Last August, former union leader Bill Kelty reportedly affirmed what he said was Paul Keating’s diagnosis: “The government needs a greater dose of imagination.” Given the Albanese government’s general lack of ability to surprise, demonstrated over three years, it’s a hard point to argue with.

What, then, of the Coalition? Right now, the Coalition seems flush with ideas. Last weekend, Peter Dutton appointed a shadow minister for government efficiency. Four days later, the Coalition committed to supporting the crypto industry, providing it with “certainty”. Two days after that, Dutton told us more about his plan to cut the public service. First to go would be advisers on cultural diversity and inclusion, change managers and “internal communication specialists”.

Illustration: Joe BenkeCredit:

Getting déjà vu? One of Donald Trump’s first acts as president was to appoint Elon Musk to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency. A key promise of Trump’s campaign was to back crypto. And in the past week, Trump has ramped up his attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs – the same DEI programs Dutton criticises.

Or take the fact that a few days before this seemingly Trump-inspired rush, Dutton announced tax breaks for business lunches. Unlike the others, this is not something Trump recently announced. Instead,........

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