Where culture leads, policy follows

How was it for you? Albo’s national address was perhaps the most underwhelming three and a half minutes since your last one night stand. 

As Aussies are urged to exercise caution and constraint, to avoid packing a barrel of unleaded next to the hiking gear this Easter, the government continues to send mixed signals.

The slashing of the fuel excise makes it more affordable to buy the petrol we don’t have. Make it make sense.

It does, of course, when you consider the political and cultural considerations of policy development.

It’s not just that the cost at the pump directly impacts someone’s vote at the polling booth. 

It’s not even that many of the most marginal electorates are in suburbs where public transport has often been deprioritised, meaning that suggesting an alternative to driving is as impractical as it is unpopular. 

It’s that car usage is fundamental to Australian culture and identity. Anything that threatens that feels downright unpatriotic.

The same is true of home ownership. 

This week marked 300,000 people taking advantage of the government’s 5% Deposit Scheme. The restrictions around income and house prices were lifted in October last year. 

An increase in supply has come nowhere near to matching this turbocharged demand, but again the same principle applies - government policy that aligns to cultural foundations will always be seen in a positive light, regardless of the efficacy.

Andrew Breitbart was wrong about many, many things. But his mantra that “politics is downstream from culture” is playing out in real time. 

In the short term, it means an expensive Easter break for many. In the long term, it will continue leaving the country vulnerable to external shocks.