Government, Test team a case study in right and wrong ways

How can two organisations have such drastically different abilities to pick up on public sentiment?

CASE STUDY: The Federal Government and Men's Test Cricket Team should be held up as examples of how to gauge public sentiment accurately and how to bury heads in sand. Picture: Contributed

OPINION

THE Australian Men's Test Cricket Team and the Federal Government.

Two bodies constantly in the harsh glare of public spotlight and scrutiny.

Two bodies which took extremely different approaches when crisis struck.

The two should be held up as a case study in crisis management, public communications and stakeholder engagement.

What to do, what not to do.

Sure, Australian cricket still has a long way to go. But if the past fortnight is anything to go by, they've shown a capacity to place a finger on the thunderous pulse of a nation and take action.

In Tim Paine, a long-time captain in waiting, they have a genuinely decent human being leading the side.

His chatter on the field is harmless, humorous and reeks of the words of a decent bloke not afraid to stand up and have a dig when he feels he needs to.

His strength is underrated. He loves a fight. And has shown he can overcome adversity.

Sure, there are still a few holes in that team, talent-wise.

Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb are probably under a fair bit of scrutiny, but aside from a few problems that need fixing, this team is one of the most likeable we've had in years.

The abrasive approach of Dave Warner is not missed at all. This is a team of battlers with a bit of humility that we can get behind.

They're prepared to let their cricket speak for itself and engage in a bit of light-hearted banter.

On the other side we have this ragtag mess of a Federal Government in its death throes.

Panicking as the tide of public opinion turned against it, albeit nowhere near as badly as they wished us to believe, they shut down Parliament, stopped work, to knife a PM.

In his place, a happy-clapping ad man short on substance and full of slogans.

The resulting slump in the polls is no coincidence.

You cannot take the public for fools time and again without backlash.

The Nationals have hardly helped the Coalition cause.

Many were hardcore campaigners for preserving the sanctity of marriage.

The same sanctity of marriage some of them have so publicly p----d on.

Sorry, but we, the average, even-thinking punters, do not take kindly to being preached to by those who cannot practice it.

Where the Australian cricket bosses could see real action had to be taken to rebuild their image, this overpaid, under-performing and now minority government just continued to be pig-headed in its approach.

Attacking children for taking action, putting sky fairies before science, cutting more university funding and now dangling a $10 billion spending carrot in front of us, fully expecting us to swallow it whole, all the while the voting public becomes more and more tired of what appears to be a dedication to remain disconnected.

All we want for Christmas are leaders who inspire and truly represent us.