Scattered observations from an independent candidate

Being flat broke and busted after an unsuccessful tilt at a seat in the NSW state election gives you time to reflect.

Running as a self-funded independent candidate in a key seat you learn a lot about yourself, the community in which you live and the internal machinations of political parties.

The most striking thing on polling day - and to me the most disturbing - was that you can count almost on one hand the number of people turning out to vote who look both healthy and happy.

The political structure doesn't help either: many are befuddled by the optional preferencing system and there is a level of confusion between local, state and federal issues - which, I noticed, was left uncorrected by party volunteers if it was to the advantage of the particular political party at the booth.

Men, particularly those aged from about 18 to 35, are strangely "aggro". My good mate Bruce is probably right when he says that's because they have nothing to respect, including no positive political role models to admire. I certainly agree that a trust gap exists.

The campaign process is interesting. A major party hell-bent on getting the seat opens the war chest: go-go girls at major intersections (no, I'm not joking), high-rise mobile billboard signs criss-crossing the electorate, booths adorned with marquees and six-foot medieval flags: the whole box and dice is thrown at the place.

Even down to shipping troops in from the northern beaches and other "safe seats": Is that because they can't drum up support from the locals? I was disappointed that no-one thought of searchlights and strobe lights! What must the poor and disenfranchised think about the cynical rush over one single month every four years, all that pomp and ceremony and money going up in smoke? It'd make a great "Allegro non troppo" style animation, perhaps set to Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture'.

Pauline Hansen arrives at a booth and people are star struck. She's revered. Candidates are forgotten as voters scramble for her autograph. Liberal Party spruikers duck for cover so their supporters' common affection doesn't hit the media. No-one asks her to "please explain" egalitarianism but, I suppose, why bother? People always fear what they don't understand.

Behind the scenes disgruntled party members decry in whispers the pre-selection process that's seen their long-serving mates bypassed even though it was "their time". In the one breath they chide the party puppet-masters but implore friends and family to "Vote 1" for the fellowship.

Ambitious party members scuttle about, either not seeing or not caring that rewards come for compliance instead of critical thinking. I guess you can hardly blame them for not swimming against the tide: with bills to pay and empires to build it's far easier, a lot safer and a lot less costly - both personally and financially - to go with the flow.

Behind this circus the tandem tragedy of social disintegration and grassroots wilt continues to spread. It's easy to see why, when the people at the coalface keep asking for oranges and the major parties keep offering lemons.

Citizens are fighting and failing because politicians don't recognise the importance of starting from the ground up. Basic things, like having consistent definitions across departments; like valuing the collection and collation of accurate data and statistics that would enable policy makers to look at problems from end to end, particularly in areas like homelessness and affordable housing; like realising that competitive funding models can encourage community organisations to work towards eliminating their competition instead of working together and sharing resources to achieve the best outcomes for end users and taxpayers. And last but not least, of encouraging a strong and independent public service instead of a compliant one staffed by public servants afraid to speak out for fear of being sacked.

The fourth estate shares a degree of responsibility for all this. Mainstream newspapers relish front-page headlines: new roads, grants for this and that, funding for new hospitals. Why don't they investigate the value of these promises, like asking experienced senior health professionals who understand that hospitals are only buildings, whereas "health" is about providing services? What are the health needs of the community? Where are the gaps in service that need to be met? What about good primary care, access to after-hours care and access to transport? A shift in focus from illness to promoting good health through prevention and primary care surely is the way forward? Political parties haven't yet realised that health budget blowouts might be reduced by increasing investment in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, not to mention the creative arts and the mental relief they provide. Inter-generational equity is a dirty word, or at least it would be if it was in the vocabulary.

The NCOSS calls for help for struggling households to reduce their energy consumption. That's probably because 2008 data for Australian households indicates that 67 percent used spatial cooling and 77 per cent used spatial heating, and spatial heating and cooling comprise 41 per cent of household energy costs. Water heating accounts for 24 per cent and other appliances about 13 per cent. Plasma TVs consume almost three times more power than older versions. If you're poor you buy the cheapest appliances, and they're the most energy inefficient. But instead of designing an energy policy around reducing energy consumption, the major parties bribe voters with financial rebates.

Local police commanders can convincingly explain the success of locally-managed regional commands, but nobody bothers to give them airtime. Nowadays every police vehicle is a mobile office that is constantly on the go. Gone are the days when police officers sit in police stations awaiting calls: they're given their tasks at the start of the day, they're off and running and their duties are checked off at the end of the day. Response times are appropriate. But efficient policing doesn't win you votes: for that, you have to promise to reopen local police stations because people will think they'll be safer, even though mostly they'll be worse off. And we keep ignoring the connection between social issues and trouble with the law, keeping people in prisons at great expense instead of funding community-based rehabilitation programs.

At the end of the era of cheap petrol people want money spent to make public transport a more reliable and efficient option than cars. Highways are operating over capacity, clogged and getting worse by the day, whereas trains and buses are much cheaper than cars yet often are underutilised. But people don't like inconvenience, so the major parties keep promising to spend vast sums on roads.

Generally, the bigger the promise the better. One side promises to build a new school, knowing they won't be re-elected, because they know the other side will match the promise but won't have the money to keep it. When the other side fails to deliver the originator gains leverage for the next campaign. Tit-for-tat stuff. How childish does it get?

NSW Labor capitalised on the federal WorkChoices issue in 2007 in much the same way as the NSW Liberal Party used the federal carbon tax issue to manipulate and distract voters this time. Neither party focused on the state issue of some $8 million in coal royalties that was missed over a five-year period simply because Industry & Investment NSW didn't have the systems in place to determine whether the coal companies were paying the correct royalties. Hello? Is anyone home?

But all things come to an end. Keneally resigns her leadership and Robertson jumps up to replace her: NSW Labor hasn't learnt a thing. The Liberal Party have made colossal financial promises to electorates all around the state, and Barry O'Farrell has brokered an internal factional truce along with an unholy alliance with Fred Nile's Group in the Upper House (which, incidentally, few voters seemed to know about). He's going to have a few hard balancing acts to maintain. So many backroom deals have been struck and expectations raised that promises inevitably will be broken. For we outsiders it'll start after the independent financial audit, when he comes out to say the money just isn't there to give citizens what they'd hoped to be able to give. Hang on Barry, didn't you say they were promises, fully costed and fully funded…?

But even in the graveyard of deception and despair there's still hope. Getting around the electorate my spirits were buoyed by a lot of young people who are politically engaged, and quite a few who are prepared to be involved, who offer enthusiasm and creativity and bring life and light and colour to all of us. Some at least are still optimistic, and many are ready to have their voices heard. A few are on fire. They understand the challenges they face, and they know that their generation will be left holding the bag after ours; what they must understand is there isn't much time. The longer our party-dominated political system keeps replicating itself the more difficult will be the task of rejuvenating it. They need to get cracking.

Viva la revolution!