We need more diversity in Canberra politics - by Divya Joshi
In October 2020, we saw the election of a new ACT Government. I held my breath whilst watching the votes being counted. Given the diversity of this year’s candidates, I thought for sure, this year will be the year someone like me – a young culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) woman – would be elected. Yet as the votes came in and the 2020 Territory Government was confirmed, I was again left disappointed, but not surprised.
Image from the ACT Legislative Assembly website.
The 2016 census showed that only 72.7% of the population only speak English at home while a 2018 New York Times study found that 24% of Australians identify as being from non-European and Indigenous backgrounds. Australia is known for celebrating its diversity on the international stage, even claiming to be the most successful multicultural society in the world – something which matters enough for us to reflect it in our national anthem “…for those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share…”. Don’t get me wrong; we are lucky to be living in a democratic society where our votes are equally and fairly counted. But in this democracy, I can’t help but stop and reflect on the idea of representation.
As our representatives, the elected leaders should be as diverse as the community they come from - and to be fair, there were a significant number of culturally diverse candidates. In the Yerrabi district alone, there was Deepak Raj Gupta from Labor, Jacob Vadakkedathu and Krishna Nadimpalli from Canberra Liberals, Mainul Haque from the ACT Greens, Mohammad Munir Hussain, and Fuxin Lee. This incredible diversity is something to be proud of.
Despite a lengthy list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) candidates in every ACT electorate in this year’s election, it was disheartening to see each one lose out on a seat, with all but two (Elizabeth Lee, Member for Kurrajong, first Korean-Australian person to be elected to an Australian Parliament and newly elected Leader of the Opposition, and Elizabeth Kikkert, Member for Ginnenderra) defeated by their white counterparts. No person of South Asian descent won a seat in this year’s state election. This begs the question: why not?
When I first started paying attention to politics, I naïvely thought that this failure to elect diverse candidates must be the result of their policies or a failure to reflect community views and values. But after I started paying closer attention, I realized this is not a question of policies.
SO, I ran through a number of possibilities. Is it that many of these diverse candidates are new to the political sphere, and are still developing in-depth policies based on community views? It could be - but some diverse candidates have campaigned in numerous elections without success. In fact, thanks to the Hare Clarke system, many of the candidates running in the same electorate from the same party have almost identical policies and suggestions. So why do the culturally diverse candidates always fall short?
After seeing the results of the ACT election, I couldn’t help but wonder if this failure to reflect our multicultural community was because Asian-Australians had split their votes between so many diverse candidates. Would one of these candidates have won if everyone from a diverse background had banded together in their voting? Upon reflection, this was a horrid thought which plays into the incorrect notion that there is only enough space for one of us at the table. By grouping Asian-Australians and saying, “Only one of us can run and the rest must vote for that one”, we would also be detracting from democratic ideals. After all, our ideas are as diverse as our backgrounds, and democracy thrives on choice. This notion also puts the burden of ensuring diversity and representation on minorities. Those from already marginalised backgrounds cannot be held responsible for their own subjugation and cannot be empowered without resources or support from the already empowered. The lack of diversity in leadership positions, especially elected leaders, boils down to the problem: Australians do not vote for culturally diverse individuals.
When we have the power and choice in electing our leaders and a plethora of diverse candidates running in the elections, how is it that we still end up with a majority white Legislative Assembly? The most educated guess I could produce is that our preconceived notions and biases are at play when reading candidate names. Those who do not have a detailed understanding of the political system and who are not inclined to learn more about politics end up voting for the name that sounds most familiar and responsible. Ethnic names and faces are typically ‘othered’, meaning they are uncommon and stick out like sore thumbs in a society that has deemed white as the norm. Hence, even when confronted with diverse options, most Australians will choose the name they are most comfortable with (most likely an Anglo-Saxon name), which means most Australians will vote for white politicians, regardless of how much diversity is displayed on the voting ballot.
When we have the power and choice in electing our leaders and a plethora of diverse candidates running in the elections, how is it that we still end up with a majority white Legislative Assembly? The most educated guess I could produce is that our preconceived notions and biases are at play when reading candidate names. Ethnic names and faces are typically ‘othered’- uncommon and stick out like sore thumbs in a society that has deemed white as the norm. Formal studies and a significant amount of lived experience tells us that applicants with ethnic names are discriminated against when applying for jobs, scholarships and other opportunities. The employers knocking back our applications due to our complicated names are the same ones voting for candidates in these elections. Presumably then, most Australians who are not well-verse in politics will choose familiar Anglo-Saxon names, which translates to more white politicians in power, regardless of how much diversity is displayed on the voting ballot.
It is worth noting that to run for office takes time, money, and connections. As many BIPOC are also generational immigrants, these resources are scarcer for us than they may be for our white counterparts. It needs to be acknowledged that to even get their name on the ballot, BIPOC either must have been financially privileged to begin with or have immense effort, sacrifice, and support behind them, more so than their white counterparts. Even after overcoming the preliminary hurdles to get to the ballot, it is heart-wrenching to see almost all BIPOC fall down at the next set of hurdles.
It is similarly worth highlighting that despite the large list of culturally diverse candidates this year, the vast majority of diverse candidates are male identifying. Even within cultural diversity, there is still a lack of intersectionality and women in leadership. Yet, of those that have been elected – both diverse and non-diverse - a majority are women.
The reality of the situation is we could vote for whoever we want, and yet, we still choose mainly white Canberrans to represent us. The adage ‘change starts from within’ rings true and strongest in this situation. We are responsible for the lack of diversity in our politics. To change that, we need to take control of our prejudices and truly reflect on who we want to represent us. Our elected MLAs should be reflective of the diverse societies they represent. It is only by tackling our internal preconceived notions that we can judge candidates based on their policies alone and not of their ethnicity or race. Then maybe we will have a more balanced and diverse group of elected officials.
It is heartwarming to see progress being made on our political gender representation, while saddening to see the lack of progress in other areas. The hope remains that by persevering, BIPOC and other minorities will one day finally be judged fairly on their merit and skills and be truly representative of the communities they come from. Until then, we have a long way to go in admitting our biases, and in acknowledging that we create these barriers. One day, maybe someone like me, a young South Asian woman, will be elected– and that will be a great day for democracy.