Leadership today is too often confused with visibility. But being seen isn’t the same as being effective. In northern Australia, where the challenges are uniquely complex and the solutions must be collaborative, performative politics cannot deliver what is needed. What the region requires is leaders willing to challenge assumptions, have hard conversations and do the work behind the scenes to drive real outcomes.
Leadership in the north is not a soft idea or an abstract value; it is a strategic capability. This region sits at the centre of Australia’s economic future, critical minerals development, biosecurity, northern defence posture and climate resilience. When leadership is weak and ineffective, progress stalls and national priorities are put at risk. When leadership holds firm, communities advance, and so does Australia.
The kind of leadership the north needs is rarely celebrated in an age addicted to speed and spectacle. Real leadership is consistent. It is deliberate, often contested and at times inconvenient. It means standing firm when retreat would be easier and doing the work even when no one is watching. It demands persistence and integrity. In the north, credibility is earned by what gets done, not by what gets said.
One example of leadership defined by conviction rather than convenience is Warren Entsch’s role in advancing marriage equality. In August 2015, he introduced a cross-party bill to legalise same-sex marriage, despite public criticism from his own side of politics and warnings it could cost him his seat. It would have been easier to stay silent, wait for political momentum or follow polling.
That kind of leadership requires more than belief. It demands courage to take the first step, confidence in your ability to navigate the consequences, and the capacity to deliver when it matters. It also takes determination to see the work through even when headlines move on. In the end, his stand didn’t weaken his position; it strengthened it. And it helped deliver one of the most significant social reforms in Australia’s recent history.
Leadership grounded in principle has never been easy, and in today’s political environment it is becoming even harder to sustain. Our landscape is shaped by short attention spans, digital outrage and relentless positioning. Noise is rewarded more than judgment, and slogans travel faster than substance. In that climate, conviction-based leadership takes stamina. It also carries risk. That does not make it less necessary; it makes it more urgent.
We saw this in the Voice to Parliament referendum. What began as a serious policy proposal was overtaken by political performance and reduced to competing slogans with ‘unite the nation’ on one side, ‘if you don’t know, vote no’ on the other. In the absence of clear, practical detail, many voters were left unsure about what the Voice was, how it would work or how it would deliver change. That uncertainty was compounded by a deeper erosion of trust in national commitments to First Nations outcomes.
Closing the Gap is one of Australia’s most recognised phrases. But despite 15 years of targets and agreements, only a handful are on track, and several key indicators are worsening. For many, the phrase now represents an empty promise that’s still being celebrated. In northern Australia, scepticism is deepened when leaders choose performative politics over trust, relationships and visible results.
Leadership cannot be reduced to personality. We should not confuse charm, slogans or relentless visibility with competence. History shows us that the public bears the cost of power without integrity. Consistency matters. The leaders who dismantle trust do not suddenly use their power for good once they regain that trust. Leadership must be judged by consistency, by evidence of delivery and by whether people are better off because of it. The north cannot afford to reward performance over proof.
Strong leadership must come from within the region and from those who hold influence over it. Too many decisions are still made at a distance: policies imposed without continuity, funding announced without delivery, strategies launched without sustained commitment. Leadership cannot be fly-in, fly-out. Those who shape the north’s future must also be accountable to it.
The work ahead is complex. Workforce gaps, regional security, infrastructure delivery, housing pressure, energy transition and First Nations partnership are not abstract policy categories; they are leadership tests. Progress depends on leaders who can work across systems, align long-term investment with community priorities and stay with the work beyond a single budget cycle or election term. In northern Australia, leadership cannot be a slogan. It is the difference between stalled potential and long-term capability. It is time to hold ministers, agencies and delivery partners accountable for outcomes in northern Australia through public delivery reporting.
Australia cannot afford a decline in leadership quality; not when global competition is intensifying, public trust is fragile and national resilience depends on delivery rather than rhetoric. Real leadership is measured by results: by what is built, what changes and what endures. Quiet courage is not passive. It is disciplined, responsible and nationally significant. It is the standard that must shape the leadership of northern Australia.