The interregnum has ended with a government stitched together. Many of us will charitably wish it well, but sensibly refrain from putting our own money on its survival. But we should be grateful for the fortnight we have been given for reflection on Australian political life in the light of the election result.
The result showed conclusively only that neither major party attracted enough support to govern in its own right. But the increased support for minor parties and independents and the increased informal vote suggested that many people were alienated by the campaigns of both parties.
Among the publicly articulate, at least, there was also evidence of alienation from the way in which politics is now conducted in Australia. It seemed to be narrowly focused on winning elections and then forcing through populist policies. Many saw in the parliamentary charter of conduct, to which both major parties committed, a symbol of the need to do things differently.
But beyond good parliamentary processes, many people argued that political parties must recover a view of what matters in Australia, articulate this view of Australian society, and develop strategies that will help build such a society.
This view of political life sees it as about more than winning power, managing and self-promoting in a way that ensures being returned to power. It assumes, too, that government is about more than forcing through policies that increase Australian wealth without regard to how society benefits. If political parties focus on what matters, they will recognise that the good society has many aspects, that other views of what matters need to be taken into account, and that good government involves far more than economic management.
This understanding of politics has large consequences. It refuses to accept that politics are defined adequately by political processes. The larger goals shape processes. In particular, there needs to be consistency between the vision that underlies the goals, and the processes by which these goals are achieved.
In organisations that defend the dignity of marginalised people, for example, the working relationships between those working in the organisation and the relations between it and other organisations must also be characterised by the same respect that they demand be given to the marginalised. Processes characterised by bullying, deceit and passive aggression are intolerable because they corrupt the goals for which the organisation exists.
Coherence between goals that are inspired by a vision of Australian possibilities