The article highlights the 2022 federal election in the Richmond electorate, where One Nation candidate Tracey Bell-Henselin was identified as a "ghost candidate" due to her absence from the party’s website and lack of visible local campaigning. Her profile suggested she lived in Queensland and focused on directing preferences to the Liberal Democrats, fueling accusations that the party was fielding candidates primarily to manipulate preference flows rather than contest the seat locally.
Ah, politics. A realm where clarity often takes a backseat and confusion is the name of the game. Take, for example, the recent kerfuffle surrounding One Nation’s Richmond candidate, Harrison Rindfleish. His bio claims he has completed a law and commerce degree, yet his now-vanished LinkedIn suggests otherwise. It’s a classic case of ‘who needs facts when you have a good story?’
Let’s break it down. According to the One Nation Victoria candidate page, Harrison hails from the sunny shores of the NSW Central Coast. He’s described as having completed a double degree in law and commerce in Melbourne. Sounds impressive, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want a candidate who has seemingly conquered not one, but two degrees? But hold your horses, folks!
Upon closer inspection, it turns out the only degrees Harrison has are still in progress. His LinkedIn profile—now taken down, presumably to avoid further scrutiny—listed two law degrees that are still in the pipeline. One from Deakin, a double bachelor’s in Law and Economics (Commerce Major), expected to be completed between June 2025 and November 2028. And then there’s Swinburne, where he’s apparently pursuing a Law/Business degree from February 2023 to 2028.
So, here’s the kicker: when One Nation’s bio says he’s ‘completed’ his degrees, it seems they might be using a very loose definition of the word. You know, like how I ‘completed’ my New Year’s resolution to eat healthier—by eating a salad once a month.
But it doesn’t stop there. Harrison’s work experience is another head-scratcher. His resume boasts a whopping three-month business development internship in Japan. Now, don’t get me wrong—three months in Tokyo sounds fantastic. But let’s not pretend it’s a decade of corporate experience. The rest of his work history? A gig at Fishbowl and a series of internships, which is basically the career equivalent of playing Monopoly without ever landing on Boardwalk.
To be fair, the wording in political bios can often resemble a game of telephone—where the original message gets twisted and turned until it’s barely recognizable. Perhaps the writer of Harrison’s bio had a lapse in judgment or just a flair for the dramatic. I mean, who wouldn’t want to embellish a little when running for office? But when you’re vying for a seat, clarity should be your best friend.
In the end, this whole situation raises a critical question: how much can we trust what candidates say about themselves? And as voters, do we get a say in how these bios are crafted? After all, if someone is running to represent us, shouldn’t we know exactly what they bring to the table—beyond their impressive-sounding degrees and short stints in exotic locations?
As we inch closer to the election, let’s remember to scrutinize those bios a little more closely. After all, a candidate’s ability to present their qualifications clearly could be just as important as the qualifications themselves. And who knows? Maybe next time we’ll find a candidate who actually completed their degree before launching their political career. Now that would be a refreshing change!
Inspired by: “One Nation’s Richmond candidate is described as having completed a law/commerce degree. His LinkedI…” (r/melbourne)