Each week SBS asks two bloggers, one Labor and one Liberal, to discuss issues that have arisen on the campaign trail. This week we ask them: Since a politician's job is firmly in the public domain, should his or her private life be, too?
The bloggers have had their say on the issue, but what do you think? Should a politician's private life be fair game?
Former NSW Labor Premier, Barrie Unsworth:
Modern forms of democracy place elected representatives in positions of responsibility for many aspects of the lifestyle and wellbeing of our society.
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Persons elected through this process should possess the attributes of honesty, integrity, compassion and a desire to serve the interest of the wider community they represent.
Consequently the electorate is entitled to know that those chosen to serve in elective office will fulfil their legislative and administrative responsibilities to the highest level of its expectation.
To enable an appropriate selection, the electorate is entitled to know all the information that is available in respect of a candidate's personal life to ensure that a fully informed choice is made in the electoral process.
In today's society with the constant scrutiny of politicians and political candidates by an intrusive media, there is usually little that is not known about their public and private persona.
It therefore is preferable that a politician's personal choices be they ideological, marital, sexual or transgressional, be publicly known rather than covertly held, and subsequently exposed.
In today's tolerant and diverse society the electorate is more likely to accept variations in personal mores, than would have occurred in the narrow and blinkered society of the past.
The real issue is whether the individual has the ability to effectively, and honestly fulfil the responsibilities of the position, to which they have been entrusted.
If individuals are not prepared to accept scrutiny of their past and present actions, then they should seek some other outlet for their talents, than election to public office.
As the former US President Harry S. Truman once said: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".
Liberal Member for Mitchell, Alex Hawke:
Any candidate putting themselves forward for the privilege of representing their local community in Parliament should understand that the role rightly involves sacrifice and enormous commitment.
Public life means putting your life story under a level of scrutiny above general community norms. This often extends to family and friends of elected representatives who sometimes also make enormous sacrifices.
To a majority of the Australian community, the private lives of those who put themselves forward for public office, and their families, are not considered 'fair game'. While there is a desire to know a candidate's background and experience, most often the focus remains on policies and issues. However, people do have a right to know where a person stands on important issues and what background informs their view in public life.
Following the removal of Mr Rudd we have, in Julia Gillard, a Prime Minister who has been in office for a matter of weeks. We still do not know what Ms Gillard stands for on a large number of issues.
Now, mid-way through an election campaign, we see Ms Gillard tell Australians that from now on she will be "real" with them, begging the question: was everything Julia Gillard said over the past five weeks false? Which parts were real and which were fake?
Perhaps with this promise to be "real", from now on, we will be able to ascertain the full extent Ms Gillard was involved with failed programs such as Grocery Watch, Fuel Watch, and the Home Insulation Program. Perhaps now Ms Gillard will be "real" about the full level of waste under the Building the Education Revolution program. And perhaps now we will have some "real" clarification as to the true direction our country is going be taken should Labor be re-elected.
As Australians we all believe in giving someone a fair go. But we also expect people to be "fair dinkum" with us. The majority of Australians will remain focussed on the performance of the Government and the policies and issues of those standing for public office rather than the personal details of peoples lives.
Should a politician's life be fair game? Give us your thoughts on the issue here.
