



When tensions rise, politicians must keep cool heads



IS ANYONE surprised that it's going to get hot this election year?

The political year of 2012 began badly with indigenous protesters forcing Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to flee an Australia Day event in Canberra.

This year even the lazy days before January 26 are not immune from the divisive issue of race.

Andrew Laming, the Liberal National Party MP for the federal seat of Bowman, thrust himself beyond the concerns of his Queensland constituents when he condemned a melee between Aboriginal and Pacific islander groups on the streets of Woodridge, in the city of Logan south of Brisbane.

As combatants armed themselves with fence palings and police moved in, @AndrewLamingMP tweeted: ''Mobs tearing up Logan tonight. Did any of them do a day's work today, or was it business as usual and welfare on tap?''

Such comments might have been filed under the ''they do things differently north of the Tweed'' file but for the fact that Laming is a Coalition spokesman on indigenous issues, specifically the shadow parliamentary secretary for regional health services and indigenous health and therefore a key member of the team Abbott hopes to take into government this year.

An ophthalmic surgeon, obstetrician and gynaecologist in a previous life, he would seem to be well qualified for a role in health policymaking, but he now looks little better than a populist stirrer.

Laming's comments quickly headed to the top of radio bulletins and into the social media sphere. Some commenters disputed whether there was a racial element to the Woodridge unrest.

Alas there were quotes emanating from the participants to indicate that a dispute between families had evolved into a racially charged confrontation.

By mid-afternoon the Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, was talking of relocating the families involved.

The commentary on Fairfax Media's Brisbane Times site was divided on the merits of Laming's statement.

Labor's Craig Emerson called Laming's comments disgraceful and inflammatory, and rather loosely implied that Abbott would cut welfare payments in Logan City.

Laming, without backing down, did feel the need to soften his words. He tweeted: ''To clarify: Working together to resolve these riots the priority. Training and a chance for jobs are key.''

The member for Bowman is very much the contemporary connected politician, no communications naif.

In February 2011 he shared with Fairfax Media his tips for elected members on how to interact with voters on Twitter and Facebook. He said communication through social media is exploding and elected representatives must engage the space because political gains can be enormous.

Australia's quotient of racists is likely to be as high - or low - as any other country. But our politicians are encumbered with a heavy responsibility to not inflame racial and communal tensions. Were Laming's remarks racist? This is not a word to be used lightly, but at very least an apology is in order.

Australia has thankfully been clear of anything that could be described as a ''race election'', at least since the early days of Federation. Yes, there are plenty of people who would dispute that statement, citing the rise of Pauline Hanson in the late 1990s and the so-called Tampa election of 2001. But any assertion that either election swung on a ''racist'' vote is arguable to say the least.

The political temperature is bound to get hotter in 2013. The Gillard government will be fighting tooth and claw to hold office. Having already signalled that it will define Abbott as sexist, it won't hesitate to hold the Coalition as racist.

After the 2012 Australia Day debacle, some Australians' hearts hardened on Aboriginal issues. Within months the government had decided to postpone a promised referendum to recognise indigenous people in the constitution.

Politicians can have no part to play in hardening the nation's heart. When hotheads take to the streets, cool heads must prevail in the political discourse.

Each January, it might be better for our politicians to feel the sand between their toes, not the fingers above their keypad.

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