Niki Savva has a warning for the Abbott Government: Almost three months later, it is clear the time has arrived to begin a grown-up conversation with Australians about what the government is doing and why. Previously there was too much talk; now there is not enough. Part of that, says Savva, might be a confidence problem: Too often Abbott appears anxious. Inside the womb of parliament, he looks as if he belongs; outside, he struggles to look comfortable or even confident. And part of it may be a fear of losing control: Unhappiness simmers inside the government, particularly over what ministers regard as the exercise of extreme micro-management. Backbenchers have had electorate staff vetoed and senior ministers have been denied the right to make their most critical appointment, that of their chief of staff. Eric Abetz, the Employment Minister and leader of the government in the Senate, alluded to the problem in Senate estimates hearings last week. Abetz's friends, meanwhile, sense a wider strategy afoot to replace him as leader with the Attorney-General, George Brandis. An example of too much control? Then on Monday, while Labor made hay, Education Minister Christopher Pyne, a seasoned media performer, did not appear anywhere on television to defend or explain the government's contentious Gonski changes. The reason, apparently, was a "mix-up" with the Prime Minister's Office, which enforces an approval process for all media appearances. It was a cock-up that took more than 24 hours to rectify.