#182 "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"

It's almost impossible to understand how the word "sorry" could cause a state government so much trouble.

Bernie Taupin and Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE obviously knew better than most when they wrote the lyrics for Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. "What I gotta do to be heard?" they offered.

And while another Liberal government fell at state level in South Australia, the Liberal Party in Tasmania did their utmost to make an utter balls-up of their leadership role, either underpinned by arrogance or stupidity or the want to appear in control, turning a truly awful crime committed against a fellow Tasmanian at the hands of a paedophile Launceston nurse into a political issue entirely about themselves.

A wise younger friend of mine who was still at primary school when I was relevant ... and who is attune to Tasmanian politics, rebutted my suggestion that the Premier's apology was akin to that of a parent and all-encompassing with "Yeah - but we ask kids to apologise when they make mistakes".

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. It took a Labor government to say sorry via an Apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008 after plenty of others had their chance.

It was arguably the best leadership that Kevin Rudd AC offered, signifying the beginning of a tumultuous period of politics at the federal level in Australia where Prime Ministers changed as often as jockeys at local race meets.

The victim-survivor, Tiffany Skeggs, should have been apologised to immediately or as soon as those at fault realised the impact of their actions as the Premier and Minister for Education did straight away - I was not at all surprised by their actions.

But what did surprise me were the tactical actions and decisions of the state government following the Premier's apology.

The House of Assembly in the Tasmanian Parliament is known as the people's house. The chamber is small and, if the heat is on and the eyes of those determined to remove you from your occupation are squarely targeted on your chest, it feels even smaller.

Members sit just feet from each other using a variety of questions and tactics attempting to intimidate and induce mistakes.

These strategies are heightened during the annual parliamentary sport known as Budget Estimates where white shirts are compulsory for those wearing dark suits to mask any hint of the continuous pressure becoming perspiration-inducing.

At other times, there is humour and quips that take the edge off, showcasing the human side of parliament and acknowledging that most members get on quite well.

Spending so much time together in a confined area, they have little choice because the other option is isolation and loneliness.

And there are also times when groans or guffaws or exasperated expressions that attempt to deflect or raise questions about the integrity of a member or their question flow freely and, at times, inappropriately.

When ministers groaned in Tasmanian State Parliament in response to a question by the Opposition Leader about a sexual assault victim-survivor, they caused offence.

Ministers failed to read the room because Tiffany Skeggs was in attendance, and they would have known immediately that their gesticulations and audible exasperations were wrong.

Pressure, the want to support colleagues, and appear in control, can result in members forgetting who is present in the Speaker's reserve, the public gallery, or who may be watching online, not that it should matter.

Those who responded with groans were easily identifiable and did not dispute their actions, which makes their lack of contrition and failure to offer an immediate apology even more baffling.

Why did it take until Thursday morning when the Premier had returned home as a COVID close contact leaving Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff in the firing line, a motion on the Notice Paper, a no-confidence motion, a censure motion and several questions to the Premier and ministers asking them to say sorry for the offence they had caused?

Was it about a political power play telling voters who was the boss, or did ministers not actually wish to say sorry?

Whatever it was this resulted in the very rare occurrence of a state government experiencing a significant defeat during Question Time.

A common quip by those who follow parliament is that the theatrical hour before the more mundane routine matters of Parliament is, 'It's question time not answer time', highlighting who holds the cards during these verbal duels and stoushes.

Further, the best opposition parties can hope for during Question Time is an honourable draw.

An hour of debate where not all questions are simply dismissed by bolshie or well-prepared ministers, or having the answer turned on the questioner with a theatrical response that has absolutely nothing to do with the matter posed, can signify a draw.

Pop icon Madonna wrote in the introduction to her song, Sorry:

Je suis désolé

Lo siento

Ik ben droevig

Sono spiacente

Perdname

In the end it doesn't matter which language you choose, if you can lessen a victim-survivor's suffering and grief and assist their recovery, just take personal responsibility and offer a timely and sincere apology "without explanation or excuse".