Politicians have a powerful influence on how Australia makes its future. And yet, Australians’ trust in politicians and democracy is at a record low, and many politicians themselves are deeply dissatisfied with the status quo. They know that governing in the 21st century is more complex than ever, requiring them to lead differently. But they feel isolated, constrained, and powerless to effect change. And just when it’s needed most, a culture of professional development is lacking within politics.
Our Parliamentary Leaders Program (PLP) challenges this status quo. It is the first professional development course aimed at parliamentarians that allows State and Federal parliamentarians from across the political spectrum to reconnect with their values and motivation for entering politics to ensure they are reflected in parliament.
The need to continuously improve professional skills has been an accepted part of Australian businesses for decades. But within the Australian political system, seeking to become better at their job has been seen as a weakness for politicians. We know that Australians want politicians who show leadership skills, work with integrity, and have the ability to listen and adapt. For this reason, we have worked not only on providing the course for individual parliamentarians, but also on changing the culture that allows our politicians to improve these skills.
We have been encouraged to see important shifts emerging from NSW Parliament. The NSW Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, one of our PLP alumni, was integral in creating a fund for an annual skills development program for parliamentarians to support members in pursuing professional development opportunities.
Such changes are an important step in breaking down cultural and financial barriers for parliamentarians wanting to pursue professional development. By normalising this need for professional development, we have helped other players emerge in this field too.
To maintain this momentum, over the next three years we are focussing our strategy on building the culture and capability of parliamentarians to be changemakers. By 2023 we want our alumni to have worked together to catalyse three significant changes to the political system to improve Australians’ trust and confidence in politics and democracy.
Our program goals include:
Improved understanding and confidence of parliamentarians to transform the political system
Improved public trust and confidence in politics and democracy due to changes initiated by our alumni and their colleagues
Changing the system is complex and those who engage in it must be aware of the wider context. And these conversations aren’t just happening in Australia. In late September, Australian Futures Project hosted the inaugural International Roundtable: Enabling the Transformation of Parliaments Globally. Nine leaders from six like-minded organisations across the world shared challenges and opportunities to support and enable parliaments and parliamentarians to be effective, trusted, and equipped to tackle the complex challenges of the 21st century.
Watch for our next blog post, in which we will introduce some of the key lessons learned during the Roundtable discussion. Sign up for updates to never miss a post.