Whether we acknowledge it or not, our society runs on trust. Trust that someone will stop at a pedestrian crossing or red light, that the driver next to you is not distracted or under the influence and as focused on staying in their lane as you are.

Trust that your children are safe in the care of educated professionals, of friends and family and loved ones. Trust that your favourite deli takes hygiene seriously. That the chicken producer adheres to regulations. Trust that most people don’t mean us harm, or that professionals with access to our data don’t abuse it.

It’s the one commodity that can’t be bought long term. We trust cautiously, but mostly without thinking. We are socialised to trust one another.

And as trust breaks down, so too does our society.

If there is one thing all leaders should be focused on, it should be maintaining trust. In our institutions and our democracy, and all those foundations which underpin it. Which is why it is so strange that the federal press gallery continues to hold its Midwinter Ball.

For those lucky enough not to know, the Midwinter Ball is run by the federal press gallery committee once a year, usually in the week before the winter break. Members of the press gallery control the invitations – you have to apply to buy a table, and MPs rely on being invited by those who have been approved to purchase access to the room. The big names in politics are scooped........

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