There is no point in complaining at poor performance if you fail to offer some constructive advice.
I am aware that we are believed to live in a democratic society, and that the government we get is one which a majority has elected.
I am also aware that there is a wide range of opinion as to the extent to which the government should control/manage our lives via their decisions on the economy and laws in general.
No government will ever be universally embraced, but it should at least aim to provide as high a level as possible of both freedom and relevant control.
It is never going to satisfy all of us, all of the time, but it needs, in conjunction with the powers devolved to the states and territories, to have certain continuing guidelines.
Every human being has certain basic needs, and it should be the task of the government to do as much as possible to ensure those needs are met.
- We all require a home, with some degree of certainty that we will not be arbitrarily evicted.
- We all require assistance to maintain a reasonable state of health.
- We are all entitled to as extensive an education as our abilities and desires seek.
- We are all entitled to freedom of choice in a wide variety of areas, with the proviso that our freedom must not adversely impact on others.
- We all require help with transport at some stage in our lives and using renewable energy is the only way to go!
So – how are we fairing with the current government?
In too many regards – not so well!
Let’s just examine the points mentioned above and see if we can help:
Accommodation
Why are States/Territories selling off housing and not replacing it?
The population is growing and housing shortages push up prices, excluding too many from owning their own home.
Another factor is negative gearing, which allows people to use property as an investment tool, while keeping house prices out of the range of many. For one or two properties, fair enough, but housing becoming a major investment is not a good idea.
We need a (low) limit on the number of properties on which negative gearing claims can be allowed.
Health
We are the envy of giants like the USA for our Medicare.
Yes – it is true that there are long waits for elective surgery, but there are ways of gaming the system. I took out private health cover the year I turned 70, which reduced the additional cost for a new subscriber, and subsequently have had two hip replacements and a total reverse shoulder replacement (> $20,000 + each from the Health fund) plus a few other minor surgery items – and I then cancelled the private cover.
However, other factors controlling our health are many and include food, medications, work and our family structure.
Not all of these are necessarily as well considered as they could/should be.
Education
If people want to pay private school fees for their children’s education, that is their choice, but, since most of us pay taxes, which go in part to cover State/Territory costs of providing educational facilities, taxpayers should not be required to subsidise school fees for those who have made that choice.
Ideally, tertiary and TAFE education should be available to all, with a much less expensive HECS system than we currently have.
Research must be encouraged and universities should be assisted to form hubs which can develop the research outcomes.
Current treatment of universities is absolutely appalling. What are we, if we are not stimulating all who can add to our corporate knowledge and R & D?
Freedom of choice
This is where legislation comes in, and IMHO it should be limited to controlling anti-social behaviour.
Issues like abortion, contraception, LGBTIQ+ rights, etc, are ones where the individual should have the choice, preferably with minimal interventions and from the earliest age which seems reasonable.
Energy
The damage which developed nations have done to Earth and its resources has become very clear and will be from hard to impossible to reverse.
Long before this we should have been working on making much more efficient use of the massive availability in so much of the world of natural sources of energy.
Where are our factories making electric cars? Where are our electric cars???? Why are not new suburbs being built with provision for solar, and other renewable energy sources, to be used in providing and storing energy?
Why do we have an unreliable electricity network?
Why is greed allowed to damage so many lives?
And why are we not being good neighbours to those poorer countries which lack our resources?
Government does not stop at our borders, and our right to leave and return to our country of citizenship must not be taken away from us.
On the other hand, we have an obligation, as individuals, to not harm those with whom we share this world.
This is not being a ‘leftie’, a Greenie or some other derogatory epithet.
We as a country have enormous benefits which we need to share with others who lack our resources or expertise.
I am 85, retired, with a taxable income of $40,000 plus small contributions from my superannuation and the Age Pension.
I am no longer interested in travel, I donate to many organisations which share my views on social responsibilities and caring for others and I am so sad that we are having to endure poor government by people who really seem to have no worthwhile value systems.
I so hope that we choose better at the next election!
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