Leadership that relies on fear, aggression and division is not strength but instability pretending to be conviction.

In every generation, communities face a choice about the kind of leadership they reward. We can follow those who inflame and divide, or those who understand that leadership, at its core, is an act of care.

Real leadership does not spring from anger. It does not mock the vulnerable in our community or turn neighbour against neighbour to maintain relevance. It is quieter and steadier. It grows through patience, restraint and consistency - qualities that sustain neighbourhoods long after outrage has faded.

Leadership built on negative campaigning and fear does not create stable government. It creates noise. Public life devolves into mere theatre: loud, adversarial and corrosive. This style of politics thrives on spectacle and outrage, spilling easily from social media into professional media, where newspapers and public forums become stages for conflict rather than places for thoughtful debate.

Recent commentary from Premier Jeremy Rockliff reflects a broader public sentiment. His observation that a more central, measured position is better aligned with Tasmanian communities reinforces a simple truth: most people are drawn to steadiness not extremes. They want reason. And they want leaders focused on governing, not grandstanding.

When leadership drifts toward hostility, governance becomes reactive rather than proactive. Policy mirrors provocation. Trust erodes. Confidence in our institutions weaken. Energy that should be spent solving real problems is instead consumed by managing conflict.

Tasmania has long prided itself on community. We look out for people navigating personal disability, for young people trying to find their place, and for small businesses managing uncertainty. Our strength has always come from cooperation and care, not cruelty.

That is why it is deeply concerning to see public figures build influence by targeting vulnerable groups. Some appear to believe that singling out a minority group can substitute for meaningful policy or genuine service. It cannot. Leadership that relies on fear of “difference” is fragile by design. It does not unite; it fractures.

Leadership grounded in care is neither soft nor weak. It is disciplined and courageous. It demands listening instead of shouting, restraint instead of provocation, and empathy instead of derision. It refuses to reduce human beings to caricatures for political sport.

A leader driven by care asks, “Who is hurting, and how can I help?”
A leader driven by fear asks, “Who can I blame?”

Public discourse has, at times, become increasingly aggressive and legally threatening, as though intimidation were evidence of authority. But true strength is not found in hostility or humiliation. It is found in even-handedness, consistency and the ability to govern without manufacturing enemies to feed the next headline.

Tasmania deserves leadership that expands our sense of community rather than shrinking it. Building on stability through community trust, not tension; through inclusion, not exclusion. Leadership must recognise that dignity is not something to be earned, but something owed.

History is unambiguous. Movements built on fear burn hot but briefly. Movements built on compassion endure.

As we look ahead, the challenge is not merely to reject hate, but to model something better. To show that firmness and kindness can walk together. That progress does not require cruelty. And that leadership rooted in care is not only more humane but that it is the only kind that delivers lasting, stable government.

Because in the end, leadership shaped by empathy does more than change policy.

It steadies institutions.

It calms communities.

And it allows society to move forward together.