We’ve all been there: the deadline for an important project is looming and we haven’t done the work we were supposed to do!
But as news drops that we can finally expect to see the Coalition’s final policy costings on Thursday – two days before the election – I can’t help but ask: are these people really expecting us to believe they can be trusted to manage our economy when they are submitting the work that should have been done months ago? How seriously are they taking this work?
The Coalition is not the first to leave things to the last minute. Labor in opposition also released its final costings for the 2022 election two days before polls closed. Indeed it’s become somewhat of a ritual in Australian politics, which is surely something all of us should be roundly condemning. How can we as voters seriously consider our options with so little time to compare and contrast?
Having sat in the parliament for the last three years I can attest to the fact that members of an opposition party certainly have time to do the work of developing their own proposed policies.
In the case of the Coalition, I rarely saw its full contingency in the chamber for a vote and, rather than positively and actively contribute to the development of any forward-moving policy in the parliament, its members often preferred to just vote no. Even to policies they previously tried to get through themselves – like the vehicle efficiency standards.
And it’s not as though this election was sprung on them. The Coalition has been calling on Anthony Albanese to call the election since before Christmas. Surely it would have only been making demands like that if it felt it was more than ready to step in and take over?
Yet as the tortuous months of “campaigning when there really wasn’t an election” rolled on we were told the “costings were coming”. Then – as the election was called back in April – we again heard “they’re coming”.
Now, two days out from the election – and with literally millions of Australians having already cast their votes at pre-polls around the country – it would seem that … maybe … perhaps … if we’re lucky … and continue to wait … the Coalition might finally tell us exactly how its numbers stack up.
Or will it?
I can’t help but think of a woman I once worked with who would tell anyone trying to get ahead in our workplace the old adage that “prior planning prevents poor performance.” It remains pretty obvious, simple advice really.
While both of the major parties want us to believe they are the best placed to manage what is effectively the largest business in our country – our federal government – neither of them are prepared to provide us as their shareholders with the transparency we would expect from any other business.
It has become far too easy for parties to make promises they are not able to back up. Giving us insight into the numbers allows us to see exactly where they plan to invest – and cut – and that in turn allows us to decide whether we support those spending priorities. If the Coalition is going to indeed deliver a “better budget”, I need to know that more than 48 hours before I vote.
As Tom Cruise once famously yelled, “Show me the money!” If you want to spend my hard-earned and forfeited tax dollars, be transparent about how you want to spend them and do it in a timely fashion that lets me consider your plans.
Voters are not asking much. In fact it’s pretty straight forward: Do the work. Meet your deadlines. And communicate honestly and respectfully with those you are seeking to influence.
Kylea Tink is the outgoing independent federal member for North Sydney
