Welcome to Happenings on the Hill – Happenings on the Hill is a fortnightly column specifically for the Third Sector by government engagement expert Neil Pharaoh, Director & Co-Founder of Tanck.
Believe it or not, the best time to influence and change policy is when a party is in opposition, not when they are in government. I was fortunate enough recently to lead a workshop with over 20 different organisations as part of a coalition advocating for change in a federal policy space. In the area they are advocating, the barrier for further progress and change isn’t necessarily on the Labor side, but that if Labor goes where they inherently want to go, as a party Labor is worried about attacks from the opposition and “losing the middle”. This is the case across a wide variety of issues, and when you hear the phrase “wedge politics”, this goes to the core of the problem. The question is what can you do about it?
There are a number of really important things to remember about opposition, but it always helps to understand the role of opposition and its history – Scott Prasser from the Australasian Study of Parliament Group has written a great article on “Opposition one day, govern the next” which provides some really interesting insights about the role, history and place of oppositions in our system of government. In summary, his article also reflects on some of the challenges in opposition – lack of resources, the nature of policy itself, government controls, and the benefits of incumbency – while all of these are challenges for Opposition – they are all opportunities for not-for-profits who have a longer-term outlook, and who recognise that government in Australia will always change eventually.
From Prasser’s article (Opposition One Day, Government the Next: Can Oppositions Make Policy and be ready for Office?, Scott Prasser, ACU, Canberra), let’s dive into the lack of resources. This is self-evident in opposition, where they do not have government departments, or access to treasury monies to develop, test and challenge policy – but this is also the area NFPs can assist the most. Working with the opposition when they are in opposition is a unique opportunity to assist, provide value, and shape the narrative of your respective policy area. Most opposition Shadow Ministers will have few policy advisors, and substantially less than the government – how you build that relationship, how you work with their respective political party, and how to assist with insight and ideas can make a big difference, especially in “wedge” areas—where if the opposition isn’t as critical, you can probably get the government to go further.
The second point raised by ASPG is the nature of policy – in summary, the policy is an action to reduce a particular or perceived problem (at Tanck we use this problem/solution frame with all our clients across a number of different aspects of their work). In reflecting upon the article, the discussion considers the ability to “solve” an issue and the balance between that and its popularity – providing support and horizons for policy beyond an election or budget cycle can help steer and shape the long-term trajectory of a policy area. Speaking to the opposition about what they could do when they get back to the government, as well as where they might be able to contribute to the government’s agenda or give the government a “free pass” on an issue is all relevant here.
The government controls and the benefits of incumbency are the third and fourth elements of the opposition. This mixes both the parliamentary dynamic of oppositions (the government can win a vote in the lower house, most of the time) coupled with the consequences of being in opposition – opposition for long periods means future leaders tend to look for something more exciting, and future recruits and high calibre staff are lost. Depending on your politics, your organisation’s ability to connect with upcoming leaders (who may one day become advisors) and assist the opposition in networking and positioning in the sector could be invaluable.
While the above may provide some guidance around specifics of policy work in opposition, the broad premise is critical to keep in mind – if you want the policy to stick in Australia in the long term, you need to get both sides to agree. Now while we see the politics of disagreement often, the vast majority of policy and legislation is actually bipartisan in Australia, it is just that agreement doesn’t often make a news story.
Key questions to consider include reflection on where you can get both sides to agree to long-term aims and priorities, even if they are reflected differently for each side of politics (equality to one is an opportunity to the other, etc). Using the time a party is in opposition is also a great opportunity to bring new research, perspective and ideas to them, as well as build relationships that can last well into future governments. In addition to the above, remember today’s candidates, tomorrow’s MPs next week’s Ministers and Prime Ministers, are next month’s feathers dusters – going to someone only when you want something isn’t the basis for a strong relationship.