What did you do when the Earth was burning and democracy was failing?

If you’re the federal Coalition of 2026, you squabbled among yourselves and prioritised personal ambition over community and country.

If you’re the federal Labor government of the day, you pointed and laughed from your 94 comfortable seats.

In doing so, you both squandered the remaining skerricks of public trust.

Having narrowly lost the seat of Goldstein to the Liberal party at the 2025 election, you might think I’m joyfully grabbing the popcorn at the Coalition’s demise.

Instead, I am deeply apprehensive, even though they deserve to fail.

They’ve flip-flopped on climate, all but abandoning climate policy, and with it, our children, after the election. They’ve fanned xenophobia and fear over housing and immigration. They’ve stoked and weaponised societal division over Israel and Gaza.

Their daily parliamentary behaviour is emblematic of what goes on behind the scenes.

Sign up: AU Breaking News email

But as the government’s hubris in parliament this week demonstrates, to have an opposition in such disarray is not going to advance our nation.

Both major parties seem to forget that is their job.

And along with the........

© The Guardian