Zoe Daniel (Image from Zoe Daniel X)
By Sue Barrett
Albert Einstein once warned, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” This timeless truth underscores a critical flaw in today’s politics: simplistic answers to complex problems don’t just fall short – they fail us outright. Leaders like Peter Dutton and Donald Trump thrive on this fallacy, peddling quick fixes – return-to-office mandates, job-sharing for women, or migration cuts – as if they could unravel the tangled knots of housing, energy, and inequality. But the world demands more than slogans. In an age where headlines eclipse details, we need smarter politicians who can navigate complexity with depth and vision, not careerists who mistake a soundbite for a solution.
Modern politics is a headline game, and Dutton plays it well. His pledge to slash migration by 25% to “fix” housing sounds bold, but it sidesteps the fact that migrants – students and skilled workers – contributed over half of Australia’s economic growth last year, per NAB estimates. Where’s the plan to fill that gap? His nuclear energy pitch – seven reactors by 2050 – grabs attention, too. Frontier Economics’ December 2024 report claims this plan could cost $331 billion by 2051, 44% less than Labour’s $594 billion renewables-led scenario, assuming reactors start in 2036 with a $10 billion/GW capital cost. Yet, the CSIRO’s GenCost 2024-25 draft estimates nuclear construction would take at least 15 years – pushing first power to 2040 or later – and cost $145-$238/MWh, double renewables’ $22-$78/MWh range. These are headlines, not policies, banking on voters skimming the surface rather than digging into the details.
This reflects a broader shift: the 24-hour news cycle and social media have shrunk discourse to 280 characters or less. Dutton’s refusal to detail which services he’d cut to fund tax breaks – beyond a vague “36,000 public servants” costing $6 billion – exploits this.
As Laura Tingle observed in ABC News on 8 February 2025, his press conference evasions reveal a hollow core. We’re left with “Let’s get Australia back on track,” but no track is laid.
This short-termism, imported from the US, sacrifices the future for the next election. Trump’s tax cuts delivered a sugar hit but left deficits soaring. Dutton’s super-for-housing policy – allowing $50,000 withdrawals – would, per Treasury’s 2022 analysis, inflate prices by 9%, locking out first-home buyers. Contrast this with long-game investments like Medicare or the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The NBN, envisaged as a fibre-optic backbone for a digital economy, was gutted by the Coalition government in 2013, scaled back to a cheaper, slower mix of copper and hybrid technologies. A 2024 NBN Co report shows average speeds lagging 30% behind nations like South Korea, with regional areas hit hardest. We’re feeling the consequences now – businesses stifled, remote and regional work hampered, and a digital divide widened – all because “cheap” trumped “proper.”
Sustainable solutions demand bold, forward-thinking decisions, not penny-pinching populism. So much for the Coalition’s claim at being the better economic managers – what a load of piffle – it’s just another baseless headline.
What we need isn’t more reductionist soundbites but systems thinking – a holistic approach that sees society as an interconnected web, not a collection of isolated fixes. Systems thinking, as management theorist Russell Ackoff and sociologist Fred Emery argued, designs “purposeful systems” – ones that “are dedicated to the development of all their parts and the achievement of collective goals.”
Unlike Dutton’s piecemeal policies, which treat housing or energy as standalone crises, a systems approach recognises how migration fuels economic growth, how energy policy ripples into health and education, and how media shapes trust. Ackoff and Emery’s work reminds us that better societies emerge when we align parts to a shared purpose – like equitable prosperity or climate resilience – not when we slap plasters on symptoms. Dutton’s “cut this, build that” mindset lacks this depth; it’s a hammer in search of a nail, not a blueprint for a thriving whole.
Enter Zoe Daniel, the Independent MP for Goldstein, whose 30-year career as an ABC foreign correspondent brings a rare depth to parliament. Reporting from conflict zones – Sudan, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe – and natural disaster aftermaths like Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, she’s seen complexity up close. As US bureau chief from 2015 to 2019, Daniel covered the first four years of Trump’s administration, witnessing how divisive rhetoric and disinformation fractured trust. Her book Greetings from Trumpland (2021) dissects this, drawing parallels to Australia’s own political drift. This isn’t theoretical for her; it’s lived experience.
On media reform, Daniel’s pushed for a judicial enquiry into diversity, arguing in a 2022 parliamentary speech that “disinformation and lack of trust are the key challenges of our time.” With Australia’s media ownership amongst the most concentrated globally – News Corp controls 59% of print readership, per 2023 ACCC data – she’s fought for funding for the Australian Associated Press and local journalism, reversing Coalition-era cuts to the ABC and SBS. Her lens, honed in newsrooms and war zones, sees media as democracy’s lifeline, not a corporate fiefdom.
In US relations, Daniel’s Trump-era insights inform her advocacy for a nuanced foreign policy. She’s backed a two-state Israel-Palestine solution and, in 2023, joined a parliamentary delegation to Israel, leveraging her global perspective to strengthen Australia’s diplomatic voice. Her reporting on America’s Paris Agreement exit under Trump fuelled her climate action commitment. In 2022, she worked with Climate Minister Chris Bowen to legislate a 43% emissions reduction target as a floor, not a ceiling, pushing ambition higher. She’s also championed a just transition to renewables, drawing on her coverage of climate-ravaged communities worldwide.
