From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 1 March

I was born into that generation which believed, unconditionally, when a politician swore to faithfully serve Elizabeth and Her people of The Commonwealth of Australia, he, or she, would be true to their word.

RECENT events have brought me to the realisation, with a troubling thud, nothing could be further from the truth. Through the confused prism of 2020, it is difficult to know if it was subliminal inculcation or naivety which induced the previously prevailing and disturbingly delusional state of consciousness. Ben Chifley was Prime Minister when I was born. We believed that those who strode the lofty corridors of power were a caste apart; a breed of altruistic, community-spirited, ideologically honourable, morally unwavering, well-grounded, intellectually gifted visionaries, under whose governance our future was safe and secure. There was nothing about which we needed to be troubled. In this day-and-age there is an inclination to the views of Weimar Republic theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet, Bertolt Brecht, who wrote in his poems of observation to actors, “Nor should you forget the pictures of your leaders on screen and newspaper pages. Watch closely how they walk and talk, holding in their cruel and brutal hands the threads of your fate.” It was a portentously prophetic summation.

Social media has provided the world with a megaphone which needs be used judiciously. The prospect of publicly demonising politicians can prove tempting, but at a price. If we are to attract the best and the brightest to the highest calling in the land then we must, in the interest of good government, moderate the tone of the public discourse, and temper the truth with a caution in pursuit of the national interest. Sadly, we have come to a pass where staying in power is more important than good governance. Politicians have become aggressively combative. Unashamedly, the modus operandi is to ‘deny, argue, deny’. Repeatedly, the truth falls victim to blatantly disingenuous newspeak, providing a chasm for deliberate obfuscation. Ask a politician what they had for breakfast and they will tell you about the chicken sandwich they are having for lunch. Robotically they peddle party propaganda.  Understandably, the Prime Minister’s office has expressed displeasure at the media’s moniker, ‘Scotty from Marketing’, but in truth, he is the exemplar of the slogan, with a willingness to reduce a difficult conundrum to a pithy lowest common denominator, which does little to serve the cause, or solve the problem. His rejoinder to a Centrelink payment debate as a “hand-up, not a hand-out” was insensitive, highly inappropriate, and too glib-by-half. Contemptuously, he dismissed Elon Musk’s Tesla battery development in South Australia as a “Hollywood solution”. Already, it has saved consumers $40 million a year, and will now be expanded with additional funding from the SA and Federal governments.

Transparency has become a non-binding election slogan. According to the New York Times, Australia is the most secretive democracy in the world. It is an accusation which requires serious deliberation. Events of the past weeks are cause for concern: The refusal by the Prime Minister’s Office to tell the Australian people the security cost of his ill-advised holiday in Hawaii while Australia was burning; Senator Bridget McKenzie’s hubristic response to the $100-million sports rort, and the more recent revelation the offices of the Prime Minister and Senator McKenzie were sharing information and decisions, and the refusal of the Prime Minister to release the investigative report into the sport’s rort; the release of a bogus document by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, making false accusations against Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, and which the AFP did not consider worthy of investigation, gives everyone serious reason for extreme disquiet.

While there is no place in civilised society for mob rule, democracy belongs to people and not to governing political parties. At their peril, politicians are choosing to ignore they are in office by the grace of the people. In short, they are our employees; elected to serve the Commonwealth and not their party, or their political agenda. It is mandatory they make decisions which best serve the interests of the entire nation. It is not unreasonable to expect both a preparedness and a willing to explain their logic. It is a tenet of democracy. The last time I looked it was Elizabeth on the throne, not Ceaușescu.

Politics is, undeniably, in a parlous state. Democracy is a fragile institution. There needs be an urgent assessment, by everyone, and a lasting commitment to bring the ship of government into calmer and less toxic waters.

Roland can be heard with Brett Macdonald on 3BA, every Monday morning, 10.45 on 3BA. Contact him via [email protected].