Op/Ed: Before we vote, first we must trust

Where is the love?

By Kym Goodes, CEO, TasCOSS Whatever the timeframe for the coming State election, be it in three months or 12 months’ time, it already feels like we are in election mode. The last few weeks have seen a flurry of activity, announcements and narrative that does more than hint that there is an election in the wind. Whether near or far, it is critical Tasmanians think about what they want from their government and then name it up – to the current, the alternative and the potential elected members. We need to name it up early, loudly and clearly.

In amongst the flurry of an election it is easy to get distracted. But before we get too distracted, it is time to ask a bolder question: What would it take for you to love your government?

The usual commentary about voter intentions tells us we vote on this issue or that issue. The reality is it’s much deeper than that - we vote based on feelings. We might feel the incumbent is doing a good job or we might feel the other mob deserve a chance. Maybe we’re angry or disappointed or pretty happy with how things are traveling.

Over the coming months we’ll see policy and political battles play out on issues like water and sewerage.

We can scrutinise policy announcements, state budgets and any range of decisions. But aren’t we really selling ourselves short if we don’t ask for something more? Shouldn’t we expect much more from the people who seek to be our voice in parliament? Shouldn’t we be asking how our government will restore faith in representative democracy in our beautiful but unequal state? Shouldn’t we be asking how they will make sure the most important and knowing voices of our State, Tasmanians, have their perspectives heard – not just during the election, but all the time?

Let’s imagine that it is possible to love your government. And if it is possible, then what would it take?

The answer lies below the surface, behind what we see. It gets to the very heart of who they are, these leaders who seek to serve us. It gets to what they see as their purpose, what motivates them to do that job. It lies in how they behave and whether they are true to their word. It lies in their humanity. All those motivations, values, beliefs gathered up make our government, an organisation that seeks to have a relationship with us.

And like any relationship we need to be able to trust them if we are to truly love them.

Relationships with governments are a bit fractured at the moment, not just here but around the world.

There was a time in our evolution as societies when the foundation of a community was underpinned by trust, at a local level. When someone needed help a local network kicked in and provided it: Money, food, leadership, learning, care and support.

And then we handed trust over to institutions. We relied on banks for the saving and lending of money.

We relied on the institution of government for leadership, and on other institutions for information, legal and moral benchmarks of our communities. These institutions became a place of certainty, of trust.

And then they failed us.

We have seen a significant decline in trust of traditional institutions in Tasmania and overseas. At the same time, we have seen a return to trust of the local, the people, and the human side of our communities.

Those without obvious power truly have the greatest power in a democracy.

Think about the following examples of trust in the brave new world: Airbnb relies on trusting complete strangers to stay in your home and look after it. Trip Advisor relies on making holiday or restaurant decisions based on the recommendations of complete strangers. Bla Bla Cars in Europe is an (unregulated) car-pooling model used by four million people. It relies on trusting a stranger, getting in their car and travelling considerable distances with them without fear for your own safety. Crowd funding trusts that others will see the relevance and priority in your focus area of human need and invest their dollars without any expectation of return – and trust you will use their money as intended.

All these examples are about bucking the trend of institutions and setting up people-led models of support, innovation and addressing basic needs. The platforms they operate from, the technology, also ensures accountability and transparency. If someone stays in your home and trashes it, Airbnb’s peer review model ensures they won’t get to trash anyone else’s home.

As a community, we are now more likely to put our trust in our unknown peers than in our elected government.

These days it is trust, not power, that is the social glue of our communities.

Trust enables both change and innovation.

And this is exactly what Tasmania needs; new ways of thinking, change and innovation. This needs to be led, but not by populist or divisive thinking, which tries to take us back to how things used to be. It needs to be led by communities with a focus on working together for a better future for every single one of us.

We hear a lot about ‘disruption’; it is the new buzz word. We read constantly about the impact of social media, of Brexit, Trump, a range of changes that seemed unimaginable even two years ago. However,

the real disruption isn’t the technology or the social media - that is just the platform for it. The real disruption is the shifting of our collective trust.

And so, to love our government, we are looking for a ‘trust shift’ from them. A shift that sees good governance as the most fundamental and important principle, rather than ‘good’ party politics. A trust shift that puts the long term needs of Tasmanians at the heart of decision making, rather than the election cycle driven needs of politicians.

To love our government we need to trust them both to be up front with us, and to do what they say they will do.

The battle at the next Tasmanian election will not be won or lost just on policies, and it certainly won’t be won or lost on politics. If we can glean anything from the disruption occurring in other parts of the world, we should learn that Tasmanians will elect a government they feel they can trust, one that is transparent, accountable, human and maybe, just maybe, deserving of our love.