“The independents, Tom Emerson and Fiona Carrick, said yes to Andrew Barr. So really not so independent… Yet, if I had been them I would have said no.” Columnist ANDREW HUGHES says we’re in a strange world when it comes to political choices. 

Choices. You usually have four in life. Yes, no, maybe, abstain. If you are in the Australian men’s cricket team it can be all at the same time. 

Right now in Australian politics though we are seeing choices being made that are leaving many perplexed. Why, oh why did you make that choice? Time to delve deeper into some current choices being made. 

Let’s start local 

The independents, Tom Emerson and Fiona Carrick, said yes to Andrew Barr. So really not so independent. Carrots were offered and the new political bunnies could not resist the lure of taking the prize back to the electorate in return for supply and no-confidence. 

Yet if I had been them I would have said no. If things had got to the point where a vote was necessary on supply and no-confidence then things are on fire. And I would rather be seen as the fire brigade than the insurance company. Plus the numbers weren’t necessary, 14-11 without them. Although the free progressive ad from the chief minister on election night may come in handy. 

No to the Minister of the Many. How, just how, is democracy being served by ministers handling several portfolio areas (and throw in their electorate) in a working week? Democracy needs to be strong and it can’t be when those with responsibility for governing are overworked and rarely connecting with us because they just need rest. Even if they may say the ACT Public Service has their backs, we all deserve better representation from those who govern us. 

Yes to the former Opposition Leader, Elizabeth Lee, taking a break. It’s been a big year, Elizabeth. Take it easy, feet up, family time, rebuild, reconnect and then… well, whatever the heart and mind say is the thing to do. Respect. 

Yes to Castley and Hanson. With ministers of the many, accountability is important. The Liberals can hopefully put the turmoil of this year behind them and do their job as the Alternative Government. The listening tour is a good idea, especially if both leaders do it together. There will be hiccups and bumps though. But Castley, the Charnwood native and former dental assistant, is keen to get out there and prove them wrong. Time will tell. 

To choices federal 

No to the social media ban on 16-year-olds and under. Social media is harming our young. Doing this won’t fix where that harm is sometimes coming from: their peers. All governments need to get serious on bullying and consequences. 

After all, it is usually at a younger age where the dark seeds of coercive control are planted. So many parents will tell you of weak consequences on those who bully. 

Next, some want to lower the voting age to 16. So wait… you want to ban the primary method our youth use to gather political information? But then have them make a vote on who should govern them based on a how-to-vote card?

And what about the cold turkey method of stopping addiction? How many parents are ready to deal with that? 

For mine, it would have been better to have a time restriction of one hour a day, outside 8am-4pm. And maybe we should start by banning those over 18 from social media because just imagine the serenity. 

No to changes in political campaign rules. Talk about a stitch up. And caps are more soft than hard. Major parties can still bring in armies of people from multiple friendly allies who aren’t costed. The moment you legislate like this you are entrenching the advantages and power of the incumbent power players. It’s like asking Coles and Woolies to write retailing laws. 

If you were keen on stopping a political arms race then everyone gets a cap of ads by number not spend. The donation changes were a move in the right direction, but still needed proper review and committee work. These look and smell dodgy. 

There are two significant threats to any Western democracy right now. Information credibility/quality, and algorithms on social media. This legislation does nothing to address either. It should have. 

No to the legislation rush. Come on. I get it. An early March election is now very real. But this rush to avoid distractors in campaigns to run a tightly managed four-week brand and comms election does no one any favours. Some of this legislation, like the aforementioned social media and campaign reforms, needed more scrutiny and time. 

Complexity of issues in the modern age mean we deserve political parties to be considered and ensure the best outcomes in the national interest. Not a claim to be doing so. The Coalition assistance is about their belief that if they win the forthcoming election then they don’t want those things hanging around either. 

Choices, decisions, consequences. And here you were thinking you had tough ones on who was getting what under the tree. 

Dr Andrew Hughes is a lecturer in marketing with the Research School of Management at ANU where he specialises in political marketing and advertising.