Pity the would-be politicians who have put their lives on hold to beg for our votes. Digital image By Belinda Henderson
WHETHER you’re seeking election for your local council, or state or federal government, you need at least three things:
WHETHER you’re seeking election for your local council, or state or federal government, you need at least three things:
- A lot of money, via self funding, friends and family, benefactors and so on.
- Much time commitment and a tough skin.
- Much heart, both for your constituents and for yourself. You’ll need to give up your own life because you are now responsible for everyone else.
I had an early introduction to the life of a politician. My second cousin (that is, my dad’s cousin) was the ALP Victorian State member for Greensborough. I know her as Aunty Sherryl. She served in various ministerial positions and was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2020. If you’re keen you can find out more about her here: Sherryl Garbutt - Wikipedia. You’ll see that she copped a lot during her time in Parliament.
Aunty Sherryl taught me a lot of things. Once I became of age, studying philosophy and politics at uni, she sent me to ALP branch meetings. They were full of argumentative older men talking over each other and shouting about issues I knew little about. These people were nasty to each other and made crude comments about me. Aunty Sherryl told me I might need a tougher skin and explained that there are many roles within political parties. I knew I loved the drama, heart and fun of politics but I wanted to be behind the scenes.
I went on with my work and studies and forgot about all this for a while. Then I caught up with Aunty Sherryl again and confessed I didn’t fancy “the life”. She laughed and said “You’re still young, maybe later”. I dipped in and out. This went on over decades.
Running for a seat, any seat, is hard work. I’m told it’s even harder if you happen to win.
In the run-up to the federal election, the voters in the seat of Monash have a few options. The Labor and Liberal Parties are running candidates. Our sitting member Russell Broadbent was dismissed by his own party and has been replaced by Mary Aldred. He is now running as an independent candidate. There is another independent, Deb Leonard, a Greens candidate, a One Nation candidate, and a Family First candidate.
Electioneering takes a lot of work and money. Many candidates have put paying jobs on hold to campaign. They must trudge the streets (or convince others to do it for them), both to get their own messages across and to learn the views of their potential constituents. Printing of flyers, billboards and other advertising doesn’t come cheap. I watch documentaries on Youtube and have been amazed by the number of political ads for candidates that pop up. Even candidates from the seat of Flinders – blimey, how do the web bots know that’s where my mother lives?
And things can get heated during a campaign. The Independent Member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, was forced to apologise last week when her husband was filmed pulling down a sign advertising her rival Liberal candidate.
Then let’s say you win. You must leave your normal life behind and spend most of it in Canberra. If you’ve got young children, I hope you have lots of extended family to care for them while you’re away. It will help to remember that you will not achieve most of what you set out to do when you stood for election. If you are very capable and all goes well, you might get a ministerial positional. These days it’s rarely just one you can focus on and do something meaningful about. Katy Gallagher, for instance, is simultaneously the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Women, the Minister for The Public Service and the Minister for Government Services.
I’m relieved there are people younger than me still keen on “the life” despite everything. I know what I’ll be doing on election night – parked on the couch with an array of cheese, crackers and fruit, glass of wine, watching the votes roll in. Relying on ABC’s election guru Antony Green to make sense of everything, and knowing it’s the last time.
Aunty Sherryl taught me a lot of things. Once I became of age, studying philosophy and politics at uni, she sent me to ALP branch meetings. They were full of argumentative older men talking over each other and shouting about issues I knew little about. These people were nasty to each other and made crude comments about me. Aunty Sherryl told me I might need a tougher skin and explained that there are many roles within political parties. I knew I loved the drama, heart and fun of politics but I wanted to be behind the scenes.
I went on with my work and studies and forgot about all this for a while. Then I caught up with Aunty Sherryl again and confessed I didn’t fancy “the life”. She laughed and said “You’re still young, maybe later”. I dipped in and out. This went on over decades.
Running for a seat, any seat, is hard work. I’m told it’s even harder if you happen to win.
In the run-up to the federal election, the voters in the seat of Monash have a few options. The Labor and Liberal Parties are running candidates. Our sitting member Russell Broadbent was dismissed by his own party and has been replaced by Mary Aldred. He is now running as an independent candidate. There is another independent, Deb Leonard, a Greens candidate, a One Nation candidate, and a Family First candidate.
Electioneering takes a lot of work and money. Many candidates have put paying jobs on hold to campaign. They must trudge the streets (or convince others to do it for them), both to get their own messages across and to learn the views of their potential constituents. Printing of flyers, billboards and other advertising doesn’t come cheap. I watch documentaries on Youtube and have been amazed by the number of political ads for candidates that pop up. Even candidates from the seat of Flinders – blimey, how do the web bots know that’s where my mother lives?
And things can get heated during a campaign. The Independent Member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, was forced to apologise last week when her husband was filmed pulling down a sign advertising her rival Liberal candidate.
Then let’s say you win. You must leave your normal life behind and spend most of it in Canberra. If you’ve got young children, I hope you have lots of extended family to care for them while you’re away. It will help to remember that you will not achieve most of what you set out to do when you stood for election. If you are very capable and all goes well, you might get a ministerial positional. These days it’s rarely just one you can focus on and do something meaningful about. Katy Gallagher, for instance, is simultaneously the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Women, the Minister for The Public Service and the Minister for Government Services.
I’m relieved there are people younger than me still keen on “the life” despite everything. I know what I’ll be doing on election night – parked on the couch with an array of cheese, crackers and fruit, glass of wine, watching the votes roll in. Relying on ABC’s election guru Antony Green to make sense of everything, and knowing it’s the last time.