Money talks but should it decide?

In 2007, the year I graduated high school, success was measured by whether you owned an iPhone. That sleek rectangle symbolised status, innovation, and a future within reach. Fast forward nearly two decades and success seems omnipresent – streaming through TikTok feeds, podcasts and motivational speeches. Search “how to be successful” and the answers rarely change: make money, gain power, be influential.

Sound familiar? Each semester, I ask my students what they want from life. Their answers echo the same refrain: wealth, power, influence. But here’s the idea I want to challenge – being rich should not mean having a greater say in how the world works.

Because while some Australians are juggling rent and HECS repayments, billionaires are buying billboards, shaping policy and drowning out voices – without a single vote cast in their favour. During the last federal election, I walked past Clive Palmer billboards plastered across two city blocks. While my cousin, a university student, was picking up extra shifts to cover rent. Palmer spent more than $60 million on advertising – more than all major parties combined. Did it win him a seat? No. But that wasn’t the point. His money bought airtime, attention and influence. And in politics, that’s often more powerful than votes.

Big money doesn’t just distort democracy – it protects private interests over public good. While most of us refresh rental listings with dread, billionaires dominate national conversations on talkback radio, in newspapers and through social media algorithms. They’re not leading for us. They’re leading for themselves.

And philanthropy? It’s not democracy. Yes, billionaires donate. Warren Buffett pledged 99% of his wealth. Dame Elisabeth Murdoch funded schools, The Arts and nursing scholarships. Admirable? Yes, but philanthropy is unelected, unaccountable and driven by personal interest – not public need. Gina Rinehart can sponsor elite swimmers while opposing welfare. That’s branding, not leadership.

The real cost of all this? Inequality. Billionaires enjoy tax breaks and offshore loopholes while students pay 7% interest on HECS debt and young Australians can’t afford rent. Power protects profit; profit buys more power. It’s a cycle we must break.

Leadership should come from those who understand life without power – not those who purchase more of it. Real wealth is education, culture and community – not capital. So next time a billionaire tells you what’s best for your future, ask: do they even know what it’s like to live it?

*This piece first appeared as a Year 12 Persuasive Writing piece from the perspective of a uni lecturer.