It is all going terribly well. The government fumbles a One Nation motion that it is OK to be white, starts a dispute with the bush over a farm worker visa, tells Pacific Island leaders they are no more than beggars and infuriates Indonesia with a sudden shift on Israel. In one moment Australian voters are assured a smooth flight with their new pilots. Minutes later the Nationals switch off an engine while they have another argument over who has what rank and gets to wear the best uniform. How soon before the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling? This has been a dire week. Expectations were low after everyone emerged from the leadership spill in August. The government has certainly met them. While some of the events of the past week are merely sideshows, two events stood out for their seriousness.

Morrison’s change in Australia’s foreign policy on Israel was sudden, significant and risky. The concerns in Indonesia threaten to slow if not stall talks on a free trade agreement that is meant to be done by the end of the year. That would be a black mark for a government that prides itself on striking trade deals that help the economy. The warning from Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was clear in a text message to her Australian counterpart, Marise Payne: “It will slap Indonesia’s face on the Palestine issue.” Retno has tried to get others to intervene to persuade Morrison to step back, but this is not working. Illustration: Simon Letch Credit: John Howard endorses Morrison’s willingness to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This gives the new approach the stamp of approval from the Liberal Party’s ultimate authority. The policy split with Labor could be permanent. Australia is one of Israel’s strongest supporters and has never needed to show this further support in the past. The shift was not the subject of lengthy cabinet deliberations, let alone exhaustive cabinet submissions, in part because it is about the “consideration” of a change rather than a hard decision.

This is a huge danger sign: hasty foreign policy by a new administration under pressure at a byelection. All this happens when doctors are urging the government to get asylum seeker children and their families off Nauru. This was the other serious event of the week. The fact that Liberal MPs went public about getting swift medical treatment in Australia for sick children on Nauru is a big indicator of community sentiment the government cannot ignore. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Credit:Achmad Ibrahim Two of those MPs, Russell Broadbent and Craig Laundy, spoke to Morrison about this four weeks ago. A third, Julia Banks, is publicly supporting them from her new position as chair of the Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF. Neither major party promises to settle these children and families to Australia because both major parties believe this would restart boat arrivals.

Another 17 asylum seekers were transferred from Nauru to the United States this week, taking the total to 435. There is scope for hundreds more to go, but the immediate question for Parliament is about the New Zealand offer to take some of the asylum seekers. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Those New Zealand places mean new lives for 150 refugees every year. Why not strike a compromise to make that happen, even if it means changing the law? Parliament would rather debate whether it is OK to be white, or other meaningless motions, rather than do something useful. Loading The “red fox” of the Canberra press gallery, Alan Reid, wrote histories including The Gorton Experiment and The Whitlam Venture. What would he have called this era? The Morrison Moment? One unkind quip is the likely subtitle: blink and you’ll miss it.