Good Policy Is Worth Bouquets

Columnist Peta Credlin (SM,Oct 23) says part of the reason for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s long honeymoon is the generally soft treatment he gets from the media, without attributing the more compelling reason of good policy, for the long honeymoon period.

Credlin bases her opinion about soft media treatment on media failure to criticise government actions on bringing back jihadi brides and their children from the Middle East, not acting on religious freedom and reversal of the Morrison government recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In each of these cases, Albanese is simply remedying action or inaction by the Morrison government.

It would have been inhumane and in breach of human rights considerations to continue leaving the jihadi brides and their children in limbo in refugee camps.

In regard to religious freedom, the Morrison government made a mess of unsuccessfully trying to unnecessarily legislate an exception to anti-discrimination legislation to prosecute this agenda.

Religious freedom already exists under the Australian Constitution and the Andrew Thorburn case was nothing to do with his religious freedom, but rather dealing with conflicts of interest as a member of the board of a company.

The capital of Israel decision merely puts Australia back in step with most other nations in the world on recognition.

It is not surprising that these policy decisions were not controversial in the media.

It is hardly fair to question, as Credlin does, whether only Coalition governments get the scrutiny.

David Muir, Indooroopilly