Whether it's Labor's recent surprise on super, or the confusion that surrounded shared powers during the pandemic, our political leaders are continually failing to speak truth to their people, writes Dr Scott Prasser.
While public servants are expected to speak truth to power, to give frank and fearless advice to their ministers, too little attention is given to the need for governments speaking truth to people.
Speaking truth to people means admitting what can and cannot be done; not just in terms of resources but, in a federal system like ours, constitutionally, where powers are shared and responsibilities confused.And we see it every day on issues from the environment to school funding. It also means just “doing something” so as to “kick the can down the road” until it has all been forgotten —which is ultimately wasteful and ineffective.
Speaking truth to people means parties neither over-promising during an election and then not delivering, nor having such a low profile as to have no mandate to do anything as we are currently witnessing. Admittedly, it is hard; given our adversarial political culture, opposition sniping, the media’s “gotcha” moments, the insatiable demands of interest groups and the complexity of modern policy issues.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Disturbs our mind': Narendra Modi condemns Hindu temple attacks in Australia during Anthony Albanese meetingNarendra Modi says he's raised his concerns about attacks on Hindu temples in Victoria with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Read more »
'Full force of the law': Albanese gives assurances to Modi after attacks on Hindu templesPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has told how he assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi those responsible for attacks on Hindu temples in Australia will 'face the full force of the law'.
Read more »
‘An absolute priority’: Albanese promises AUKUS will mean jobs for AustraliaBefore jetting out of India, the prime minister sought to counter concerns the submarines pact wouldn’t lead to a massive injection of jobs for Australia.
Read more »
Anthony Albanese commits to stronger ties with IndiaPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has reassured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Australia will crack down on anyone responsible for recent attacks on Hindu Temples in Melbourne. The attacks were allegedly carried out by supporters of a Sikh separatist movement. Mr Albanese has reassured the Indian Prime Minister that the government will crack down on any incidents of violence or hate speech. “We will take every action through our police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law,” he said. Mr Albanese has now left India for the United States and the AUKUS submarine announcement.
Read more »
Albanese government to make AUKUS subs announcement on TuesdaySky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell says one of the biggest announcements by an Australian government is set to happen on Tuesday. Mr Clennell said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to commit in excess of $150 billion over 30 years for the AUKUS nuclear submarines. “As one senior government source said to me, this is not just a big defence deal, it is ‘the most consequential industry policy since the John Button car plans in the 1980s’,” he said. “The expectation is that this announcement will lift defence spending for 30 years from two per cent of GDP to 2.5 or even three per cent.”
Read more »
‘An absolute priority’: Albanese promises AUKUS will mean jobs for AustraliaAnthony Albanese has promised the AUKUS pact on nuclear-powered submarines will deliver a significant injection of jobs for Australia, amid concerns the decision to buy up to five boats from the US will come at the expense of domestic manufacturing.
Read more »