Whilst there are many aspects that Australia shares with the rest of the world, the combination here is unique and offers one of the best places in the world to live.
Our geography is advantageous in so many ways. Our isolation offers natural protection from disease and border disputes. We have plenty of space and natural resources and a thriving agricultural sector. We have wind and sun in abundance so are well placed for the energy revolution.
We are a wealthy nation with universal healthcare and public education, compulsory superannuation and a welfare safety net. Our hospitals and universities are world class.
As home to the oldest civilisation on the planet, we have a rich Indigenous cultural history mixed with a social experiment built on immigrants, the first of whom were sent here as punishment. Others came for work, hoping for an opportunity to succeed. Some came fleeing war and oppression, seeking a safe and peaceful place to raise their families.
There are many things we must improve but this social experiment is, by and large, working.
In Australia, we are one tribe.
We have many faces and many voices but none of them point to where, in this country, we come from. Our diversity is what unifies us.
Some would seek to divide us in the selfish belief that their interests are more important than others’. Some do it for money, some for power, and many through fear spread by ignorant people.
But it shouldn’t be this way. We are not like the rest of the world.
You do not have to be indigenous to have a connection to country. You don’t even have to be born here. We all have a vested interest in maintaining and improving the most successful multicultural society on the planet and in protecting our unique habitat.
Unfortunately, there are a few extremists among us who are feeling empowered to try and spread their hatred because of things that are happening half a world away.
A handful of young Muslims have been duped into becoming cannon fodder for whatever agenda the men behind IS are pursuing. Why they think killing people will make the world a better place is beyond me but the threat to Australia is minimal as shown by the police announcement that “Twelve men and boys living within the Australian community are capable of committing an act of terror such as killing a random member of the public.”
To put that in context, in 2014, 95 people were murdered by their partner or a family member. This does not include the thousands of sexual assaults and the tens of thousands of violent assaults reported to police or the many cases that go unreported.
It is a statistical fact that women in Australia are far more likely to be assaulted or murdered by their partner than by a terrorist act.
I wonder how many members of the United Patriots Front and their cronies have assault charges or AVOs somewhere in their past. Or how many of those mums and dads at Reclaim Australia rallies think it’s OK to give their kid a slap.
The problems we face in Australian society will not be solved by following the path of others. Their situation is different to ours. Those who would seek to take away our choices and to impose their way of life on others, whether they be IS sympathisers or Reclaim Australia or the United Patriots Front, must be resisted. Their hatred and violence shows weakness. Tolerance and diversity are the strength of this nation and must be protected so we can all live in peace, respecting and celebrating our differences.
