ON THE WALLABY- 20th March 2007

" The parties recruit people who are docile and compliant rather than people with real talent. Labor are tired and venal, and the Liberals are run by religious cretins who are just interested in stopping people have sex. There is a complete lack of vision. If this Parliament was a company, it would go broke” - Hon Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans MLC, Leader of the Australian Democrats, NSW Parliament

THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN AUSTRALIA, AND NSW IN PARTICULAR- HAS IT EVER BEEN SO LOW?

Over the period of my holding the position of National President of the Australian Democrats, I had many spats with Dr Chesterfield –Evans and whilst I did not agree with some of his issues, it could never be said that he was a man who lacked passion for what he believed in.

So when I read the above quotation used yesterday by columnist Mike Carlton is his weekly column in The Sydney Morning Herald, I not only had a chuckle but also nodded my head in agreement.

Have Australian political stocks ever been so low?

Here in NSW where we are facing a State election next weekend, we have a “tweedle dee tweedle dum” situation with, on one hand, a government that in its 12 years of holding power, has probably created benchmark after benchmark for sheer incompetence and on the other, an Opposition that couldn’t tug the cream off a jar of milk!

Come this time next week, I somehow feel that the masterful campaign run by the “back room boys” of Sussex Street ( the Labor Party NSW headquarters) will have well and truly justified their decision 18 months ago to “tap” Premier Bob Carr on the shoulder and hand him his exit ticket.

Compare that with the utterly inept campaign run by the Liberal Party with Peter “Frank Spencer” Debnam and in which, where all he had to do was belt up, keep saying that Labor had stuffed NSW, allow the Government’s errors to continue to surface and he would have been home and hosed.

One wonders about both the age and skills levels of his advisors. It seems to me that they maybe spend too much time watching The West Wing on ABC TV and are confusing art with life!

Similarly, in Canberra, “Honest John” Howard is having a major battle trying to make that tag be correct and yet, it seems to me, if he and his government can work on what most believe is Labor’s Achilles Heel in lack of financial management skills and being open to union manipulation, he may still yet fall over the line.

Where are the leaders? Where are the people with vision who have the courage to actually believe in something and are prepared to battle for that dream and ideal?

It is only when we have Parliaments holding those of that ilk that once again this country will start to forge ahead and not be stuck in our own Rip van Winkle land.

Carpe diem

Tony

Tony Fountain

Professional Speaker, auctioneer and author

Sydney NSW Australia

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