You were elected to lead, Scott Morrison. It was a surprise, and great that you won against the polling, and that your marketing slogans cut through better than those of Bill Shorten.

But they were only slogans. There was no detail. You have been cut a lot of electoral slack so far, but being prime minister is not just about being there. You are expected to govern in the national interest, to lead on several key policy issues and, where possible, prepare our nation to deal effectively with challenges before they become crises.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison should implement a longer term strategy to deal with the elevated bush-fire risk. Credit:AAP

Nobody expects you to “hold a hose” against the fires, but they do reasonably expect you to lead with an immediate response to them and to implement a genuine longer-term strategy to deal with what will be an increasing challenge into the future.

Also you have not shown the leadership expected to make us more drought resistant, or to lead our nation on a host of other fronts, including Indigenous recognition, national productivity, broad-based tax reform, and ensuring a genuine transition to a low carbon society over the next three decades. Improved economic management remains an immediate challenge.