Gemma Tognini April 9, 2015
Familiar passion from Tony Abbott in Parliament, but it's his focus that is the worry. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
COMMENT:
A federal budget is looming. Less than a month away, I feel it's not so much approaching like a bullet train, but more like a Broome camel ride at sunset.
Predictable, smelling like manure, but still drawing a crowd.
The conditioning started weeks, months ago even, with the not so subtle setting of expectations. The Prime Minister has already warned us it will be "dull and much less exhilarating"- a statement which, in itself almost warrants a whole other column.
Call me old school but I'd settle for a budget that actually (a) offers something in the way of sensible policy that addresses Australia's spiralling debt and sluggish economy and (b) has a fighting chance of getting through a Senate which is doing a sterling job of emulating Truman's famous "Do Nothing" Congress of 1948.
But the other fun fact about this budget is that it will lead us into an election year, which immediately makes the stakes higher, the propensity for policy risk (code for honesty and courage) lower, and the likelihood of Senate obstruction, exponentially greater.
On a good day, the Upper House is as functional as the Russian front.
Heaven forbid the house of review should actually be that, rather than the plaything of billionaires and fringe dwelling interests groups who cook up and dish out astounding levels of dumbarsery for the rest of us to try to digest. PJK was right - it's an unrepresentative swill.
For those interested in a detailed rundown of what's NOT being done, let me point you to Laura Tingle's brutal, incisive and devastatingly accurate piece. Reading it, it is tempting to call it quits and retire to the bar for a stiff G&T.
Much has been said (but precious little done) about the fact we have a Federal Government with a mandate to govern, but who is held to ransom by a few flag-waving radicals representing five per cent of the voting public. And it's not the first time.
Which leads me to ask how it is possible that Australian taxpayers, you know, the people who pay for all of the stuff, have become the most powerless people in the country. The Italians (I know, I know, ironic) have a saying – he who pays the piper calls the tune. Not here. More like, he who whinges the loudest and runs a successful Twitter fear campaign calls the tune. Hardly a sound environment for detailed policy debate.
This week, there came a strong and united call from key business and industry groups who challenged all in Federal Parliament to, you know, govern the country. The group challenged MPs to lead courageously. To just lead.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Kate Carnell passionately implored MPs to stand on the shoulders of politicians of the past who had the guts for real reform. Powerful words. Important words.
Back in In February, the Council of Small Business Australia said the same, asking both sides of Parliament to stop, focus and get on with running the country.
Imagine that. Imagine asking the elected members of parliament to actually do their jobs, rather than wasting time, being petty, serving narrow interest groups and demonstrating on a weekly basis what it means to serve up a shitshow of average. And I am talking about ALL sides of federal politics.
Against all of this I can't help but wonder, are we just getting what we pay for?
How much of this current environment is the result of us having it so good for so long. Have we forgotten the recession we had to have? I haven't. I haven't forgotten my parents talking in hushed, worried tones about 18 per cent interest rates. I seriously question whether our affluence has left the Australian voters conceited, entitled and no longer able to muster any sort of resilience.
All of this leads me to conclude that we have little over a year to have a crack at getting it right. By get it right, I mean consider – then act on - the fact that as an electorate we get what we're prepared to tolerate.
We have both the responsibility and opportunity to influence those we vote for, and we shouldn't hold that lightly. It's a privilege. People around the world die every day in the hope of obtaining what we in our comfort take for granted.
And yet it seems that we're more likely to take action over poor service in the drive-through at Maccas than over an Australian parliament that consistently and spectacularly falls short.
So are we simply being served up the rotten fruit of our own apathy?
Think about it. We will protest for and against everything from the slaughter of dolphins in another country to a whether or not our Foreign Minister wants to call herself a feminist, and everything in between. But when was the last time we collectively drew a line in the sand and said to the members of parliament in whom we placed our trust, not just our vote, lift your game?
Granted, the need for senate reform is not a new topic for discussion and asking them to do it themselves is kind of like asking a recovering alcoholic to decide for herself how much booze is too much. But imagine, just imagine what would happen if pressure were brought to bear. Consistent pressure from a wide stakeholder base. Imagine.
No elected member on either side of politics has an excuse. They are there because we put them there (or in the case of the ALP, their union put them there, but I digress). Mike Baird has shown that if you treat the electorate like adults, you can choose what is RIGHT over what is popular and still be elected to govern.
To some of you I may present as if I'm a cross between Pollyanna and Don Quixote on my very own, incredibly cheerful mission to civilise. But this isn't a joke to me and it shouldn't be to any of us.
I am a business owner of 12 years standing. I am a board director. I write articles like this. I am an occasional broadcaster. Like many, many others business owners and CEOs, I carry a weighty responsibility for more lives than my own.
My staff rely on my company (me) for their mortgage payments, their school fees, their holidays, and their petrol money. It's a tremendous responsibility on my shoulders and most days I try not to think about it because if I did, I'd either hurl my toaster at the TV news each night or develop an ulcer worrying about the people in Canberra who, to me at least, give off the impression that they arrive at important policy decisions via a colossal game of naked Twister.
I don't have all of the answers. If only. But I do know that as with most things, acknowledging the problem, and beginning a dialogue about it, is a pretty good starting point.
We can better engage. We can debate, intelligently, and meaningfully and in parameters that go beyond 140 characters.
We can demand more from our MPs. We can raise our eyes beyond the petty and focus on the bigger picture. We can, believe it or not, hold to account those who hold our future in their hands. We can, and we must.
Gemma Tognini is the founder and managing director of gtmedia strategic communication, a corporate communication and PR firm with local, national and global clients.
She spent 10 years as a television journalist and chief of staff before starting her company in 2003. She is a Telstra Business Womens' Award Winner and sits on the boards of the Salvation Army (WA) and the Starlight Childrens Foundation (WA).
Federal Budget: we must put a stop to the political shitshow
