If you are as old as me, you might recall Julius Sumner Miller’s program Why is it so? It was both fascinating and terrifying as we saw him confront quaking school students with scientific problems and ask them for an explanation.

Imagine if he did the same with politicians.

Why would mentioning boat turnbacks be forbidden because they “send a message to people smugglers” whereas braying about “foiled terrorist plots” and televising police raids is ok?

Why do Labor see the benefit of bringing government, unions and business together but point-blank refuse to work with the Greens on policy formation?

Why is a surplus more important than fixing our aged care system and lifting people on Newstart out of poverty?

Why are we claiming to have “smashed” our Kyoto target of reducing emissions to 5% below 2000 levels when they are now 0.5% above 2000 levels?

Why is it legal to sack people for not being religious but not ok to sack religious people for proselytising or discriminating in inclusive workplaces?

Why are so many government contracts awarded without a tender process and with any details obscured by phrases like “commercial-in-confidence” or “national security”?

Why do Australian government schools receive the third-lowest funding in the OECD, with only Turkey and Colombia doing worse?

Why is the government pursuing deregulation and privatisation when we have seen the shocking results of that in the banking, aged care, and energy sectors?

Why do we sack public servants and then spend billions on consultants?

Why does the government use public funds for political ads?

Why are we allowing big agribusinesses to harvest water and then paying them a fortune for the rights to buy it back from them?

Why are we condoning rampant land-clearing when it is having such a devastating effect through erosion, sediment run-off, changing rainfall patterns and increasing emissions?

Why do politicians fly all over the country to have their photo taken with a shovel?

Why are we so obsequious to the madman who currently occupies the White House?

Why are politicians paid huge allowances to sleep in their investment properties?

Why were women criticised as double-dippers if their workplace also offered them paid maternity leave when ex-politicians can receive a pension whilst still working in highly paid government quangos and sinecures?

Why does the government rail against subsidies for renewable energy (or the vehicle manufacturing industry) yet fiercely protect fossil fuel subsidies?

Why are the police investigating and prosecuting whistleblowers but not the crimes and corruption they expose?

Why are Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor still ministers after overwhelming evidence of their incompetence and shady dealings?

Why do we pursue a paternalistic approach that has entrenched Indigenous disadvantage rather than seeking advice from them on how to close the gap?

Why are over 3 million people, including 17.3% of children, living in poverty and over 116,000 people remain homeless in such a wealthy nation that has experienced uninterrupted growth for almost three decades?

Why are young disabled people put in aged care facilities?

Why did we underspend the NDIS budget by $4.6 billion when people are crying out for help?

Why are there 120,000 older Australians waiting almost two years to receive Home Care Packages?

Why are genuine refugees still incarcerated on Manus and Nauru?

This list could go on forever.

Why is it so?