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Change politics

By Natasha Stott Despoja - posted Wednesday, 15 August 2001


Mr Howard says voters must choose between Labor’s likely increases in income tax or return the present Government for a third term. Actually, there are more choices than that. A Federal election should provide the ultimate contest of ideas and ideals for a nation. Mr John Howard will run a tax bribe strategy hoping Australians will forget that it could disappear as a non-core promise the morning after. Mr Kim Beazley will try to remain the smallest possible target for the longest possible time, in the comical hope that he can tiptoe into the Lodge.

People have seen the past six years of government, and many remember the thirteen years before that, under Labor. The old parties’ lack of vision has created a vacuum ready to be filled by a credible alternative. We are seeing record numbers of Australians turning away from the old parties.

Election analyst, Antony Green wrote recently in The Age:

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"The strongest conclusion that can be drawn from Aston is that the electorate’s record vote for minor parties will be repeated at the federal poll. The Democrats and local independents look set to draw huge support …"

It is an exciting time for the Australian Democrats, with membership and polls on the rise. This election we are going to run Democrats in every House of Representatives seat, giving all Australia a chance to vote for a real alternative.

The important choice facing the voters is not just which Party will be in Government, but whether the Democrats will continue to hold the balance of power in the next Parliament, or whether a coalition of minor parties and independents will. How the Democrats poll will determine whether Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party shares the balance of power role. We believe that most Australians recognise that politics is about more than complaining, it is about finding positive solutions.

The International ratings agency Standard and Poor’s recently released paper on the repercussions of this year's election, says, "If the Coalition decide that a Labor victory is most likely, they might seek to complicate things for the incoming Labor government by preferencing the non-Democrat minor parties …." and "it would be preferable for the Democrats to hold the balance of power …"

This finding recognises that, for the last 24 years, the Democrats have been negotiating with whichever Party is in Government, to produce the fairest laws for all Australians. We are offering positive solutions.

Australians want leadership – but not the leadership the old parties offer. The recent Voter’s Voice series in The Australian newspaper, looking at the views behind the polls, has uncovered community dissatisfaction with the old parties.

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The public’s cynicism about politics is not surprising. It is quite logical in light of what they see of parliamentary politics: ‘non-core promises’, rorts, junkets, and the childish cheap shots during question time. The Voter’s Voice survey found that what Australians say they want is honesty, strength, dignity and compassion.

There are exciting and even inspirational aspects to politics, and that is what I want to try and convey to people. In the Parliament, the Democrats favour negotiation and intelligent debate to find positive solutions. When you do not have the majority numbers you have to rely on the merits of your argument, rather than the loudness of your voice. Unfortunately, negotiation and mutual agreement rarely make the news, even if they are the key to achieving the best and fairest laws for all Australians.

I am not saying all cynicism about politics is unhealthy. The democratic spirit is to challenge, to debate and to protest against what is unjust. I welcome the fact that Australians are proudly irreverent, they challenge their leaders, and speak their minds. But I am concerned when politics seems so distant, so corrupt, and so irrelevant that almost half Australia’s 18-year-olds are not enrolled to vote.

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This is an edited extract of an address to the National Press Club, Canberra, on 8 August 2001. Click here for the full transcript.



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About the Author

Senator Natasha Stott Despoja was the Australian Democrats spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Attorney-Generals, Science & Biotechnology, Higher Education and the Status of Women (including Work & Family). She is a former Senator for South Australia.

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