“One of the reasons military figures are so useful is that… they can be relied upon to take orders respectfully and even to have their own decisions countermanded by a prime minister such as Morrison,” writes “The Gadfly” columnist ROBERT MACKLIN

THE sudden appearance of an Australian Army general in the Morrison government’s COVID-19 imbroglio was not only troubling, it was entirely predictable. 

The coalition these days has a predilection for militarising any operations of government that the electorate finds problematic.

No doubt Lt-Gen John Frewen knows quite a lot about army logistics. However, he is not dealing with the army but a system of civilian government, state and federal, with a very long experience in procuring and distributing vaccines across the Australian community. 

If some additions to the rollout are required – such as showgrounds and car parks for mass vaccination – the states and territories don’t need a military outsider to get the job done. 

In short, Lt-Gen Frewen is window dressing in the Morrison marketing plan; and in a country with such a militarist Anzac attitude, it’s a very clever trick. It’s one ScoMo learned at the feet of the master, John Winston Howard.

It was Howard who in August, 2001, when confronted with the Norwegian ship “MV Tampa” carrying 433 rescued refugees seeking to land them at Christmas Island, sent out a squadron of SAS operatives to take over the vessel, thereby militarising Australia’s refugee program and assuring the coalition of victory in the forthcoming election. 

Morrison, as Immigration Minister in the Abbott government, eagerly picked up the military chalice and developed Operation Sovereign Borders with the then deputy chief of Army, General Angus Campbell prominently by his side. And while Campbell was not particularly suited to the “selling” role accorded him, his very presence did the trick. 

One of the reasons military figures are so useful is that, unlike the politicians they serve, these men take seriously the separation of powers and the constitutional processes of our civilian government. 

They can be relied upon to take orders respectfully and even to have their own decisions countermanded by a prime minister such as Morrison. 

Indeed, Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton had no qualms in “correcting” General Campbell – now chief of the Defence Force – when he withdrew the Meritorious Citation from an SAS unit accused of war crimes. Campbell took it on the chin.

Equally, it was Howard who chose Maj-Gen Michael Jeffery as Governor-General in 2003, the first military man since William Slim in 1953. 

Tony Abbott as PM chose General Peter Cosgrove; and Morrison followed the lead with General David Hurley in 2019. 

While they are all no doubt splendid fellows, their great advantage to the government of the day is their absolute reluctance to say anything in public which might ruffle the political feathers.

Indeed, these days Frewen has begun to sound more like a showground barker than a logistics expert. Asked by a reporter on “Sunrise” about our relegation to the OECD’s “bottom four” in vaccinations, he leapt to the fray. 

“Now, just the other day,” he said, “I released the supply planning parameters out until the end of the year…

“So, we have got the amount of vaccines coming that we need this year. We have got a comprehensive system in place right now about how we are administering the vaccines…

“But from here to the end of the year we’re going to have to make sure that people are turning up increasingly in droves… 

“AZ has been a really important workhorse in our vaccine rollout. I know that you and Kochie had it. I’ve had it myself. My mum’s due to get her second next week…“

Yep, ScoMo himself couldn’t have put it better.

robert@robertmacklin.com