The federal parliament’s pre-Budget recess carries with it crucial significance this year. It comes at a time when the Morrison Government has been trapped in a maelstrom of extremely bad press, following the poisonous Brittany Higgins/Christian Porter/Andrew Laming issues. Add in the disastrous New South Wales floods, the Liberals’ annihilation in the Western Australian election, another Brisbane lockdown by a power-drunk, fearmongering state premier and the Prime Minister will probably welcome a break from parliamentary scrutiny, particularly in light of two Newspolls showing his government behind Labor — even though the end of JobKeeper may mean worse is still to...