We all (those who were elected and those who elected) should accept the 'democratic process', the results and the responsibilities; to understand and respect different perspectives without fear or favour, to not only speak the truth but to seek the truth before speaking out. Wishful thinking no doubt!
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The election campaigns were fought and won to a large extent on a scant regard for seeking the truth and telling the truth, as witnessed by the slogans, postings and comments which flooded social media, ubiquitously and ad nauseam; material prepared to deliberately mislead and be propagated by those who don't bother to check the facts or their credibility; campaigns based on the premise that if you repeat something often enough, unquestioning voters will accept it as fact.
The electoral watchdog has found 87 cases of unlawful political advertising after being inundated with almost 500 complaints during the federal election and this does not include those that were found to be just misleading and devoid of the truth.
The re-election of Barnaby Joyce was no exception. A little more than half the electorate believed in Barnaby with the result he continues to represent New England in Federal parliament and we all must live with and accept that. Barnaby Joyce in return should accept his responsibility to represent 100 per cent of New England without fear or favour, to seek the truth in areas where he has little expertise, training and knowledge and be prepared to compromise his own aspirations for the benefit of his entire electorate when appropriate.
It would seem the Coalition has given up on Barnaby, who has out-lived his usefulness other than to retain a seat for the Coalition in parliament.
Barnaby however has not given up. Previously on public record he has stated: "There is no debate in politics, there are no rules. It's what you get away with that counts". He appears to be sticking to that philosophy.
Post election, we are continuing to be inundated with the same old distortions of facts and credible evidence, lack of conceptual understanding, and in my view, arrogance. Consider for example his recent pontifications:
- Building a new coal-fired power station is a moral imperative. It is the greatest moral problem of our time in Australia, that we have now created a nation with the dearest power prices in the world for which people are truly suffering. We've taken them back a century and a half to a time of candles because of our policies. "We've got to recognise that and we've got the be able to break this zeitgeist down and if we say we're going to build a coal-fired power station, get out there and do it. Now you said you're going to do it, get out there and do it.
- The government made a mistake by ditching the Special Envoy on Drought from its leadership team. I don't want to white ant parliament, but I think they should have kept the position. I am disappointed, not on my own behalf, but on the behalf of the people struggling through the dry times. I've spoken to David (Littleproud, now Minister for Water and Natural Disasters). He's a wise person, he doesn't need too much briefing from me.
- Agriculture and water should have been kept together ... separating them has the capacity to turn it back into purely an environmental portfolio rather than looking after the socio and economic issues of the inland regional towns that rely on irrigation.
Thousands of experts disagree with much of what Barnaby says and so does 47 percent his electorate. Never-the-less, in my view he would have the electorate believe he is the arbiter of truth; denying expert advice and best practice credible science. Rumblings of creating divisions within his own party and the Coalition are evident and persist.
The most disturbing fact, however, is that Joyce continues to simply dismiss drought as a "natural disaster", seemingly unaware of the simplicity of such a statement, the mitigating circumstances and the consequences.
New England now has to live with and accept the consequences of the election. Accepting the consequences of the status quo without question, is not an option and neither is thumbing one's nose at inconvenient truths; well, not for those who really do give a damn about a viable and sustainable future.
Jan Kleeman, Donald Creek
