Scott Morrison’s summer will be plagued with much different problems than his last

When he ended 2019 amid literal and political smoke, it would have seemed inconceivable Scott Morrison could finish 2020 on a high. Or that he’d have reached there on the back of Australia’s worst downturn since the Depression.

Morrison learned from his mistakes of last summer, about how he needed to adapt his own style, and where power really lies in the federation. That knowledge served him well in the COVID crisis.

He was ever-present, with frequent news conferences, and the creation of the “National Cabinet” — a success despite arguments and fragmentation — maximised the Federal Government’s clout in a situation where the preponderance of power rested with the states.

The imperatives of 2021 will be different — assuming we remain…