Deserving what we get
Amid all this talk about an “outsider” prime minister, everybody seems to ignore some simple truths. The first is that we will only get an outsider PM if the elected members of the House of Representatives fail to reach a majority agreement on a PM from among their own numbers. The Senate and the outsider PM provisions only become relevant after that failure has occurred.
If political parties do not want an outsider PM then they must field candidates for PM who are seen as fit to do the job on the grounds of competence, honesty, trustworthiness, etc, and have the potential to gain both the support of the electorate and the majority of the House.
At some point during the process, political parties and their House members will have to compromise and coalesce around a PM candidate for the good of the country, not just themselves. However, voters alone determine the members of the House.
The second truth, rarely spoken or emphasised, is that whether we get an outsider PM is in the hands of the electorate. They are the ones who vote for the various parties and for the members of the House whose votes between the various candidates for PM will decide whether our next PM comes from a member of the House or through the outsider PM provisions.
If the majority of the electorate does not want an outsider PM then they must vote for parties whose candidates for PM they consider best to do the job. You have to look beyond policies to people. Equally important is to vote for constituency members who are prepared to move beyond being traditional rubber-stamping party hacks by backing compromise candidates, even if from other parties.
The old truth, that we get the politicians we deserve, remains the case. If we get an outsider PM it will be because the political parties have failed to provide an adequate choice of candidates, make compromises where needed, and the electorate has failed to think carefully about the choice of candidates as well as the policies they represent, and vote accordingly. P JACKSON