For anyone in a managerial position, the ability to plan is important – as is the ability to recognise when plans must be changed.
When that position is as Prime Minister, there are actually far more important events than elections to worry about!
We came into the COVID-19 pandemic ill-prepared to handle the challenge.
Over the months since the Coalition selected Morrison as their leader, I have gained the impression that he has a very limited idea of what his role really is.
He has spent an enormous amount of time ensuring that he is photographed, in high-vis when appropriate, at every possible opportunity. He basically acts like a flamboyant pop star!
Behind the wheel of a truck, the controls of a ship or in any other innovative and eye catching situation is good for his self-promotional purposes.
He has had the red carpet rolled out at airports as if he were a President rather than only the current political leader – not even the Governor General – of a not very significant country.
Yes – we all love our country, but when you really examine the ranking of Australia, it is not that high up the list.
The people who have done most to help their fellow Australians are not our politicians.
They are our medical personnel, our carers in medical facilities and in aged care accommodation. Few of these get reimbursed or supported as they should be.
Not to overlook our volunteers in services like the fire brigades. who literally put their own lives on the line to help to save ours, and their families have to cope without their assistance when they are called out.
Since the initial concentration on the pandemic, the government has tried to introduce legislation to restrict the ability of registered charitable organisations to actually advocate where they perceive injustice. So far they have failed.
The introduction of JobKeeper was primarily for the benefit of employers. Those who claimed the benefit and were proved to have not really qualified for it have not been required to repay it – unlike the false claims for payments wrongly demanded from those who suffered through the illegal Robodebt campaign.
And hundreds of people were not eligible for JobKeeper and have had very limited – if any – assistance.
Education is clearly a bête noir for this government – despite the fact that many of them, thanks to Gough Whitlam, have never had to repay a HECS debt! Our universities have lost skilled staff and will take time to recover, and yet education is a major foundation of life!
Along with a growing number of people, most of them far more knowledgable than am I when it comes to climate change, I have agonised over our government’s repudiation of even the most basic attempts to make drastic changes in their plans.
I have absolutely no doubt that we have nearly wasted all the time which we should have spent planning to limit the damage we will most certainly incur from climate change.
Since 5 February, 2020, with possibly 4 or 5 exceptions, mainly due to weather, I have sat outside the NT Parliament House for 2 hours every Wednesday afternoon, protesting at the continued support for extracting, exporting and using fossil fuels.
Accepting the need for change is not readily available, and we are digging our own graves by refusing to take the necessary action.
PLEASE make this New Year’s Resolution:
I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO ENSURE THAT OUR GOVERNMENTS IN AUSTRALIA TAKE URGENT ACTION TO ELIMINATE THE USE IN ANY WAY OF FOSSIL FUELS, AND WORK WITH OTHER COUNTRY’S GOVERNMENTS TO ALSO TAKE ACTION.
This also means we have to think very carefully about how our views on the importance of politics or people’s lives should guide our vote at the next Federal Election!
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