GREGOR HEARD
National grains writer
THE dust has settled on the Andrew Broad scandal, and gradually people have had their fill of the schadenfreude that went with seeing someone who had positioned themselves on a moral pedestal fall so spectacularly from grace.
It is time, then, to have a look at just what went wrong, not simply to rake over old coals but to see whether Mr Broad’s demise is symptomatic of a greater malaise within rural politics.
All across Australia, rusted-on National Party voters are dropping off and the message is clear, the Nationals need to stop relying on old glories and personal loyalties to maintain their stranglehold on rural seats.
While for many, the lasting memories of Mr Broad will be of a hypocrite unwilling to live by the strict moral code he was all too happy to apply to others, many within the rural sector are quick to point out there was more to the man than that.
Long before he was a punchline for comedians across the globe, Mr Broad, through a strong work ethic, had positioned himself for a lengthy stint in public life.
When he became involved in the Victorian Farmers Federation, his youthful presence was welcomed as a breath of fresh air. He soon found himself at the helm of the organisation, the youngest ever president, aged just 33.
When John Forrest announced his intention to retire from the seat of Mallee, Mr Broad ambitiously threw his hat in the ring and following a tireless campaign, he received Nationals preselection and was elected in the safe seat comfortably.
A youngish man of 38, a quarter of a century in politics – should he desire it – was very much on the cards. But it was within this position of near virtual absolute power that the cracks started appearing.
He became increasingly unwilling to discussing matters not of his choosing, instead focusing on whatever issue he deemed was important to people in his electorate, rather than listening to the concerns of the people who voted him in.
Restless local voters felt their status as an untouchably safe Nationals seat was costing them in terms of a share of the funding pie, and saw Mr Broad’s relentless focus on maintaining hardline Christian conservative values as distracting from his efforts as a local member.
The situation had the hallmarks of a man far too comfortable with his own role, which, retrospectively, must have been the case.
How else could someone get tied up in such a salacious scandal when their whole public persona was so much as the clean cut boy next door?
With Mr Broad falling on his own sword, his political chapter is closed, but there is a cautionary tale the rest of the National Party would do well to heed.
His position as good as untouchable in an electoral sense is one repeated in many rural-based seats across the country.
By a number of metrics there is significant disadvantage for people in rural areas compared with their urban counterparts – hardly the sign of the party for the country kicking goals, yet the Nationals keep telling all of us in the country what a good job they are doing for on our behalf.
The constant over promising and under delivery is taking its toll, with more and more voters disconnecting from the party.
Rural Australia is delivering a blunt message: it’s time to stop taking your constituents for fools, doing as you please and telling them how lucky they are to have you and to start listening.