Our vote reveals a country desperate for culture change

Nat Cagilaba, Managing Director at We Are Unity

After 10 years of liberal leadership, the Australian people are ready for a cultural change. The election results this weekend spoke loud and clear: the culture of government – the mindsets and behaviours that drive ‘how we get things done around here’ – needs to change.

According to Vote Compass, 85 per cent of Australians believe corruption is a problem in the country, with just one per cent saying it is not a problem at all. We’re clamouring for accountability and want to trust the people in leadership to do the right thing. 

A significant shift in leadership is a chance to listen to the problems of the past and use that momentum to fix the big issues. Everyone wants to say: what's different? How can I make a mark? How can we change things moving forward? There’s a sense of hope in the air, which acts as a catalyst for cultural change. 

Labor has committed two promises that, if followed through with, will set the tone for this government’s culture: installing all 55 recommendations from Kate Jenkins’ Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces, and introducing a national integrity commission within the first six months in power. 

The Kate Jenkins recommendations are an easy win that Albanese should implement fast, to show (rather than tell) that the new government is different from what’s come before. The Federal ICAC will show ‘you can trust us’, and given that it’s a retrospective for the last 15 years, it’s not just the Liberals that are going to be held into account. 

As things stand, a lot of the frameworks in place that are set by the government for corporations to adhere to don't actually apply to the government itself. It’s why Brittany Higgins didn’t have a HR department to turn to, and why (almost) no one has felt compelled to resign as a result of the multiple corruption scandals that this government has faced. 

Labor needs to bring in governance and risk frameworks that they will stick to and that will hold them to account. They need to follow through on their commitment to ratify the Uluru Statement of the Heart, keep building visibility for minorities in leadership positions, and continue the fight against corruption.

If they can do so, a genuine cultural change is on the cards - not just for the government, but the country as a whole.

Nat Cagilaba, Managing Director, We Are Unity.