Credentials vs Capabilities
The recent election and subsequent new Albanese Government cabinet have brought out the usual lazy thinking by the commentary class.
For the millionth time, there is a vast difference between someone having credentials and someone having capability.
I have read this week that Daniel Mulino will make a brilliant minister because he has a PhD from Yale and similarly Andrew Charlton will make a brilliant assistant minister because he has a PhD from Oxford.
No, no, no.
They may be brilliant ministers and candidly I hope they will be. But it won’t be because they have PhDs from brand name institutions. It will be because they are smart, work hard, and have good judgement.
Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge a politician by the certificates on their wall.
I even read some nonsense yesterday that Sussan Ley will make a great, economics focused leader of the opposition because she has a masters degree in tax. Ha!
Australian parliaments are full of well credentialed duds. From PhDs to Rhodes Scholars to Fulbright Scholars. I could name plenty but their pathetic-ness is already well documented.
I will noted that Australia’s best Treasurer, but not so great Prime Minister, Paul Keating does not have a university degree.
This is part of the problem. The lack of diversity in the parliament. Not gender, race, or even height diversity, but intellectual and cognitive diversity. The kind of diversity that means that group think risk is minimised.
Please, please, please don’t accept the commentarial clap trap. Credentials may indicate competence but it does not evidence it.
