The isolated political class

Amongst Australians, trust in people in government (25 per cent), federal government (30 per cent), government ministers (23 per cent), members of parliament (21 per cent), and political parties (20 per cent) is at an all-time low.1 Honesty and integrity are qualities that Australian citizens highly prize in politics but we can also report that 89 per cent of citizens have a negative view of the standards of honesty and integrity held by politicians.2 Despite 28 years of economic growth, Australia is characterised as a ‘distrusted country’ and sits below the median satisfaction rating when compared with other advanced industrial democracies.