Barnaby Joyce has regained the reins of the Nationals, the self-proclaimed party for regional Australia. Simply by dint of the Liberals not being able to govern in their own right, he also assumes the position of Deputy Prime Minister of the whole of Australia. In fact, due to the Prime Minister being overseas at the time, he also became Acting Prime Minister.
A party room of 20 chose the Acting Prime Minister for a country of 25 million.
Both major parties and the media place huge emphasis during elections on which party’s leader will make the best Prime Minister. In many ways, we are encouraged to vote for the person instead of the party and its policies - as if we had a presidential system (which we do not). And that’s why the public are rightfully upset when, between elections, the major parties change their leader while in government – in a naked bait and switch, they change the Prime Minster without asking the voters.
These leadership changes bring dramatic policy shifts as we have seen over the last decade with the climate and culture wars. And when those shifts occur, they are not vetted by an election – there is no mandate from the public. We elect our parliamentarians to represent us, not themselves or vested interests.
The public is not happy with the way representation is working or with politicians overall. Next25 Navigator found that governments prioritising voters above vested interests (donors, property developers, big business, unions, media, lobbyists) is the third worst tracking aspiration for Australians – it’s important, but the country is preforming poorly on it. At the same time, only 22% of Australians say politicians act in the public interest. This drops to 20% for regional and rural Australians (a 10% difference). In fact, the further away from Canberra you live, the worse you believe institutions across Australia are acting in the public interest.
It’s one thing to have major parties that “represent” over 40% of Australia’s electorates change leaders, and therefore policy, mid-stream. At least they can claim to be acting on behalf of almost half the country. It’s another thing when a party that “represents” under 10% of Australia’s electorates (let alone population) can disrupt the government of the day.
This has implications for the Nationals, for the Liberals, and for the way we make the future in Australia.
For the Nationals, can they convince the public that their policies and actions (including pork-barrelling, being against a Federal anti-corruption agency, and this week’s focus on dismantling policies on climate, childcare, and water) are consistent with:
Their own avowed priorities of “building stronger regional economies and secure communities, delivering opportunity and prosperity for all regional Australians, and ensuring a sustainable environment”.
Addressing the findings from a recent Commonwealth Government report that: “People in regions away from the capital cities generally have lower incomes, poorer health outcomes, less access to services, and fewer opportunities for their children. Many factors contribute to these discrepancies, and they can reinforce each other to create a spiral of disadvantage.”
Making progress on the top ten priorities for regional and rural Australians, which Navigator found to include: the country being self-sufficient; government prioritising the needs of Australia first when making decisions; governments prioritising voters above vested interests; governments taking into account the impact upon future generations when making decisions; having a say (beyond voting) on the decisions made on Australians’ behalf; and caring for our natural environment, plants, and animals.
For the Liberals, will they let the Nationals tail wag the Coalition dog, or will they stand up for the public interest?
For the country, how can we strengthen our democracy and the way we make our future so that 90% of the country is not held hostage by 20 politicians from a party that holds less than 10% of the seats in the House of Representatives and an even smaller portion of the Senate?
It’s time for our representative democracy to be truly representative. Let’s all work to make the future Australia wants.