Leading from the front
Photo by Steve Bittinger on Unsplash
This election invites us to lead from the front
Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash
Here we are, on the other side of Australia’s most transformative election in a generation.
It’s a new dawn for climate action, for integrity, for respecting women, listening to community and remaking democracy.
Before we jump into discussion of where to from here, let’s take a long moment to cheer that this was not an election won by fears and smears, Palmer’s epic advertising spends, nor captain’s picks. It was an election where record numbers of people got involved like never before, ran for office like never before, and promised to change not just who has power — but politics itself.
We are indeed poised for new possibilities in a renewed country. For many, this comes with shrugging off the weight of fears, doom and gloom we’ve carried for so long that we forgot what not carrying them feels like, and so we can unconsciously look for the next reason to be pessimistic.
Optimism feels foreign, if not foolish, in these troubled times. Do you even remember the last time you felt proud, hopeful or confident about Australia’s future? Reassured that with all the challenges we’re facing, we have the intention and capacity to at least begin to address them?
There has been much to oppose these long years, and part of putting down the weight of leading the resistance is learning, or remembering, how to lead from the front. This is a major gear shift — not just for the politicians whose business cards must change, but for all of us.
In part, that means wrestling with the old political adage that it’s easier to agree on what we don’t want, than on what we do.
Right now it’s now the Liberal party’s turn to figure out what it stands for that voters will actually support. But traditionally at least, the conservative side of politics has been better at working together across their differences, and falling into formation behind the bigger goal (just consider the enduring length of the Liberal-National coalition partnership, despite huge differences). Why is that?
Well, for starters, the progressive side wants a lot more. Justice, not just tax cuts. A liveable planet, not just an uptick in GDP and coal exports. A bigger table, not just an old boys’ club. Peace, security and prosperity for everyone. These demands are simply a lot harder.
Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
Fortunately, when it comes to doing hard things, Anthony Albanese’s reputation stands him in good stead. He’s overcome genuine adversity, which research indicates is a major predictor of successful leadership. He is known and admired by his colleagues as a decent human being, strong consensus-builder and effective leader of minority coalitions, like Julia Gillard before him. (And with all the hand-wringing over the fate of the carbon tax we’ve lost sight of how competent and productive that minority Parliament really was.)
On governing from the Left, David Crowe wrote shortly after the election that “Albanese cannot deliver everything they want. No Labor leader ever can. Expectations are always too great when progressive parties sweep into office.”
And he’s right that the Albanese Government, like any progressive government, will have to manage expectations from its base while governing for the whole country, against a likely highly combative Opposition and knives-out Murdoch press.
All the more reason for community leaders, allies and advocates to decide now to constructively hold our new government to account, while pushing them to be ambitious and keeping the community engaged.
It won’t be perfect. The wins will quickly become the new normal, and the not-good-enoughs will be frustrating. But there’s real reason to hope that this new period of Australian politics will be both productive and enduring — with a mostly progressive cross-bench in both houses, a diminished opposition, not a single Palmer United MP and even Pauline Hanson initially unsure whether she would hold onto her seat.
Our opportunity now, as people invested in a better country and brighter future, is to take our courage from the audacious candidates, campaigners and community agitators we’ve worked with and admired to get to this point, and decide to collectively foster a more positive, ambitious and collaborative politics going forward.
It’s a big ask. All weighty external challenges aside, the now-Opposition party will be tempted to pivot hard to the right, especially under Peter Dutton.
But if, in our disgust, we amplify every shocking, racist, sexist, warmongering, fill-in-the-blank-phobic thing they say, then we let them continue to frame the debate – and from the most minority of oppositions.
Photo by Sebastian Staines on Unsplash
We can make a better choice: to sidestep the merchants of conflict and culture wars, and carry on. (Big asterix here: we can ignore the merchants, not the voters they’re trying to sway.) Will we choose to still call out the sad tactics of those who’ve lost their way and lost their voters, but not be endlessly distracted by them? To move forward – our joy and vision intact? I hope so, because we have work to do.
It’s our job now to invest in ideas, campaigns and coalitions that take people with us, normalise the bold and create space for political leaders to step into. Progress isn’t static, and one win is never enough.
If we can avoid getting caught in a cycle of merely reacting and opposing, we’ll have more energy to celebrate the wins, build communities of joy, belonging and purpose, and keep the spotlight on what we really want. We want to lead with vision and listen with respect. We want to reclaim our purpose as a nation. We want to work through our differences, rather than allowing them to define and divide us.
In order to consolidate this transformation in Australian politics, we must embrace our power to drive not only better ideas, but a better kind of politics. That includes encouraging the moderate voices within Australia’s other major party to rise again, and making clear we stand ready to work with leaders from all sides for the public good.
They’ve lost their broad church, but we’ve got a big and growing tent. Time to work together, for the biggest goals.
An earlier version of this article also appeared on The Big smoke.
LILIAN SPENCER
Lilian Spencer is the Communications Lead for Australia reMADE. She believes that the secret to change is to, ‘focus your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.’
