Why Ryan Park's show of emotion should be commended: Editorial

The 29-year-old had been stabbed, allegedly in a random attack, while he and a colleague were getting breakfast at McDonald's.

They had knocked-off from a long overnight shift. It's a heartbreaking story for any community and is felt strongly in Wollongong where many have ties in Campbelltown.

Earlier that day, the new Minister for Health and Member for Keira was set to tour Wollongong Hospital and Bulli Urgent Care Centre.

The plans were put on ice after Mr Park, and his team heard about the young man's death. Instead, he stood in Tom Ward Park in Corrimal and addressed the media.

It's the first time Mr Park has had to face the scrutiny of the press pack during such tragic circumstances, and he was clearly profoundly touched, wiping tears from his eyes.

His show of emotion should be commended.

All too often, the media interview robotic politicians, who have been media trained to the nth degree. They rattle off well-rehearsed lines. They never quite answer our questions, and they certainly don't give anything away about how they are really feeling.

And, in Australian politics, it isn't easy to find the human underneath.

Did Brad Hazzard sound empathetic during three years of COVID briefings, or did he sound just a little patronising?

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern famously led with empathy and summed it up in an interview with The Guardian in 2020.

"We need our leaders to be able to empathise with the circumstances of others; to empathise with the next generation that we're making decisions on behalf of," she said.

"And if we focus only on being seen to be the strongest, most powerful person in the room, then I think we lose what we're meant to be here for."

If this is how our new NSW government will lead, we're heading in the right direction.

- Gayle Tomlinson