Two years ago, I was on the ballot for the first time in local government, seeking the votes of the good citizens of The City of Onkaparinga in South Australia, alongside seven other candidates.
One in 10 South Australians live in my local government area, and voting is not compulsory. The ballot is conducted by post, and we don’t have a local community newspaper across the whole area. While candidates might be aligned with political parties, those parties cannot officially endorse them.
Thus, there are a few hurdles to overcome in capturing the attention of citizens and converting them into voters. Most election campaigns are designed to be polarising—that’s really the point, to show how far away and how different you are from one another so people who share your views will line up with you.
But as mayor, I have tried to take a different approach. Rather than contributing to the polarisation, my focus has been on fostering inclusiveness and understanding among our residents.
As mayor, I am required under legislation to lead, support, and guide the councillors to decisions that will bring out the best for our people and places. In my view, and in my practice, that requires bringing people together, not pushing them apart.
In this environment, I’ve learned a thing or two about one of the most significant challenges of our time: polarisation.
Polarisation is on the rise
If you believe polarisation is not as significant an issue in Australia as it is in the US, consider the findings of the latest McKinnon poll, released just last week. It revealed that a majority of Australians feel the country has become more divided compared to five years ago. Specifically, 27 per cent of respondents believe Australia is extremely or very divided on key political, economic, and social issues, while an additional 50 per cent view the country as somewhat divided.
Nearly one in five Australians indicated they could not be friends with individuals holding different political views. These trends are concerning and represent global patterns of increasing polarisation seen in many Western democracies.
Polarisation is linked to people’s ability to connect with others
So, what do we do about it? Well, research published in September this year in the Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation suggests the less we are able to separate politics from personal relations, the more polarised we become.
How polarised individuals in the study became depended on one crucial factor: the strength of the connection between disagreement on issues and personal dislike. If this connection is weak–meaning individuals could dislike each other but still agree, or like each other and disagree, they remained close to the ‘centre’.
If it was strong, they became polarised. The researchers wrote, “This suggests polarisation is linked to people’s ability to connect to others on a personal level. When we lose sight of the fact that those we disagree with are usually decent human beings with good intentions, we may find ourselves diverging more and more on political issues, with less room for compromise”.
Focusing on connection and finding the middle ground that binds us all together
This brings me to my role: in local government, you are closest to the people. You can turn up to sporting events, music festivals, and parks and gardens, and you connect as a fellow citizen—someone who also loves where they live. You are showing up to enjoy the outdoors, walk a dog, applaud sparkly fairies dancing in a concert with other parents, grandparents, neighbours, and friends. You are showing up in relationship and connecting to each other’s stories and to place. Together, you are finding the middle that binds you all together. This is vital.
In an increasingly polarised world, we must focus on community—not merely building coalitions, but fostering true connections that transcend differences. One way we can do this is by micro-dosing community. By introducing small, consistent interactions within our communities, we can strengthen the ties that unite us.
Centring libraries as trusted sources of information
Over the past two years, I’ve made it a priority to connect with our community at local libraries, whether through casual conversations or more formal meetings and events—reinforcing the role of libraries as vital centres for dialogue and sources of trusted information. Unlike social media platforms driven by algorithms that filter out diverse perspectives, libraries provide an unbiased space where everyone can engage with a wealth of knowledge without judgment. By prioritising our libraries, we empower residents to access reliable information and build a stronger, more connected community.
Elevating joy and hope
One of my criticisms of the recent US presidential campaign was the sheer volume of Trump content constantly reinforcing his message and adding to his algorithms. Hate and fear are currency. Joy and hope are too—but they need more support to cut through the noise of negativity and divisiveness that often fills our newsfeeds.
Local government, and mayors in particular, are in a unique position to cheer people on, celebrate their achievements, share local pride, and advocate for the entire community—not just a select few. Embracing joy and hope is crucial if we’re going to counteract algorithmic biases, sensationalism, and the oversimplification of complex issues that fix our views and polarise our society. By intentionally elevating joy and hope, mayors can play a vital role in promoting a narrative that uplifts and unites, rather than divides.
Embracing the radical middle
Another thing I’ve learned is that being polarising is an easy, if not lazy, method of leading. It’s akin to delivering a cheap joke in stand-up comedy—it may elicit a laugh, but it’s short-lived. Sustainable change requires deeper engagement. Finding a middle ground is not the ultimate solution, yet I’m increasingly convinced that the middle ground is where true radicalism lies in modern politics.
In the middle, you need to negotiate, listen to a range of views, discern with data, make space for a range of views—not just the loudest ones—and privilege the voices of those most impacted by a decision. In my practice, this means I ask about future generations and push for examination of the long-term, not just the quick fix, and bring people working on similar objectives together from a range of experiences. The radical middle, in these times, echoes Socrates’ adage of “everything in moderation,” which opens up paths to more inclusion, diversity, and participation.
The power of ‘and’
In conversations about community and governance, one of the most powerful words we can embrace is “and.” This seemingly simple conjunction holds the potential to transform our dialogue and decision-making processes. When we say “and,” we embrace complexity and nuance, moving away from the often simplistic binary thinking that dominates discussions. And who else? And what if? The power of “and” encourages us to acknowledge that multiple perspectives can coexist, challenging the notion that we must choose one viewpoint at the expense of another, and this allows for greater nuance to emerge.
Consantly learning
The role of mayor requires leadership that can bring the community along with change that is transformational and less transactional. I have much more to learn, and I am looking forward to the next two years to see if my processes and commitment to the middle become shaky in the turbulent polarisation swirling around us.