The Adelaide Oval Blues

While Kevin Rudd is definitely having the worst week in politics ever, South Australian Treasurer Kevin Foley would have to be running a very close second. The entire Adelaide Oval debate is becoming a debacle for the Government, and big Kev in particular. Former Federal opposition leader Mark Latham was today quoted as saying (with regards to the National Schools program) “who would have thought you could throw money at schools and actually lose votes”. This same logic could be translated to the Adelaide Oval redevelopment. This project was meant to be a no brainer vote winner, just like the Marj. While the inability to sell major infrastructure projects is a flaw of the entire Rann Government, a significant proportion of blame over Adelaide Oval must be heaped on the Treasurer. Is Foley getting weary from 10 years in Government, or are there other forces at play.
Late last year, Kevin Foley featured in a puff piece in the Saturday Advertiser, which appeared to be designed at softening his image in order to make a tilt at the leadership. Swift on that article’s heels was Mr Foley’s revelation that he had been diagnosed with depression. Following that revelation, my initial reaction was that the second most senior (and therefore stressful) political post in the state is no place for a person who is battling their personal demons. I say this not out of ill-will towards the Treasurer, but as a person who understands depression and the consequences associated its treatment. The most sensible route for Mr Foley to take would have been to temporarily resign from the front bench so as to allow the full and proper treatment of his illness, and then return to his position when his illness was under control. The looming election, political reality and Foley’s “she’ll be right” attitude all conspired to ensure that this course of action was not pursued. It is my contention that his failure to adopt this course of action has possibly been one of the major reasons for his current circumstances.
When Mr Foley announced that he had depression, he did not specify the exact condition that he was diagnosed with, but he did rule out bipolar and manic depression. Irrespective of the nature of his condition, the main forms of treatment for depressive illness are a combination of cognitive therapy (lying on a couch talking over your problems) and medication. Mr Foley has admitted that he has been taking medication for many years. While these medications do vary in many ways, they do have some common shared side effects which could be impacting on Mr Foley’s professional life.
One of the major side effects of anti-depressants is sudden weight gain or weight loss. While Mr Foley has had yo-yoing weights over the years, his current physical appearance is in stark contrast to previous weight blow outs. Another side effect common with all anti-depressants is a “haziness of thinking”, which may or may not include memory lapses. While these side effects do not apply forever, and they may not occur in every case, they do take some time to adjust to during initial stages of treatment. This could perhaps account for his lapse during the infamous meeting with Leigh Whicker, although the stress of the election etc could also be factors. A third side effect of anti-depressants is that they do not react well with the consumption of alcohol. Even just a few drinks can cause strong reactions with the medication. The boozy political lifestyle, particularly amongst the Right of the party, is a difficult environment in which to limit one’s alcoholic intake. Someone with Mr Foley’s bravado would find such drastic lifestyle changes very difficult to achieve within his current circumstances.
The political spotlight is a harsh and unforgiving environment. The suffering of depression is not and should not be a reason to discriminate against any person within that environment. There is a difference, however, between a sufferer of depression that has successfully undergone a treatment program and brought their condition under control compared to a person who is still in the midst of their suffering. No other employer in the world would expect their employee to battle this illness while still undertaking their full responsibilities. It is bad for the worker and the business. Mr Foley needs to prioritise his health as his number one concern instead of trying to soldier on as though everything is normal.