I went to university because of Gough Whitlam. I have never forgotten that. I've never forgotten that good governments, despite mistakes, improve people's lives, like the Whitlam government 1973 - 75. Conservatives have spent every year since 1975 endeavouring to discredit the idealism that Whitlam sought for in Australia. They've succeeded, including gutting the soul of the ALP. Fair and just societies don't come about by magic, good luck, or market forces. They come about by good policy and people of good intention, whatever their flaws. So, I don't share your total cynicism of politics, only the current state of politics, corrupted by 40+ years of economic rationalism and the collapse of Left ideology. BTW, I attended a speech at Adelaide University in 1987 and Gough was the presenter. I had to leave after the speech. I would have very liked to go up to him and thank him. Until the end of his life, people did just that, and it meant a lot to him.

@David1955 Yes, Gough was, imo and that of many from my generation, a Man amongst men.
His ideas, had the Liberal scum and other EXTERNAL to Australia forces NOT interfered for Australia would have made us a Nation amongst nations and whipping boy to no-one.
Unlike, for example, what the Arse-licking Scum-bag, Pig-Iron Bob, Robert Menzies had in store for the country when W.W.WII was raging in Asia.
Scumbag Menzies merely packed up his arse and headed off to "Mother England" and told the British War Ministry " leave Australia to the Japanese, Australia is expendable, the rest of the Empire is not."

@David1955 I arrived after the American h British backed coup that overthrew the Whitlam government (1976) incredibly although knowing little of Australian law or practice I was quickly thrown in to do a job that seemingly no Australian wanted to - ensure that Whitlam's legislation had been properly implemented & was operating correctly. It wasn't, it had been beem affected by political corruption, Australian stupidity (she'll be right) & Catholicism. I was unofficially told about 15 years ago that it is even worse now and having just witnessed today an Australian woke nurse telling the operating doctor that political decree overrides professional medical ethical rules. That I continued to argue against such assertion in clear concise assertive voice suddenly had to security men in attendance. They at least realised that I was not a rabid nutter physically threatening or abusing the staff - quite the opposite - I was the one being abused.