When the political legitimacy of all parliamentarians came into question, the default response was to attack the other side of politics for incompetency and illegitimacy, rather than take a bipartisan approach to meeting the expectations of the electorate

WE are coming up to 10 years since the 2007 Federal election.

That’s right: 10 years since the Kevin 07 campaign and the ousting of Prime Minister Howard from his own seat. After 11 years of Coalition government under Howard, Australian’s decided it was time for a change of direction and handed Labor a decisive victory.

What we didn’t know then was this election set us on a ten year course of hyper-partisan point scoring, ego driven leadership wrangles, and theatrics about the legitimacy of parties to govern and politicians to be elected.

What has been achieved by government in these 10 years? The motherhood statements they campaign on to garner our vote, the big picture issues for the betterment of society and the country as a whole?

Besides the apology to the Stolen Generations, the creation of the NDIS, and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, I’m struggling to think of any others.

This is not to single out the actions of the Labor Government (they had enough internal backstabbing and front stabbing to last a generation) but the Conservative side of politics seems more focused on rigid ideology and leadership for leadership sake then a holistic view of what is good for the whole country.

And I’m not $550 a year better off without the carbon tax thanks Mr Abbott.

Now a year since Malcolm Turnbull grasped near defeat from the jaws of a clear victory, he is bereft of any barnstorming achievements, and the political oxygen is being stolen by the citizenship debacle.

Is there any wonder the electorate is more disengaged than ever?

When the political legitimacy of all parliamentarians came into question, the default response was to attack the other side of politics for incompetency and illegitimacy, rather than take a bipartisan approach to meeting the expectations of the electorate (i.e. mature nuanced cooperation that would lead to a solution so some actual governing can take place).

Now we are at a point where Labor can smell the Coalition blood in the water and are circling. The language being used is the same employed by the Coalition against Julia Gillard – calling into doubt the fitness of the government to be in power, and planting the seed of unworthiness in the mind of voters.

What we voters would actually like is an end to the turmoil, and stability in leadership and governance. Ten years have been wasted – how much more time are we prepared to lose?