Opinion: Politicians at Markets

With upcoming elections. I have been thinking a lot about politicians making their appearances at markets. Typically, there are only a handful of politicians (namely local council-level politicians) that I know who consistently make an appearance at markets. But now that the election to decide our next prime minister is just around the corner, there have already been more political groups making a sudden appearance in local spaces to rally votes.

In this blog, there are two main points I want to address. The first is why it is important to recognise that, just because politicians have turned up to your local community areas, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have any genuine interest in you, your beliefs or your concerns. The second is why it is important that markets do not become a political battleground in place of genuine stallholders.

The first point I would like to address is highly relevant to all levels of politics. Whether it be from your local council or state-wide elections, the outcome is the same.

We have regularly attended the One Tree Hill Country Market and the Blakes Crossing Market for years, and within that time, I noticed this during the local council elections. As the elections approached, there was an influx in local politicians and council candidates visiting these markets.

In this time, there was one upcoming councilwoman in particular who made a very conscious effort to post on social media and visit events. For privacy reasons, I won’t mention names or specific details that would reveal her identity, but if you are a regular to markets in the Playford Council area, and have a keen eye, you may know you I’m referring to.

At the time, it was impressive. She was very involved within the community, so much so that it wasn’t surprising when she was voted in. And just like that – crickets. Once elected, we stopped seeing her at markets, and her regular posting suddenly became extremely lazy, as if she had fallen off the face of the earth entirely. The extent of her community support became an occasional reminder that “hey, this market is on this weekend”, but you never see her there anymore.

This in particular has been a bitter reminder of the global – not just state or Australia-wide – crisis that we are in. Politicians show up in small bursts only, before dropping off. Your questions and concerns become conveniently unnoticed and ignored, or it is not within their budget or council jurisdiction. Many interactions you have are purely for the convenience of acquiring your vote – often regardless of the political party they belong to.

Question: Does the presence of politicians at markets genuinely impact how politicians act during their term, if elected? In many cases - we have seen politicians purely acting for their own monetary or occupational gain, regardless of how the people have asked and voted for. I am unsure that a physical presence makes a difference if a snake is a snake.

With that in mind, it brings me to my next point - that it is important that markets do not become a political battleground in place of genuine stallholders.

At all markets, there are limited space available, many of which are taken up by local, independent small businesses and artists. For many, this is their only source of income, which is certainly not the case for most politicians.

Much like in our recent blog post, Opinion: Resellers at Markets, I do not believe that politicians should predominantly hold the space over hardworking small businesses, artists and creators. Markets should be a welcoming experience for everyone, and by accepting multiple political parties at a single time (especially of competing political beliefs), market organisers are inviting political megalomania into the community space.

To politicians, a market is a business transaction. To small creators, a market is an essential event so they can make rent.

There is a difference between council members attending a market to gather signatures for a present issue, such as Playford Council members recently attending local markets to get signatures to improve Curtis Road, and politicians sitting around and saying “Vote for me! I promise I’m better than XYZ!”

One is actively striving for change, especially as Curtis Road has a presently dangerous intersection that has caused many accidents, whereas the alternative, I fail to see any legible benefits. On paper, speaking to local politicians seems beneficial, but around election time, I have found that many politicians are focused on their own political career’s gain more than anything - or anyone - else.

Of course, this is a significant generalisation, but politicians are notably one of the greatest examples of a career that is mightily controversial and often leaves the public feeling as if they come second to political leaders.

With the Australian election rapidly approaching, I urge you not to take what politicians say at face value. I highly recommend taking the time to do your own thorough research on the political leaders who are running in upcoming elections.

An independent, non-partisan website I recommend is TheyVoteForYou.org.au, in which you can search for particular policies as well as specific Australian political leaders and see what they have voted for consistently in the past, including for issues such as:

• Housing affordability

• LGBTQ+ rights (including same-sex marriage and transgender rights)

• Increasing political transparency

• Climate change, protection of the Great Barrier Reef, emissions reductions, etc.

• Increasing funding for education

And so much more!

We have seen the turn which the world has taken in recent months, particularly with the last election within the United States, and if we are not careful, Australia will shift in the same direction. If you are not nervous: you are not paying attention.

This election, I urge you to do your research and vote for lesser evils.

Visit TheyVoteForYou.org.au and see which leading and local politicians have voted for what!

What are your thoughts on politicians being in market spaces? Have you had any experiences of council members being present pre-election and then disappearing after they win? Do you have any other independent and nonpartisan resources that people can look at when preparing to vote in this upcoming election?

Thank you for reading.

Kimberley (they/them)

Accessories by Antoinette