A word of advice to the PM. You look like losing this election and, to have any chance, you need to allow people like your candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, to get out there, go to every event possible and sprout her message that women and girls’ sport is for women and girls. Many Australians support this basic common-sense view and it’s totally counterproductive, now you have preselected her, to have second thoughts and wrap such a good candidate in cottonwool. The lady will win you lots of votes, not only in her electorate but in mainstream Australia – and mate, do you need votes now!
This brings me back to the ACT and I have noted over the years a propensity for all major parties – ALP, Liberals and Greens – to put up candidates for election with little real-life experience, like political staffers, union reps and policy advisers, etc. Sure, some are very talented but candidates with experience in real work outside the political bubble and with life in general tend to be able to hit the ground running from day one.
Many of our former PMs had varied life and work experiences. Ben Chifley was a train driver, John Curtin a journalist, Bob Menzies a barrister, John Gorton ex RAAF fighter pilot and farmer. Menzies, Curtin, and Chifley are regarded by most Australians as our best PMs.
The three main contenders for the seat of Canberra – the ALP’s Alicia Payne ALP, the Greens’ Tim Hollo, and Liberals’ Slade Minson – are as good a cross-section of candidates as you would get these days. I hear they are all nice people. Alicia Payne is odds-on to win. Her background is as a former researcher and policy adviser. Tim Hollo is an academic (academics tend to be not very practical politicians – just look at Gough Whitlam’s deputy, the late Jim Cairns). To Tim’s credit, he is also a musician – that’s a plus.
Liberal candidate Slade Minson has been in Canberra for 30 years and has worked in the private sector for 30 years, mainly in property industry jobs, and for the last 13 years has worked as a sales consultant with Francis Properties in Kingston. When I first met him several weeks ago, I detected that he was passionate about getting people into their own homes and was very knowledgeable across a wide range of issues. He is well regarded for his honesty and ability by his peers and clients in the local property sector. Poor old Slade has Buckley’s chance of getting in, but would, in my view, make an excellent local member were he to do so,
None of this sadly matters, as the result is a foregone conclusion, and I could safely congratulate Alicia Payne now one her re-election. Slade and Tim in my view, would make good candidates for their respective parties in the 2024 Territory elections should they decide to run.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Canberra Daily.
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