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The Forum > Article Comments > How do we get more talented people into Australia's Parliaments? > Comments

How do we get more talented people into Australia's Parliaments? : Comments

By Peter McMahon, published 30/3/2004

Peter McMahon wonders how to increase the talent pool from which parliamentarians are drawn

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When you try the old, "how do you tell if a Politician is lying?" joke down the pub, everyone comes back instantly with the correct answer. (Amid the "get a new reportoire" retorts!).
The job description for the "aspirant" might read - wanted one to put up with lots of vilification, innuendo, accusations and rumours. Must be able to make lots of "dull speeches", avid hand shaker, preferably minus politic degree (law degree essential),good adversarial combatant. Constantly weighs value of super package when considering going against party line. Not averse to seeing the "benefits" that can flow from pushing the corporate interests. etc. etc.

Where has Politics been of late?
It has been the politics of-
-just enough votes
-politics of divide and conquer
-politics of economic rationalism
-politics of swimming with the tide of international heavies
-politics of petrol prices & funding middle east wars (not mutually exclusive)
So yeah, where are those with good attributes?
I'm not saying that we want only those that have a picture of Ted Mack on their wall of their dining room-don't get me wrong but there haven't been that many of them. Have there?
Maybe its a bit like saying that we want to get better hangmen in countries that have capital punishment- they may be a bit better but the job still gets done.
In a secular,male dominated 200 year old Australia where we still haven't laid to rest the past with our indigenous inhabitants, who needs the challenges of WMD, new diseases, global warming et al.
Now who said they were interested?
Posted by miss_allaneous, Sunday, 31 December 2006 1:08:11 PM
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