The Coalition government talk a lot about Australian values. They make prospective citizens sign an Australian Values Statement.
“Australian society values respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, freedom of religion, commitment to the rule of law, Parliamentary democracy, equality of men and women and a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good.”
Where is the freedom and dignity for the people who came seeking our help but were, instead, condemned to indefinite incarceration with no hope for the future, purely for political purposes?
Where is the compassion for the family locked up on Christmas Island as their community mourns their loss and fights against the whimsical decision of an inadequate politician who desperately wants to look tough?
Where is the spirit of egalitarianism and compassion for those in need when over 3 million people are living in poverty in Australia, as the government boasts about decades of continuous growth and…drum roll….a surplus, whilst steadfastly refusing to increase the rate of unemployment payments? Why are we hearing so many examples of horrendous abuse and neglect in aged and disability care?
Commitment to the rule of law? Give me a break. Angus Taylor, Michaelia Cash, Arthur Sinodinis, Stuart Robert, Barnaby Joyce, Mal Brough? Foreign bribery allegations not investigated, limited tenders gifted to mates, jobs for the boys and girls handed out like lollies, departmental recommendations ignored in favour of porkbarrelling, systemic rorting of expense claims, interference in police investigations, refusal to comply with freedom of information – the only crime this government recognises is getting caught and then you blame whoever caught you.
If Australian values include equality of men and women, why are men still voting on whether women are criminals for exercising autonomy over their own body? Why is there a gender pay gap? Why are women so underrepresented in power positions? Why is sexual harassment so prevalent in workplaces? Why are so many of the few female government politicians complaining about bullying, only to be silenced with a promotion, a trip, or exile?
Where is the mutual respect and fair play in the peremptory dismissal of the Uluru Statement From the Heart and the hysterical rhetoric about a non-existent third chamber just because Aboriginal people feel they might be able to better inform how to address the challenges they face than Tony Abbott?
As for the “pursuit of the public good”, that has been abandoned in favour of wealth creation and competitive advantage as epitomised by our blind rush towards climate catastrophe and mass extinction. We might be resource rich, but our government would rather export that and make us pay a fortune for power domestically, as long as their buddies are making a buck. They exacerbate droughts by selling off water and buying it back, creating a water market ripe for profiteering. They scoff at the link between climate change and increasingly devastating disasters.
They want Australians to be quiet while they trash our values in favour of power, greed and personal ambition.
Unfortunately, we can’t deport them for another few years. But we MUST keep holding them to account and demanding that they, too, uphold the standards that they say Australian society values.
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