Wow! I forgot how many trolls there are on X. After tweeting about how many current politicians have qualifications relevant to their portfolios (in response to Pauline Hansons appalling political record)-what followed was a barrage of arguments that relevant expertise is somehow bad for the country —classic Trumpism and Hansonism.
Revealing. And terrifying.
Trump literally said he loves the uneducated — at a rally — and got cheered for it. That’s the playbook: manufacture resentment toward expertise so that incompetence becomes a virtue and accountability becomes elitism.
The really dangerous part isn’t Hanson or Trump themselves — it’s that their supporters have been successfully convinced that being against knowledge and evidence is somehow authentic and brave. That questioning a politician’s relevant expertise is snobbery rather than basic accountability.
You’d never apply the anti-expertise logic anywhere else. Nobody says “I don’t want a qualified surgeon, I want someone who just gets it.” Nobody says “I don’t care if my engineer has credentials, I care about his character.” As if Hanson’s character is to be admired.
But somehow when it comes to the people managing the economy, health policy, and Indigenous affairs — suddenly expertise is suspicious.
It’s not anti-elitism. It’s anti-accountability — and Hanson has made a 30-year career out of it without fixing a single thing she complains about.
Robodebt flourished because of a political & media culture that stigmatises income support recipients. It was a failure in public sector leadership & culture in key departments. Labor must implement all 57 recommendations of the Robodebt RC to ensure Robodebt never happens again.
@deniseshrivell News in Adelaide tonight told us January average temp is now 3 degrees warmer than it was in the ‘70’s. (Not sure if it was channel 9 or 2.)
@PeterCronau There’s a difference between being negligent and being imperfect. Nothing about being a human is perfect. The question and thoughts in my mind isn’t ‘how dare they be imperfect’, it’s ‘how did they miss it and is it possible for them to be better at seeing it in the future’?
@MissPolly62 Welcome To Country to me means recognition of all that’s happened before now on the lands we stand & is a promise to the future. It gives thanks to the land, to those that came before us, those here now, & all who’s yet to come. It’s a symbol of gratitude, commitment, & respect.