Or the local worthy could stolidly occupy a seat for years,keeping out of politics a high performer of the kind no political party can be without if it is to govern well. That’s a problem for the nation as a whole. Across politics,everyone agrees we need much better people in Parliament.
This week the choice of Labor candidate for the diverse western Sydney seat of Parramatta emerged as the latest example. Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s preferred candidate is economist Andrew Charlton,who lives in Bellevue Hill in the eastern suburbs. Rather than parachute Charlton into the seat,Parramatta Labor branch vice-president Alan Mascarenhas wants a rank-and-file ballot. If Charlton wants a shot,he could try winning “fair and square” in that preselection contest,which would include Mascarenhas,a journalist and corporate communications specialist,and two other possible candidates of Indian heritage – both women and lawyers,Durga Owen and Abha Devasia.
Mascarenhas draws on a powerfully attractive political ideal:parties with plentiful members who reflect their community,voting in ballots where the best person wins.
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Humans being human,it’s a bit more complicated than that. Put two humans in a room together and you get factions. At my place,the factional struggle is over the television remote control and the heater thermostat. At your place,it may be over something more lofty.
Factional deals,derided by those not directly involved in the arduous business of politics,can similarly be a good thing,including for preselections if they arrive at a slate of candidates who reflect the community and who have the knowledge,experience and talent to ensure excellence in government.
Rank-and-file ballots are the ideal. But history shows they don’t automatically deliver the best outcomes,including when it comes to diversity. Labor’s gender quotas ensure half its federal parliamentarians are women. Had Labor stuck with a pure rank-and-file preselection process,this wouldn’t have happened. Without gender quotas,three-quarters of federal Coalition parliamentarians are men.