Gone are the days – or so it would seem – when politicians bothered to share an opinion.
Instead, they are guided by sterile party politics, risk averse responses created carefully by spin doctors, and non-responses which are designed to sweep tricky issues under the carpet.
Two weeks ago, MyCity Logan’s editorial promised to seek opinions from all three tiers of government about a future Beenleigh rail station.
I sent three simple questions to federal member for Forde Bert van Manen, state member for Macalister Melissa McMahon and local councillor Karen Murphy.
The questions asked for the pros of putting a train station in the middle of Beenleigh’s CBD, the negatives of said proposal, and we asked for their personal opinion.
You’d think councillors would be happy to pick up the phone on such issues. Not so.
Since Logan City Council was plunged into administration, councillors have consistently cited a “policy” which dictates they refer all media inquiries to a team of media bureaucrats.
A number of councillors have shared privately that they fear a breach of conduct if they share information or opinions with the media.
Yet, the media team insists there is no such policy which restricts a councillor from having an opinion on any issue. So which is it? Surely Facebook isn’t the only place a councillor is entitled to an opinion.
Ultimately, the buck must stop with councillors. They are the ones who dictate policy, and to create defensive frontline of spin may indeed be the convenient protection they desire.
The problem with this approach is that you – the voting public who elected representatives to hear your views and to fight for your local communities – are not hearing what councillors actually think.
Rather, you are hearing what well-trained professionals think you need to hear.
In the case of the Beenleigh rail station proposal, Cr Murphy referred our questions to the media team – as the so-called policy would dictate. The response answered none of our questions.
Instead, it said in clearly-articulated “vanilla” that Cr Murphy had lodged her view to the state government. No detail. Period.
When asked to clarify what might have been in the proposal – which is a submission on your behalf as a local resident – we were told neither council or Cr Murphy would respond further.
This is one example and Beenleigh is one area within one of 12 divisions, and it must be said that this is not Cr Murphy’s fault – it is a policy endorsed by an entire council, and which keeps the community in the dark on many issues.
The spin doctoring is not limited to local government. Melissa McMahon was asked the same questions, to which her team sent a dismissive email saying consultation had finished and that a business case would take some time to prepare.
True and correct. However, none of the questions were answered.
Why? We can’t say for sure, but an educated guess might suspect it’s all about the party line. As a party politician, the right thing to do is to wait for a party view, and to spruik that view with the constituency.
Effective politicians know their future is largely determined by the success of their party – not by standing out like a sore thumb with a view that might upset a broader bureaucratic view.
Unfortunately, that approach stifles community discussion about issues which are important to their future. It also means local issues are often buried in the midst of a big picture assessment of how a region’s development might unfold.
MyCity Logan has since learned that there is legitimate downside to having a train station in the middle of the CBD – all something to do with the sharp bends in the line.
There’s lots to discuss – economics, logistics, population growth, what happens to the existing station, is the existing station good enough?
We see it as our responsibility to help the community develop an informed view, and to make the opinions of our politicians accessible in context of the information we have available.
The upside of this particular exercise is that Mr van Manen provided the following response.
“The relocation of Beenleigh station to the town centre will support our local businesses, create activity in the town centre, and contribute to ongoing growth in Beenleigh,” he said.
“I understand that this work will cause temporary disruptions to local businesses, the community and current railway services. However, the long-term benefits to growth and sustainability will positively impact businesses and the community for years to come.
“I want to ensure that we are delivering the essential infrastructure that meets my local community’s needs.”
