Voters smarten up when taken for fools
MOST people are familiar with the famous quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
It seems our PM and former Queensland premier Campbell Newman forgot this and failed to understand leadership is about a clear vision, respect for all and compromise.
Unfortunately for the major political parties today, they have too much group think going on and do not have the capacity to listen to their electorate and really try to work towards consensus and a united vision for the country.
In regions such as Geelong, we need strong government investment and support as we deal with the demise of our manufacturing sector and demands of population growth. But the Treasurer talks in slogans of narrow policy settings that are not working.
I almost fell out of my chair when I heard the Treasurer claiming the credit for low petrol prices this week. No, he can’t fool all the people all the time.
Talk of lower taxes and reducing the burden on families is just talk. If the Treasurer really wanted to decrease the burden, how about getting huge corporations such as Google to pay their fair share of tax in Australia?
And, of course, as soon as the polls start to look bad over an extended period of time, both major parties now start to look at the leadership and think that by changing leader they can miraculously save the day and keep on trying to fool the people some more. Well, of course, it doesn’t work like that.
Leadership today is more than ever about managing a team willing to work cooperatively to achieve its goals.
Last weekend we witnessed an amazing example of leadership in the sport of soccer. The Socceroos’ victory last Saturday night was one of the greatest triumphs of any Australian team in a generation.
This is down to the coaching of Ange Postecoglou and his willingness to take Australian soccer as far as we could dream, with a diverse team committed to playing for each other.
Australia has won a key international trophy with a coach who has a clear vision for his national team, not full of arrogance and bravado but realistic goals for the world’s biggest sport.
The young Massimo Luongo was the player of the Asian Cup, and this young man of Indonesian and Italian parents raised in Sydney is the new superstar of Australian international football.
So big was this win that it eclipsed the cricket tri series final win by Australia at the WACA on Sunday.
Last weekend it was great to see international cycling stars from many nations pedalling around familiar sites, it certainly is heartening to think of how this event will grow and the huge economic impact that can have.
Our Prime Minister’s negative attack nature in opposition has not translated into a leadership style that people warm to or trust.
His comments that a change in leadership will create “a second rate country living off its luck” is more of the same old threats and bully talk that is turning people off in droves.
Recent poll results in Victoria and Queensland are reason enough for politicians to realise Australian people are sick and tired of being lied to. The old adage that “Australians don’t throw out one-term governments” has very little to do with the realities of today. Michael Martinez is the chief executive officer of Diversitat.