Misleading and deceptive conduct, not telling the truth, workplace misconduct and making racist, sexist or inappropriate comments about others.
These are just a few of the things that would not be tolerated in the world outside the political arena.
Many of these would be sackable offences and regarded as totally unacceptable, unethical and even against the law.
Depressingly, the Morrison/Dutton brand of leadership and the regressive right-wing influence now rears a particularly ugly head at both a state and federal level when there is an election pending.
This conduct goes beyond the general playbook of dirty tricks and unfair play and throws the basics out of the window – integrity, good old fashioned civil discourse, treating people with respect, and not treating the people as fools.
In the wake of a chillingly disturbing anti-transgender rally associated with far-right wing extremists – including neo-Nazis who performed the Nazi salute – Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto delivered a powerful speech and a compelling argument, saying he would file a motion to expel Liberal MP Moira Deeming for her role and association with the rally.
Scheming and lobbying
Deeming’s anti-abortion and anti-trans views were not a secret before the Liberals preselected her, just as several candidates preselected before the Victorian and NSW elections were well known in the party as climate deniers, anti-vaxxers, sexists, misogynists, racists or homophobic.
Almost as soon as the glimmer of hope of leadership from the centre was seen, when Pesutto’s speech was delivered, it was snuffed out by the swell of support from members of the party who are scheming and lobbying to ensure Pesutto doesn’t have his way.
Whether it’s in the context of day-to-day politics, the 2022 federal and Victorian elections, the NSW election today, the Aston by-election next week, or setting their sights on reclaiming Kooyong – Liberal MPs, members and candidates have adopted a consistent modus operandi where common decency and civil discourse are absent.
Added to the mix is an entrenched sense of entitlement to what they regard as Liberal stronghold seats.
Any woman who has a level of power from the Labor or teal independent side of politics is a clear target.
These women can expect the men, and the few women left in the Liberal Party – regardless of their factional allegiance – to dish out a special kind of unpalatable nastiness and uncivil discourse.
And that’s putting it politely.
Parachute candidate
The Liberals’ handpicked, and parachuted in, Aston by-election candidate is Roshena Campbell – who shares Dutton’s right-wing views.
In an interview after the 2022 federal election with former senator-turned Sky News host Cory Bernardi, Campbell said that Labor and the teal independents in Higgins (Dr Michele Anandah-Rajah), Kooyong (Dr Monique Ryan) and Goldstein (Zoe Daniel) are “squatting in Liberal strongholds”.
Squatting. A crude description at the best of times – as if the Liberals are the landlords with an ‘in perpetuity’ right and entitlement to these seats.
Never mind that these three MPs are all articulate, professional women with strong connections to the communities in which they live.
In contrast, Campbell appears to have no significant personal connection to Aston and lives some 40 kilometres from the electorate.
Campbell’s main opponent, Labor’s Mary Doyle, is a single working mum raising three children who has lived in the area for some 35 years, and survived a cancer battle.
Doyle recently said: “I understand the pressures ordinary people face.”
A genuine, heartfelt pitch to the people of Aston – not a slur or nasty sentiment in sight.
In NSW, deputy leader and treasurer Matt Kean said that the T-shirt of teal independent candidate and strong advocate for climate change action, Helen Conway – who is running in the safe seat of North Shore – should be “smeared in black oil”.
Kean was referencing that Conway once worked for Caltex.
Conway’s stellar professional background includes being general counsel and company secretary of Caltex – one of the most senior roles in any organisation in which governance and ethics is intrinsic.
Kean didn’t mention that the Liberal candidate also worked for Caltex, and added to his misogynistic outburst by saying that Conway is “actually a fraud”, a throwback to the 2022 election campaign when the teal Independents were variously called frauds, puppets, groupies and “immoral” by various Liberals prior to the federal election.
Criticising women
Federal Liberal Senator Jane Hume often takes on the role of criticising other women candidates or MPs.
Hume was once praised “to her credit” by a Liberal powerbroker for doing so to me during the 2019 election campaign. She was also heavily engaged in Josh Frydenberg’s election campaign in which he was unseated by Ryan, and Hume recently pounced on the fact that Ryan missed votes in Parliament.
In a move that appeared to lack compassion and without any deeper enquiry, Hume said “Kooyong voters deserve an MP who will fight for them every day”.
In reality, Ryan sadly had to leave Parliament urgently due to a family bereavement.
Under the Morrison/Dutton model, the floodgates have been opened to the right wing and extreme-right wing such that there’s no centre of which to speak.
And those like Pesutto who try to do the right thing are too often drowned out.
The Liberals’ passion for free speech is a worthy one, but not when it is unfettered free speech where basic civil discourse and just being a decent, ordinary human is replaced by attacks that range from the vile to the puerile.
At the end of the day, robust political debate shouldn’t displace civility, treating people with respect and doing the right thing.
Julia Banks is a former federal MP, an experienced corporate lawyer and company director, a leadership consultant and author of Power Play: Breaking through bias barriers and boys’ clubs.
