General News
28 September, 2022
Should politicians work part-time?
SOUTH West Coast independent candidate Michael McCluskey has suggested the idea of part time politicians in the hopes of increasing the number of local candidates willing to run for office.
SOUTH West Coast independent candidate Michael McCluskey has suggested the idea of part time politicians in the hopes of increasing the number of local candidates willing to run for office.
Dr McCluskey said the concept had proven popular overseas, and could encourage a greater number of candidates from underrepresented areas who might otherwise be unwilling to forgo their careers.
“Unfortunately so far we have only four candidates who have declared they will run for the seat of South West Coast at the upcoming state election,” he said.
“All four are Warrnambool-based so the rest of the electorate from Terang down to Peterborough and across to Portland does not have a local voice.
“Many people don’t consider entering politics.
“One of the reasons is they have to sacrifice their employment to do so plus they lose the security of having their job.”
Dr McCluskey said “part-time politicians” could increase the diversity of candidates from across different fields, including the sciences.
“Another advantage is we reduce the number of career politicians in parliament who are at risk of spending more time focusing on retaining their seat as opposed to putting the community first,” he said.
“The model of part-time politicians works in other countries, including Switzerland, which ranks highly in the world in terms of both social and economic advancement.
“This is also the very model we have at local government, where candidates can fulfil their role as elected officials yet still continue in their regular employment if they choose.
“There is no doubt many of those who put their hand up for local government would not have done so if it was a full time job.”