Australian political leadership since Menzies

The present Prime Minister, Julia Gillard took office in circumstances that left her vulnerable. She has since been the subject of unprecedented attacks by the Murdoch media and its right wing acolytes and associated unprincipled behaviour by the Opposition that has left her unpopular with voters. She is in the difficult position of leading a minority government relying on Greens and Independents for support. She continues to be dogged by the asylum seeker problem, not least because of the unprincipled populism of Opposition Leader Abbott.

However she has shown leadership on climate change and other issues despite their political unpopularity. If given the chance she could be a good leader. Abbott as alternative PM gives rise to great concerns about his leadership. He announces no policies but simply seeks to tear down the Government.  He frequently adopts populist positions on issues like asylum seekers, climate change and gambling without regard to the national interest.

The difficult question is why our leadership has deteriorated to this point. I think that the media has much to answer for in dumbing down the political process. Laurie Oakes has argued that the media only reflect the attitudes of the politicians, but I do not believe the answer is that simple.

Modern media sees its role as to entertain rather than inform. News Limited, which follows this approach, occupies a near monopoly position in the print media in each of our major cities and its links to the electronic media ensure that it reflects the views expressed in the Murdoch press. Fairfax and the ABC are the only remaining bastions of an independent media but their penetration to the average member of the public is limited.

What then are the solutions? The answer is complex and I do not pretend to have all the answers, but I suggest the following:

First we should encourage and vote for leaders and political parties who are prepared to lead rather than follow what they perceive to be public opinion, which is often manipulated by the mass media.

Secondly and most importantly, since our leaders are not to be trusted, we should strengthen the democratic process by the passage of a meaningful Bill of Rights that is justiciable at the instance of individuals. Had we done so in the past we could have avoided the abuses that took place in relation to asylum seekers, the Northern Territory Intervention and mandatory sentencing to name but a few.

Thirdly we should examine further approaches to the control of the worst aspects of the media while preserving freedom of speech. The tendency in recent years has been to relax controls on the media and we are experiencing the results of this approach today. Television and radio licences used to be regarded as a privilege that carried with them certain responsibilities and we used to have a broadcasting tribunal that had real powers to enforce them. The Government’s proposed media inquiry is a positive step.

Finally, it is time that our leaders addressed some of the real issues that confront our community.