almost two decades, or will she find the demotion untenable and resign from parliament? In either case, the Department of Finance investigation into her use of entitlements will continue, and may well be referred back to the AFP for criminal investigation. Any of these options appear to be far less cruel than the treatment endured by former Speaker Peter Slipper, over a few extravagant Cabcharge claims.

The second question is how much damage Bronwyn Bishop’s Adventures in Chopperland have done to Tony Abbott and his struggling government. His unwavering support for Mrs Bishop, even while announcing her resignation today, will be seen as another example of his poor political judgment. Her appointment to the position was his first Captain’s Call as Prime Minister, and that won’t be forgotten. Will his team of frustrated back benchers and dissatisfied front benchers allow him to continue to lead unchallenged?

The last question, courtesy of Fairfax journalist Latika Bourke, involves the new review into entitlements. Will this damage the Prime Minister's unsteady relationship with his junior colleagues even further if they feel they might be missing out on something?

In the meantime, if you’re lecturing a group of students in crisis communications, the last three weeks in Australian politics should give you plenty of examples of what not to do.

And a friendly note to the Labor Comms team: stay silent. Do nothing. Allow the resignation to dominate the news cycle and the commentators to express their I-Told-You-So columns. Labor has nothing to gain by crowing about their victory. A dignified silence can only help them now.