Labor MP Julie Collins says negative campaigning will deter people from politics
Labor MP Julie Collins has just won her seventh federal election but she fears negative campaigning may deter future candidates. A political analyst agrees.
Tasmania
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Re-elected Labor Franklin MP Julie Collins has hit out at “lies and misinformation” spread during the federal election campaign saying politics should be about policies not personalities.
Political analyst Professor Richard Herr also says misinformation and trolling on social media and the focus on personalities is deterring people from standing for politics.
Ms Collins, who was first elected in 2007, said she was “really proud” to be re-elected with an improved primary vote.
She said as a parent and grandparent she was “more motivated than ever” to ensure every Tasmanian had a bright future but fears future political candidates will be put off by personal attacks.
“People know how tough and robust I am, however, it isn’t easy for family members and loved ones to see attack advertisements and social media content with lies and misinformation being spread by some campaigns.
“Frankly, I think Tasmanians are sick of politics where people play the person and not the ball.
“That doesn’t mean as public representatives we should be afraid of a robust debate about our state’s future – but it should be a fact-based contest of ideas, not a contest of personalities.
“I am concerned that negative campaigns may turn off future candidates from participating in our democracy.”
Prof Herr said politics was becoming less about ideas and more about personalities.
“There are forms of social media where trolling and anonymous attacks go unchecked and they are spread and can create an image of a person, that even when debunked still comes up on google searches,” he said.
“It is turning off people from standing.
“In the old days there might be some comments in the newspaper but today you can find zombie stories that are easily found in the archives and can be resurrected.
“That has a deterring effect and then there is fake news and AI generated imagery.”
Dr Mike Lester, former Mercury political columnist and adviser to late Premier Jim Bacon, said Ms Collins was the lead Tasmanian ALP campaigner during the election and “can take a lot of credit for the success of increased her vote”.
He said as former housing minister and then agriculture, fisheries and forestry minister she was implementing national policies unlike most of her Franklin opponents who spent the “whole campaign focusing on largely Tasmanian jurisdictional issues”.
“People continually underestimate Julie Collins and she is not given the credit she has earned and deserves,” Dr Lester said.
“Since becoming the first woman to be elected to represent the federal seat of Franklin in 2007 she has served in the ministries of the Gillard, Rudd and Albanese governments.
“You don’t keep getting appointed to federal cabinet if you are not smart, tough and well-respected.”
Dr Lester said she was targeted because Labor refused to bow to Greens’ pressure on salmon farming.
“Collins was also targeted by those campaigning that the south had somehow been denied its fair share of federal funding – a position which is demonstrably untrue.”
Originally published as Labor MP Julie Collins says negative campaigning will deter people from politics
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