This was published 3 years ago
Andrew Barr: 'There's so much hate and anger in the world, I don't want to be a part of that'
By Benjamin Law
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week, he talks to Andrew Barr. The 47-year-old ACT chief minister became Australia’s first openly gay state or territory government leader in 2014. The Labor politician held on to power in October’s election, entering a coalition with the Greens.
Andrew Barr: "If a major public health crisis doesn’t smack you in the face with what really matters in this life, than I don’t know what will."Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
POLITICS
October’s ACT election saw Labor win a record sixth consecutive term, this time in partnership with the Greens. Did you expect to win? Nothing’s absolute in politics, but the campaign and the feel on the ground was very positive post-bushfires and with COVID-19. On a personal level, to have got the highest vote of any candidate running in the election, and more than I got last time? [Laughs] It was nice.
The Greens also scored a record six seats. Yes, they’ve done very well, and extracted the maximum number of seats you possibly could from 13.5 per cent of the vote. So they’ll obviously play a much larger role in the government and in parliament.
During the campaign itself, Labor and the Greens publicly clashed over issues like the timeline of phasing out natural gas in the ACT. Is this relationship doomed to fail?
I wouldn’t go that far. We have some disagreement over timeframe or method of delivering particular policy outcomes. But on about 80 per cent of issues, we’re pretty well in alignment. We’re going to have to compromise. That’s the nature of politics; that’s the case federally between the Liberals and the Nationals.
Which begs the question: why aren’t Labor and the Greens more willing to form coalitions elsewhere? In the ACT, we’re both state government and local council, so many areas are really practical service delivery questions that don’t have a massive amount of ideology in them. We agree that we need to reduce our waste and recycle more. Where we have had points of difference is over the timeframe we have to adjust to a zero-emissions economy. I will be pragmatic about delivering on the commitments and working effectively with the Greens. I don’t see them as an existential threat to the Labor Party.
Andrew Barr kisses his partner Anthony Toms on election night.
Newspapers published photos of you and your husband, Anthony, on stage celebrating the election win, your first since marrying in 2019. It meant a lot to people on social media.
Did it mean something to you, too? Yes, it was a significant moment. It’s gone a bit viral in the gay press around the world and I’ve seen it on social media as well. But the most brilliant thing about it was how unremarkable it was in Canberra. That, to me, is the biggest sign of progress.
MONEY
How much does the ACT chief minister earn? It’s about $350,000 – a very good salary.
You’re the rare politician who got that question and immediately provided the answer. Is it commensurate with the work you do? I think so. There are jobs that require less and pay more; there are jobs that would be as hard and pay less. But my motivation is not money. If you go into politics for the money, you’re mad. If you broke it down to an hourly rate, it’s probably not as flash as it might look.
In the age of coronavirus, various lockdowns and border closures, what are you most missing spending money on? Travel, without any doubt.
Where’s the first place you’d want to visit once it’s safe? I’d love to get to Europe and the US at some point, but that seems a long way off. So I suspect New Zealand!
DEATH
With bushfires and coronavirus, it’s been a year like no other for Canberra. Has it changed attitudes about life and death? I think it has. For Canberra, it felt like we lost summer. You couldn’t go outside because of the smoke. Then as the smoke felt like it was clearing, we had our own localised bushfires, so people were stressed and on high alert. And just as we were getting over that, and everyone was saying, “Thank god summer’s over,” in came the pandemic. On the positive side, though, so many people have observed that it’s given them back time with their family at home – if they’re not restricted by COVID-19 and [geography]. There’s been a potentially positive reassessment of work-life balance. I think society will fundamentally change, that it won’t just snap back. If a major public health crisis doesn’t smack you in the face with what really matters in this life, than I don’t know what will.
How do you personally reflect? Does it feel like we’ve reached the end of an era in some ways? We might have a new BC: Before COVID. It’s the defining series of world events in our lifetime, barring World War III, a US civil war, or something ridiculous like if Trump doesn’t leave office. But this might also be the tipping point on climate change. These extreme weather events are becoming more damaging to the economy and to people’s lifestyles in a way that feels so real. It’s now a major political issue. We saw that in our election locally. And I think we’ll see it in other elections – in Australia and around the world.
You make enemies in politics. After you die, is anyone banned from your funeral? [Laughs] No. If you asked me that question 10 or 15 years ago, I might have had a stronger view. But I’m mellowing in my middle age. There’s just so much hate and anger in the world at the moment, I’ve decided I don’t want to be part of that. There are enough depressing things happening in the world without spending too much time dwelling on them. Life is short. Make the most of it. Spend your time with people you love, whose company you enjoy, who add value to your life.
diceytopics@goodweekend.com.au
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