PETER VAN ONSELEN: Jim Chalmers and his wife foolishly forgot to pretend they’re at one with the common people on the night it REALLY matters – and now they’ll pay the price

They say politics is showbiz for ugly people. Whether that’s true or not, why has Budget Night turned into its own showbiz-style extravaganza?

Don’t get me wrong, all the pomp and circumstance associated with this year’s budget is no different from what has happened in recent years. Both sides of politics are guilty of partying exuberantly on Budget evening. Liberals are perhaps even more so than Labor last night, after first publicly lamenting the financial pressure people are under in Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ budget speech.

We are currently experiencing a cost of living crisis, with forecasts of rising unemployment in the budget being less than 24 hours old. Australia is already in per capita recession.

Shouldn’t smart politicians at least pretend to be somewhat aware of the challenges facing ordinary Australians, even if just for one night?

A lavish dinner at Parliament House, with diners charging thousands of dollars per ticket. Every time it happens, there are fundraisers for parties. Tables filled with business types, before or after they face criticism of corporate excess in parliamentary committees and the media.

Maybe on Budget night they joke about the puppet show over a chardonnay?

New suits, ties and dresses to parade among a line of conga ministers assigned to various tables to talk about what makes this year’s budget so special. The annual predictions about the color and brand of the treasurer’s tie.

Who cares.

Expensive suits and dresses may reflect the pay packages our politicians and their partners earn, but why do they (foolishly) suspend their love of spin for this one night of the year only to emphasize how disconnected they are from normal Australian society ?

I don’t begrudge politicians and their partners wearing expensive outfits on Budget night. It doesn’t really matter to me at all, to be completely honest.

However, I am shocked by the lack of political courage involved in this. Likewise, I would be shocked if they conducted an interview with me detailing exactly which of their colleagues they didn’t like.

Political twists prevent them from doing so.

Once the Budget dinner is over, they head to their white cars with drivers to take them to the five-star hotel they wanted to visit that evening. Of course, all paid from the parliamentary travel allowance.

I am the last person who would begrudge the political class a decent wage. They work hard, most of them do anyway. I have written before that pay increases might improve the caliber of those who choose to enter political life.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is a former political staffer; so does his wife Laura. That’s actually too many politicians. For better or worse, they understand politics and the media.

In 2014, then-Treasurer Joe Hockey was pictured smoking a cigar on a balcony on the eve of his first budget cuts with then-Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. It was a bad sight

Therefore, they shouldn’t have been surprised by the social media backlash labeling them as “tone deaf” for the expensive dress she wore. Unfair perhaps, but not unexpected.

The pre-parliamentary backgrounds of MPs are increasingly over-represented by the narrow group of ex-political staff, at the expense of a more community-representative parliament.

Whether you’re critical of the arrogance of then-Treasurer Joe Hockey enjoying a cigar on a balcony on the eve of his first austerity budget, or of the expensive clothing choices politicians and their spouses make on Budget Night in general (Jim Chalmers ‘woman is not the first and will not be the last’) an important part of political representation is reflecting the community it represents.

At least in spin, if not in reality.

Dr. Chalmers and his wife are both former political staffers who are well aware of the bad optics of flaunting your wealth on Budget Night

If pandering to the crowd isn’t your thing, I completely understand. It’s not mine either. But then don’t choose a career in politics, where your survival depends on popular support.

It is not that our politicians shy away from trying to emphasize in other ways how much they are in touch with ‘the fighters’.

How many times have you heard Anthony Albanese talk about the challenges he faced as a child raised by a single mother on the housing board? Or John Howard from the past, referring to his working-class roots. (His father owned gas stations, so I’ve always thought the reference to the ‘working class’ was a bit of an exaggeration. That said, because a Liberal MP who only owns two gas stations is probably their version of the working class).

Peter Dutton was a Queensland cop, did you know that? Of course, because he never keeps quiet about it.

While no one in their right mind should ever take fashion advice from me, I am reliably informed that there are plenty of excellent Australian fashion labels at a fraction of the cost of some of the outfits we saw during this Budget Week and others .

Outfits that anyone struggling with cost-of-living pressures might want to buy.

Brands like Elliatt, Blue Illusion or Bec + Bridge. Just don’t ask me to pick one of them from a lineup because I can’t. Likewise, I wouldn’t know if I accidentally threw a Carla Zampatti dress in the dryer.