Ship of fools, sea of idiots - the epic fail of established political parties

Ship of fools - Shutterstock 

Poorly considered policies, support for narrow sectional interests, short-termism, limited democratic participation processes and capture by elites - the modern landscape of Australian political parties. It is little wonder that there is widespread disaffection with the wider community for the established political parties of the Liberal, National and Australian Labor Parties in Australia

Across a range of major challenges, the political parties have failed to effectively navigate solutions and responses to significant threats to community well-being and, in some cases, actual survival. A cursory look reveals the scale of failure across significant issues -

• Energy: the National Electricity Market has needed reform for almost a decade both in response to the changing mix of supply (coal-fired versus renewable energy) and the advent of distributed energy generation. Excessive power supply prices, perverse incentives for infamous poles and wires upgrades and an almost oligopoly market have been the result.
• Gas: this resource deserves a special mention. The failure to provide a quarantined level of gas supply to be available for Australian households and businesses by both the Coalition and Labor parties is an epic fail. The Australian community has been left exposed to international price competition for its own resources. 
• Balancing natural resource exploitation with wider environmental and social impacts: the suggested economic benefits of the Adani Carmichael coal mine in Queensland's Galilee Basin have been widely disputed with the higher risks far outweighing any other consideration. The partial efforts of both the Coalition and Labor Parties to protect the Great Barrier Reef has been hap hazard and inconsistent.
• Excessive over development in urban metropolitan centres: for the major cities of Melbourne and Sydney, property has been allowed to become a speculative business venture rather than a basic need. Over development has been permitted despite the thin veneer of 'planning controls' and 'planning strategies'.
• Failure to prepare the Australian community for climate change: climate change is a reality and there has been inadequate attention paid to the need for preparing the community for the impact of higher temperatures and extreme weather conditions. New environmental building structures and removal of heat traps in urban centres still remains novel rather than practice. A raft of other measures relating to health, water supply and land use remain inadequate.
• Tax reform promised, never delivered with high corporate tax avoidance: The burden of taxation is particularly high for middle wage and salary earners, self employed professionals and middle businesses. Yet the political parties efforts to tackle major corporate tax avoidance has been minimal and only after public information comes to light through non government investigations and scandals.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) came into being formally in 1908 changing its name to the current title in 1912. Its origin is however much earlier and arose from striking pastoral workers in Queensland in 1891. Initially the party was called the United Labor Party. The core of the ALP and its most powerful segment remains its union base, however unions in Australia only represent 39% of public sector workers and 11% of private sector workers.

The Liberal Party of Australia was formed in October 1944 by the then Leader of the Opposition, Robert Menzies (who belonged to the United Australia Party) and brought together 18 non Labor political parties and organisations. The Liberal Party has been in a coalition with the National Party since 1923.

The National Party  adopted its current title in 1982 but previously was the Australian Country Party since 1922. Its origins came from the Australian Farmers Federal Organisation which had candidates elected in 1920. It remains very much a farmer/grazier organisation in regional areas despite efforts to expand its appeal with the exception of Queensland. In Queensland it is the dominant part of a combined National Liberal Party (LNP).

The three established parties have become structural problems within themselves with internal faction disputes often taking priority and attention. Professional political operatives including generational political families are often now the most likely candidates in preselection for Parliamentary seats with a constant challenge to encourage experienced outsiders to participate. It should be no surprise that the rise of minor parties has been the result and now is increasingly necessary in the current political landscape.