AUSTRALIA, YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOURSELF

I don’t know about you but I’m feeling really proud of Australia today.

It’s not because of the result of the election but because, in a world of Trumpian lies and tough-guy politics, the Oz heartland chose the kinder road and moved toward civility and compassion.

And I’m proud that, after the dust settled, our leaders also rejected America’s reptilian politics and chose to win (in Albo’s case) with humility and to lose (on Peter Dutton’s part) with grace, by giving respect to their opponents.

Australians showed their character by ignoring Clive Palmer’s crude attempts to import Trump’s brand of scattershot brazen lies, half-truths and puerile name calling.

They showed that the national ‘No Dickheads’ policy is still in force and that they’re capable of choosing policies over slogans and individual character over mindless party loyalty.

The problems we face are real but we now have some clear air in which to figure out some sustainable solutions, without Clive’s incessant robo-texts, the sloganeering and name calling.

We learned that the ABC retains its credibility – its election-night coverage’s ratings beat the rest by a factor of four.

We also learned that spending millions on media and social advertising doesn’t deliver seats – Clive’s Trumpets spent as much as Labor, around $24 million, and won nothing.

It all depends on your message.