Two hundred and seventy nine – count ‘em – reasons for tax reform from Malcolm Turnbull
and everyone who’s anyone or wants to be – the PM, Craig Emerson,
Andrew Murray, Barnyard and Bill Shorten chiming in. Everyone that is except the Treasurer.

Turnbull denied yesterday
that he was in direct conflict with the Treasurer, but that hasn’t
stopped the Costello forces from putting the boot in. They say Turnbull
is causing resentment amongst his colleagues.

Turnbull has a big
wallet, a bigger ego and is in a hurry – but he’s also doing his job.
Magnificently and with his customary aplomb. Turnbull may have fluffed
the republic referendum, but we probably wouldn’t have even got that
far if it wasn’t for his efforts.

“My job as a member of
parliament is to lay out the facts, make the arguments that I think are
in the best interests of the country, not to echo other people for the
sake of echoing them,” he said yesterday.

Exactly. And more
backbenchers could learn from his example. Turnbull has the wallet, the
ego and the Rolodex. And he’s working it. Not just on big issues like
tax, but also by tapping into high level expertise on parish pump
matters like public transport in his electorate of Wentworth.

They
might cause problems, but the Government clearly needs a few people
like Turnbull and Sophie Panopoulos. Look at what we’ve got: a
Treasurer who still wants the top job, but who’s missing from a crucial
debate in his own portfolio and who wants to be prime minister but
seems exhausted, unable to offer ideas.

There’s an air of
bureaucratic capture around the Howard Government. Just look at two
issues that have been in the news over the past week – defence and
immigration. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about former air chief Peter Criss or some poor cadet kid. Military justice has been failing spectacularly. And a look at last week’s SMH
reports on the Vivian Alvarez case. Our incompetent and bullying
Immigration Department has been sitting very happily with their
incompetent and bullying minister.

Turnbull’s tax paper might be a shameless bid for higher honours, but it’s also a needed and wanted contribution.

Politics
is the battle of ideas, after all. Too many ministers have forgotten
that – despite their legions of advisers and public servants – and too
many backbenchers are just relaxed and comfortable.