Knowing who to abuse

In opinion polls, politicians usually rate down with used car salesmen and journalists in public esteem. Most of the deficiencies in society, real and imagined, are attributed to failures by politicians.

Australians also believe it is their absolute right to complain about them, while many also think they are entitled to subject them to abuse, online harassment, media criticism and public heckling. A few even threaten violence.

I know this because, for five years, I was a politician myself. Although I have also been a business owner for decades, those five years are sufficient, to many people, to make me always and forever a politician.

The abuse only originates from people who do not know me. It is very rare to be abused or threatened, on political grounds, by anyone with whom I have had a normal conversation. The abusers are not always anonymous (I've had death threats from people who include their name), but their venom is directed at someone they only know from the media: a politician.

That's not a complaint; my skin is thick. My point is that such amorphous criticism of politicians reveals a problem – many people do not know who is responsible for what they are complaining about, so they lash out at any politician in every direction.

If they knew more about how government operates, and how decisions are made, they would have a better idea of who to complain to. Moreover, their complaints might have some impact.

There are plenty of politicians who absolutely deserve to be criticised, but it is absurd to be criticising a politician who opposed a contentious decision or played no part in its adoption.

A good start is an understanding of the jurisdictions of our three levels of government – federal, state and local. An example of a lack of understanding is seen whenever there are bushfires, droughts or floods. This invariably prompts sharp criticism of the federal government (and leading federal politicians) for the lack of assistance, egged on by an ignorant media. Yet it is state governments that have primary responsibility for responding to these events, as they run all the emergency and volunteer organisations.

When it comes to taxes, complaining about state stamp duty to a federal politician is pointless, as is complaining about the GST to a state politician.

If complaints are to make a difference, they need to be directed at the people who make relevant decisions. The key is to know who they are.

A good place to start is government ministers, who usually introduce bills and regulations. Other culprits include members of the Cabinet who approved it, plus members of the governing party who voted in favour of it in parliament. Quite often there are also other members of parliament who voted in favour of it.

However, these are just the tip of the iceberg. Ministers are frequently persuaded to introduce new legislation by others, such as committees, lobby groups or other politicians. Following the money often helps to understand who is really responsible. Just look at the subsidies for wind and solar electricity.