By Michael Moore
IT gets up my nose hearing a line like: “When I am elected, I will not be a politician”. I heard it again just recently on television.
Avoid any political candidate who says or implies that they will not be a politician. Don’t be so naive!  Yes, they will.  That is our democratic system. A person who gets elected becomes a politician!
Of course we want your behaviour to be ethical – so give us information to demonstrate how you will conduct yourself. It is not hard to understand the thinking behind such simplistic comments, even though they lack insight. Politicians are fair game in our community and we revel in putting them down every time one of them makes a decision we don’t like.
The electorate understands the traditional party platforms, party discipline and how the Labor, Liberal and Green parties expect their elected Members to operate. Voting decisions are not so difficult for those who are committed to established parties. Indeed, the reason that ex-Liberal Richard Mulcahy is now running his own party is because his former party members felt that he would not operate according to their party procedures. No doubt he has a different perspective.
The balance of power in the ACT has always been a key part of elections since self-government in 1989.  This is why it is so important to try to understand how the middle parties and independent candidates will make their decisions.  This does not include The Greens for two reasons.  Firstly, they have a well-established national platform and modus operandi.  Secondly, the Greens have placed themselves left of Labor and I cannot recall a single instance where they have joined the Liberals in holding a Labor government accountable on any major issue.
There are a series of ways that people make their decisions once elected. So, for those who are trying to decide where to put an “accountability vote”, it is important to understand the principles of the group or independent and how decisions will be made. We certainly want the crossbenches to hold the government accountable.
However, it is a challenge to decide the most effective vote with such a range of candidates vying for the middle ground.  Frank Pangallo, the Democrats, the Community Alliance Party, Richard Mulcahy and Helen Cross are a few prominent examples of contenders.  No doubt there will be more.
Before examining the platforms of these aspirants, voters should really be able to see the principles upon which they are intending to operate. This is the information that I would like to see arrive in the letterbox rather than just a pretty picture, a slogan and one anecdote. 
The principles might include things like the civil liberties and empowering individuals; integrity, accountability and credibility; triple bottom line sustainability; respect and dignity for every person; equal access to things such as education and health and perhaps the promotion of initiative, business opportunities, innovation and creativity. 
While such principles provide an important insight into how the cross-bench pretenders think on their own, they are simply motherhood. Voters who are interested in the crossbenches will also wish to see some examples of how these will be applied. Hence, the importance of making a personal platform available that deals with issues such as local government, education and health. A platform can never cover all the decisions that have to be made once elected, but it can provide voters with an insight into the thinking of an individual or group.
However, principles and platform are not enough when it comes to casting a crossbench vote. Once you have raised your hand, voters will want to question how you will operate.  How will you achieve accountability, ethical practice and stable government?  How will you engage with the community? Are you willing to form any type of coalition – under what conditions? How will you respond to reprehensible conduct from a government that you have supported?
These are issues for someone who takes being a politician seriously, not for someone who thinks that they can be elected to be a “not-a-politician”. Governing our community is a solemn business and it is just as crucial for those holding the balance of power as it is for governments. As voters, we should support those who take the task seriously and who can let us know how they will conduct themselves and how they will go about the business of governance.

Michael Moore is a former independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and minister for health.