‘Very brave, minister’: How boldness shapes political decisions

April 27, 2026 — 5:00am

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A strange thing is happening in Australian politics.

Two weeks ago, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor delivered a major speech. He cited two polls in which respondents said they wanted immigration cut – before going on to say he would cut immigration. Then, on Wednesday last week, Labor minister Mark Butler did a similar thing. He cited a poll finding most Australians liked the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but thought it needed fixing – before going on to outline how he’d fix it to make sure it lasted.

Consider how often in recent decades politicians have been attacked for slavishly following polls – for doing only what focus groups tell them to do. As Paul Keating’s speechwriter Don Watson wrote three decades back of the Labor opposition: “They seem to think only what they think the people think.”

Now, two of the most senior politicians in the land are not only admitting to this, but parading it as political virtue. “There go my people, I must follow them, for I am their leader” used to be a joke. Now it is a boast.

One danger in following polls lies in a simple mistake often made by the political class (I’ve made it). The genius of the polling industry, author Samuel Earle has written, was convincing us that “public opinion” was........

© The Sydney Morning Herald