Recent debates on issues such as changes to superannuation laws and the introduction of the backpacker tax are perfect examples of how governments are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

On superannuation, the government went into the election campaign with a very clear plan for change.

From the outset, it was obvious those planned changes were at odds with what the wider community wanted.

Having won the federal election by the narrowest of margins, it was clear to those inside the Coalition that getting this controversial legislation through a hostile Senate was most unlikely.

Given the delicate state of the federal budget, change was needed but this was one battle they were never likely to win.

With that in mind, the government sought further consultation and ultimately released a new position on the changes – one which most would argue was a more common sense approach. But it was done so at some political cost.

The Opposition – and some sectors of the media –were quick to highlight the “backflip” and go on the attack over the government’s inability to make a decision and stick to it.

And while all of that may be true, one of the most important things was lost in the debate – the government had moved its position and in doing so, given the community a much better outcome.

The same scenario played out with the backpacker tax.

Again, the government didn’t do its homework on the issue before announcing the proposed changes and was rightly roundly criticised when it outlined that initial plan. It was clear the tax changes would have a significant impact on the agricultural sector and again, the government went back to the drawing board to determine a better path forward – which it has now done.

While the Opposition and community should always take government to task for making poor decisions, we should also be prepared to support them when they make change for the better.

Scoring cheap political points and ridiculing policy “backflips” will do only one thing – make our politicians less likely to walk away from bad decisions. And that’s no good for anyone.