Prime Minister Scott Morrison would have us believe that he is putting Australia "first", and is governing primarily to reflect the values and aspirations of the "quiet Australians" he would also have us believe gave him his "miracle" election win.

He would have us believe he was putting Australia "first" when he sat like a muppet through US President Donald Trump's excruciatingly embarrassing press conference at the White House recently, when he allowed Trump to turn the opening of an Australian manufacturing plant in Ohio into one of his cheap presidential campaign rallies, when he did Trump's bidding on the trade status of the Chinese and when he grossly misrepresented our climate actions in his address to the UN, including a sideswipe at the messenger Greta Thunberg and other student climate protesters.

How are we "first", when this ignorant, subservient behaviour at the White House has left us seriously exposed to the possibility of "mission creep" in the Middle East, especially if, as Trump claims, he can easily start a war there? How are we "first" when we are left risking Chinese retaliation for those trade remarks? How are we "first" when the world disputes the substance of our climate policies, indeed identifies us as a serious "climate laggard"?

From his US/UN visit, "first" to Morrison is all about his personal interests and perceived political advantage; it means sucking up to the likes of Trump, whose concept of "America first" is also "America only", clearly determined and driven by his personal interests, failings and foibles, and his obsession just to be seen as (reality TV like) powerful, and to be liked.