I enjoyed reading R K Crosby’s (Conspiracy theory of Joyce for PM gains momentum 5 Feb 2026) and Denise McHugh’s (Denise’s Desk: Barnaby Joyce’s political midlife crisis comes at New England’s expense, 15 Feb 2026) recent opinion articles. Whether I agree with them or not, I enjoy the informed opinions these women share.
I too get great cringe and laughter from Mr Joyce and Ms Hanson; the jokes are never ending in my home. BUT after the jokes subside the reality is that many people in our community support Mr Joyce’s and Ms Hanson’s rhetoric. I encourage their supporters to also share their opinions in the New England Times.
Personality voting has never been a driver for me; I’m a dedicated policy nerd. I feel so privileged to have been born into a nation that aspires to be a ‘representative democracy’. I believe my citizenship holds an inherent obligation to be politically informed. But my belief is not practical, fair, or realistic.
People are angry and we should never dismiss that. I too possess that anger. Most of us appear to be angry about the same issues but for different reasons. I can acknowledge the good policy decisions the Albanese Government has made (e.g. bulk billing brilliant!), but I can also be angry about bad decisions and inaction.
For example, I never imagined we would have a Government less transparent than the Morrison Government. I hoped a Labor Government would stop the contempt shown towards disabled people; via ableism, misinformation, underfunding and never ending changing of legislation that they introduced based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). I am angry that a Labor Government, which allegedly understands climate change, would continue to pander to corporations and approve more and more fossil fuel extraction sites. There are also the ongoing scandals enveloping the NACC Commissioner. And how about gambling advertising!
I never thought a Government would not highly prioritise the imperative need to prevent any future abuse of our Constitution after we found out the previous Prime Minister and Governor General secretly signed the Prime Minister into Ministries. There is nothing in our Constitution that provides for this secrecy. There is no breach to accuse them of; it was pure unadulterated abuse of power.
Who would have predicted that an Australian Government, no matter what the flavour, would take so long to say NO to an invitation to participate in a soiree of despots who are bored of peace. And membership will only cost us a measly 1.4 billion Australian dollars (for starters).
And let’s not forget the never-ending refusal from all Governments to tackle increasing inequality. Australians and our main stream media outlets erupt in outrage when there is any suggestion of financial assistance and equitable access to opportunity for the people who do it tough. We hang on to the Sisyphean myth of trickle-down economics refusing to admit we were conned. Even when hell freezes over big business will not see the changing dynamic as a chance to give relief to the masses keeping them afloat.
Less than five hours after Ms McHugh’s piece was published there were more than 170 comments in response on Facebook. There will be hundreds more by the time you read this. This is why Ms McHugh’s and Ms Crosby’s opinions are great for us to read; because of the community engagement they create. So even if you think they are too woke or lefty, or their opinions abhor you, or you mistake their opinion piece for a news article, they get you involved in politics at the grass roots. That in itself brings me great joy.
I assume the majority of these comments were posted by my fellow constituents. I read all of them at the time. There were two comments that jumped out to me:
Person 1: “The rise of pauline ” thats hilarious.
Person 2 in response: I thought that about Trump ( both times)
I believe that Mr Joyce’s defection would never have occurred without the encouragement and backing of Ms Rinehart. Everyone should also assume by now that Ms Hanson’s dalliance with Maralago and the Trump Administration was sponsored by Ms Rinehart. So, how different is One Nation to the other political parties … smells the same to me (and I’ve read their ‘policies’) …‘everyday Australians’ pffft!
This is the reality check I think we should all be having. As I mentioned in my previously published opinion (We either believe in Human Rights for all or we don’t, 7 Feb 2026) “It is no more obvious than now that a vast majority of the people we voted for to represent us in government are no longer governing, and instead have submitted to being managed by non-elected people and lobby groups.”
The halls of Parliament echo to the footsteps of the lobbyists, and it’s not because of how little they matter.
The 2025 election saw more than a third of votes in the House of Reps go to minor parties and Independents. Surveys have consistently shown that in rural electorates, who a candidate is rather than who they represent can be important (Antony Green, FED2025 – Independent Two-Party Preferred Preference Flow Data, 15 Feb 2026). While we watch the curve flatten, it would be foolish of us critics to ignore the popularity, and politics via slogans, that Mr Joyce and Ms Hanson provide.
One Nation won’t unite us. The LNP and Labor won’t. They all could try, but their political spiel is based on who belongs and who does not. They could invest in essential services and push back against corporate and oligarchical power but they won’t. Instead, they actively work against harmony and feed division through dog whistling about immigration, or whatever topic will enrage the masses. Which is great, isn’t it? Because this is what we want … isn’t it?
Just like politicians, we also make commentary suggesting not everyone deserves a good life. Many comments clearly state who does and doesn’t belong. Some people demand policies that intentionally harm members of their community. We create the divisions and politicians fertilise them.
But we do all belong, and we do all deserve a good life. We are all responsible for creating a harmonious society that centres human rights for all.
Ain’t politics fun!
Got something on your mind? Go on then, engage. Submit your opinion piece, letter to the editor, or Quick Word now.