GOOD leadership has been sadly lacking in Australia for some years now.
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The days when a Prime Minister could take the people with them on important issues seem long gone. Bob Hawke’s consensus politics that broke the cycle of union militancy and put the country on the road to economic reform and John Howard’s insistence on tightening gun laws in the face of shrill opposition spring to mind immediately.
Both these leaders managed to engage with the electorate, explaining tough and sometimes unpopular decisions but since 2007, politicians have become craven. If their polls are poor, if their message is not received, they are quick to turn on their leaders.
This leads to instability and a perception among voters that the immediate politics of the three-year electoral cycle overrides sensible policy.
We hope Malcolm Turnbull can turn that perception around because for long-term policies to work they have to outlast the comings and goings of parliaments and the whims of party rooms, nervously looking at the next election and not the road beyond it.
To do that, he will have to cast aside some of the entrenched trappings of leadership that no longer have a place in the modern world. He has alluded to a collegiate approach, where issues are discussed transparently and the team works together to find the best outcome. Captain’s picks, policy reversals, lack of consultation and concentrating too much power in the hands of too few simply won’t survive the scrutiny of the 24/7 news cycle. The days of the my-way-or-the-highway approach, of combative, destructive politics, need to be consigned to the dustbin of history.
If Malcolm Turnbull can stay true to word and replace slogans with credible explanations, to respect the intelligence of the electorate, we can expect better to come out of Canberra. If he can’t, we will pay a high price as politics gets in the way of reform.