Our political system is a circus, that once Derryn Hinch would have loudly objected to

From a ragtag of independent pollies pushing Dan Andrews’ pandemic bill over the line, to sex, slurs and senators barking like dogs; Australian politics these days is ‘low rent’.

In his heyday, Derryn Hinch would have torn people apart on his top-rating radio show for trashing Australia’s political system. Picture: Getty Images

Broadcaster and politician Derryn Hinch gave me my first start in radio way back in the mid 80s.

It was a humble beginning doing a daily cross on his 3AW morning program to spruik. what was in that edition of the afternoon newspaper, Melbourne’s The Herald.

I filled in on the Hinch radio show when then Herald editor Neil Mitchell was away. Mitchell too got his start that way and has been at 3AW for more than 34 years.

Those were heady days for Derryn who was not long after poached from radio by the late Christopher Skase to start up the Hinch TV show on Network Seven.

At one point Mitchell and I went out to lunch with Derryn who had his white chauffeur driven Rolls Royce – the permanent driver was, by the way, a young blonde woman – pick us up from out the front of the newspaper.

He paid for the meal and I have to be honest I was a bit star struck. Hinch and I have had some dreadful blues over the years but back then he was very encouraging.

Hinch went on to be hired and sacked multiple times on a handful of radio and TV stations, ultimately ending up for a short time in the Australian Senate as Senator Derryn Hinch, the independent.

While Derryn Hinch has been strangely quiet of late, his namesake party hasn’t been. Picture: Jason Edwards

He’s been strangely quiet lately – very unlike him – but his name lives on in the circus that is the Upper House of the Victorian parliament.

That political circus delivered Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday his dangerous pandemic laws after a marathon sitting. Derryn wasn’t there but two members of the Justice Party that carries his name were.

To their credit, Stuart Grimley and Tania Maxwell voted against the bill as did most of the other independents, except for a bloke from something called the Transport Matters party, a Rod Barton.

He joined the Green MP Samantha Ratnam, Fiona Patten from the strangely named Reason Party and Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick.

It makes you wonder what Animal Justice has anything to do with pandemic lockdowns?

What this ragtag collection of no-name, one issue independents really offer the taxpayers of Victoria with their bloated salaries and MP perks is certainly worth examining.

A group advocating for animals, the taxi industry, sex workers and Green ideology, has rolled over and handed the most lockdown happy politician in Australia a raft of powers that our most senior legal minds in Victoria call dangerous.

It took some arm twisting of Rod Barton, who like many of his independent colleagues, had a tiny minority of wrong thinking voters give him a first preference vote over something to do with taxis.

He advocated on behalf of hire cars and taxis to curb the deregulation of the industry which was loosely an attempt to hold back the tide of companies like Uber.

We all saw how that worked out and his own business and family property were lost to the online giants, as they steam rolled traditional taxis and limos.

Barton is like dozens of independents that start out with a genuine passion, end up getting elected, and when they get there the hubris sees them turn in to what they believe are kingmakers.

Only a handful of true independents or non-major political party figures in Australian politics have made a true difference.

Think back to Brian Harradine from Tasmania or Peter Andren who represented the seat of Calare on rural matters, or Sydney’s Ted Mack.

The late Senator Brian Harradine set a fine example of how an upper house politician should behave, but few have followed in his footsteps. Picture: Supplied

Giants as Independents, they make this Victorian gaggle look like the ordinary circus it is.

This has been a depressing week for Australian voters as they witnessed federal senators like Lidia Thorpe of the Greens make disgusting slurs against a fellow senator.

In the lower house, fresh allegations against federal Minister Alan Tudge over a consensual sexual affair that was career destroying for the young woman and, if as described by her accurately, appalling behaviour.

Tudge has challenged her version of events.

Back in the Senate, Liberal Senator David Van was accused of making dog barking noises during a speech by Jacqui Lambie.

What do these people think they are elected to do? The Australian public deserve so much better from political leaders, but look on dismayed at behaviour none of us would ever get away with.

Andy Meddick from the Animal Justice Party once brought a lamb to parliament. Picture: David Crosling

They wag their fingers at badly behaved sports people, make speeches about social standards and pass laws to ban us from doing a range of things but think the standards that apply to us don’t apply to them.

In his heyday on radio Hinch would have torn these people apart for this disgraceful trashing of our political system.

From the Victorian circus to the Canberra cesspit, it’s depressing how low rent some of these people have become.

We all deserve so much better.

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> A bid to force voters to use ID on election day scuttled by the Opposition.

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