Christopher Pyne: Treatment of Nicolle Flint highlights toxic political environment

Nicolle Flint is a victim of the toxic environment permeating Federal Parliament, writes Christopher Pyne. He traces it back to a decade ago.

One of the oddest things since I left politics in April 2019 has been my response when people ask me, as they often have: “Do you miss it?”.

I don’t. I loved serving in public life. It is exhilarating, worthwhile and a privilege.

But I was glad to leave it on my own terms – a rare feat – and to do so, in good cheer and good odour with most people across both sides of politics and in the Canberra bubble in general.

But I do say to my questioners that I miss the team.

Most people find it impossible to believe that politics can be a team sport.

Despite the backbiting, negative briefings, schadenfreude at others’ misfortune, FOMO (fear of missing out), a sense of failure at being under-promoted or not promoted at all and the three-year cycle of vulnerability wrought by the election coming around faster than you ever want it to, there’s one thing that should mitigate all that awfulness – the team.

Being a player in politics can be like being a player in a football team.

There are a large number of players. Some of your fellow players you like more than others. Some you would choose to socialise with, others not so much.

But when you’re on the field and you’re desperate to win, you look for the player in the best position and you get the ball to them.

Most of the time, that was my experience. It should have been the experience of Boothby MP Nicolle Flint. So, it was with sadness and concern that I read of the departure of Flint from politics.

She will not recontest her seat. She is no longer prepared to tolerate the toxicity of politics.

She is perfectly entitled to make that choice. I have seen others voluntarily leave politics after only one or two terms for various reasons.

Flint is an intelligent and hard- working MP. She fought successfully for infrastructure assets in her seat. She led campaigns to shine a light on the struggles of women who suffer from endometriosis and stillbirth.

Flint is also tough. She was hounded by alternative political organisations that overstepped the mark appallingly in their campaign to remove her from Boothby.

She suffered devastating personal abuse and was publicly vilified.

It’s ironic that some of the organisations that targeted her are the same ones that demand more respect in politics and call for more women to be elected.

I didn’t agree with her on every issue when we were colleagues but I was glad to fundraise for her when I was in Cabinet and campaign alongside her because we shared a common electoral boundary.

I wish her well post-politics.

Nicolle Flint has quit politics and will not contest the seat of Boothby next election. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Is politics more toxic now than it has been in the past? For a number of reasons, I believe that it is.

I’m convinced the state of politics declined after 2007, not because of the election of a Labor government, but that’s the time to which I trace the noxious change of atmosphere.

In the almost 14 years since, the Labor Party has conducted five full-court press leadership ballots and so has the Liberal Party. Australia has had six changes of Prime Minister.

The churn of ministers, MPs and senators, as well as experienced staff, has been astounding.

The 43rd parliament was a minority government, as was the period from August 2018 to May 2019 – and now it is again.

What used to be a relatively stable part of politics, the Canberra press gallery has been decimated by citizen journalists and social media. It has been a period of tumult.

In the almost 25 years before 2007, politics experienced the relatively stable 13 years of the Hawke and Keating Labor governments and the 11 years of the Howard Coalition government.

Certainty gave way to uncertainty. All of that creates a malevolence and insecurity that is resulting in a culture that sensible people want to change.

The allegations levelled in the past fortnight have rocked every person I have had cause to speak to in politics since the story of former government staffer Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape broke in the national media.

Her expose has given every fair-minded person a reason to reassess our polity. Much has been written and reported about the story in the past two weeks.

Now that Ms Higgins has made a complaint to the Australian Federal Police, an investigation can be conducted. Where that will end, I can’t tell you, but my hope is that at least she will feel justice has been done and that she has been supported.

We humans overwhelmingly live in communities, not singly.

That’s because the village supports each one of us and gives us strength that we don’t have alone.

From what I have seen in the past two weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to lead the village to a higher plane and a better place.

I have no doubt that he will have every person of goodwill’s support.