Many have sought to provide post-mortem analyses of the Opposition following the Federal Election. The so-called Trump factor, bad policies, factional infighting, too far to the right or the left, uncosted nuclear power, lack of tax reforms, big spending, small-target strategy… and so on.
Here’s my summary in just two words: zero leadership!
The current political hacks on both sides of politics are cardboard cutouts for the polling, marketing, and propaganda machinery that sit behind them. In this particular election, Labor’s polling, marketing, and propaganda machinery were far more effective than the Opposition’s. This is by no means an endorsement of Labor’s so-called vision for Australia. In fact, Labor’s success is an illusion, built on lies, spin, and spending, reminiscent of a drunken sailor. Labor won on pure marketing superiority.
The Liberals and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Nationals are a shadow of what they once were, and the reason for this dilemma is that leadership is MIA.
Authentic leadership doesn’t pander to the media, lobbyists, environmentalists, activists or globalists. Leaders set a principled vision that is right and not necessarily popular. Then they convert those around them to pursue their vision.
A Leadership Crisis
The crisis in modern politics is not one of messaging but one of meaning. Leadership today has been replaced by choreography—poll-tested slogans, curated personas, and tactical silence. However, no nation has ever prospered on spin. Building a civilisation requires more than media managers; it requires leaders.
Australia’s political class is increasingly filled with technicians of power rather than stewards of principle. They are quick to calculate and slow to innovate. They live by polls and die by press conferences. This cultural drift is not simply a party problem; it is a national crisis.
Leaders Lead
Authentic leadership does not begin in the mirror of public opinion but in the mirror of conscience. It requires clarity of vision, the courage to speak, and the character to endure loss if necessary. A leader worth following understands that popularity is not the same as purpose.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point”. In times like these, courage is not an accessory; it is essential.
The leaders who change nations do not wait for permission. They shape opinion rather than serving it. They build consensus through conviction, not compromise. They are prophetic in vision, persuasive in speech, and principled in posture.
Leaders Reject the Politics of Image
The modern obsession with image has produced a generation of “leaders” who are terrified of saying anything that might cost them. However, leadership without cost is not leadership at all—it is mere performance.
When everything is filtered through PR firms and spin units, we end up with a government of shadows rather than statesmen. Decisions are delayed, principles are blurred, and the nation drifts into mediocrity disguised as progress.
Such leaders may win elections, but they sacrifice something far more important: the moral compass of the nation.
Leaders are Strong and Human
Authentic leadership must be strong. However, that strength should not be cruel or indifferent—it must be benevolent. We do not need tyrants or technocrats; we need servant-leaders. Individuals who lead not for self-glory but for the greater good. People who handle power with humility and exercise conviction with kindness.
Benevolence in leadership is not weakness; it is strength guided by wisdom. It listens but is not swayed. It speaks truth yet does so in love. It is firm when necessary, gentle when possible, and always guided by a higher sense of duty.
History honours such leadership. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who held the Union together with moral clarity and sacrificial resolve. Or Winston Churchill, whose grit and vision rallied a besieged nation. These were not perfect men, but they were principled, strong, and benevolent.
The Road Ahead
If Australia is to emerge from its current malaise, it will not do so through clever ads or better slogans. It will require a renaissance of character in public life, a rediscovery of courage in the face of compromise, and a new generation of leaders who will not bow to the woke mob, the global elite, or the opinion poll but who will stand for truth, liberty, and the common good.
This is not a partisan dream; it is a national necessity. The times demand it, and the people are desperate for it. History will reward it.
We must demand better from our leaders. For too long, the church has rolled with the political punches and taken the path of least resistance. A prophetic church stands in the doorways, offices, and halls of power, demanding a higher standard from the nation's leaders.
Now is the time for the righteous to unite and rebuild.