Daniel’s part of a broader shift: the Community Independents, who bring real-world expertise to Canberra. Dr Monique Ryan, a paediatric neurologist from Kooyong, has leveraged her medical expertise to secure permanent Medicare funding for 20 psychology sessions annually, addressing a mental health crisis. Allegra Spender, an economist and business leader in Wentworth, has championed productivity through R&D tax incentives, targeting structural economic reform. Kate Chaney, with her background in business and sustainability in Curtin, critiques short-term fixes, advocating for workforce training and taxation reform. Dr Helen Haines, a nurse and public health researcher, has fought for regional health and community resilience in Indi, securing millions for local projects. Dr Sophie Scamps, a former GP in Mackellar, channels her experience in general practice into mental health and pollution reduction. Kylea Tink, a former CEO with ties to business and not-for-profits, pushes for a family- and climate-focused economy in North Sydney. Zali Steggall, a barrister with banking and legal expertise, tackles financial accountability and climate risks in Warringah.
When major parties field careerist politicians – ladder-climbers loyal to factional bosses – we lose the diversity of knowledge that fuels thriving parliaments. A 2024 Parliamentary Library study found 68% of Labor and Liberal MPs since 2010 held party or union roles pre-election, compared to just 12% from STEM or small business.
This homogeneity breeds groupthink, not innovation. Community-backed talents like these bridge that gap, crafting legislation grounded in evidence, not expediency.
Look across the 36 Community Independents standing at the 2025 federal election, and you’ll find a diversity long absent from Australian politics for over 30 years. From health experts like Haines and Scamps to business leaders like Tink and Spender, they join others – economists, educators, scientists, and grassroots organisers – offering a kaleidoscope of lived experience. This isn’t the monochrome careerism of the past three decades, where party loyalty trumped capability.
It’s a vibrant resurgence of talent, drawn from communities, not caucuses. The major parties’ stranglehold has starved us of this richness, leaving us with incrementalism when we need transformation. It’s time for change – to harness this diversity and rebuild a parliament that thrives on real-world wisdom.
Dutton’s SME background isn’t the issue – his judgement is. Decisions such as advocating for a full return to the office, despite evidence of hybrid work’s productivity gains (as noted in a 2023 Productivity Commission report), suggest a leader resistant to contemporary workforce trends. His tenure at Home Affairs has also drawn scrutiny; the 2024 Richardson Review highlighted concerns about procurement practices, including contracts awarded without tenders, one of which was linked to allegations of criminal activity. His strong preference for gas over renewables, along with an emphasis on budget cuts over strategic investment, raises questions about whether his policies prioritise short-term fixes over data-driven solutions. These factors contribute to concerns about his suitability for the role of Prime Minister.
Who is influencing Dutton’s policy decisions, and what are their interests? Mining magnates such as Gina Rinehart, property developers, and fossil fuel lobbyists – industries with significant vested interests – appear to have his attention, advocating for policies that prioritise their profits while raising concerns about the impact on public resources.
In a September 2024 speech to the Minerals Council, Dutton pledged to reduce funding for environmental regulatory bodies and accelerate approvals for coal, gas, and uranium projects – positions that align with Rinehart’s long-standing advocacy for reducing regulatory barriers, often referred to as “green tape.” His strong support for nuclear energy also coincides with her interests in uranium mining, while his reluctance to pursue housing supply reforms maintains policies that benefit property developers through mechanisms such as negative gearing.
Similar patterns have been observed internationally. In the United States, early decisions from Trump’s second administration have included tax breaks for billionaires, deregulation for major oil companies, and a continuation of policies that have seen wage stagnation and underinvestment in public services. These developments highlight the broader risks of governance heavily influenced by corporate interests. As voters, we must critically assess who benefits from these policies and ask: Who stands to gain while the public shoulders the cost?
The 2025 Australian federal election tests our choice: shallow slogans or seasoned substance. Daniel and her Independent peers aren’t flawless, but their expertise – from media reform, health, tax reform, fairer work, to climate action – offers a parliament that reflects our communities, not party machines.
We need leaders who’ve faced the world’s messiest problems, not just climbed its greasiest poles.
Einstein was right – complexity demands evolved thinking.
It’s time to diversify, to thrive, and to demand better – for our future depends on it.
Onward We Press
85 Reasons why Dutton is unfit to be PM… and counting, Michell Pini 21 Feb 2025
5 Feb 2025: A great link to Zoe Daniel’s National Press Club speech on YouTube. Feel free to give it a like and comment if that’s your style.
Vote Community Independents: Not shit candidates list
Ian Macphee Articles
Our Democracy is Damaged – only progressive independents can repair it – 4 Dec 2021
We need independents to check ‘Power Hungry’ political parties – 10 Aug 2021
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This article was originally published on Sue Barrett
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So much to consume, digest, excrete, forget, start again.., for, good leadership is very difficult to obtain and maintain, given the supershittiness of local media, and, also, our position in the world, economically and politically, is threatened by a low form of nematodal grubbiness below decency, but elected to office in an influential and intrusive substandard foreign land. And I was just forgetting Adolf and Josef...I enjoyed the useful article and recommend it as vital reading.