14 posts tagged “australia”

I've really wanted to write about my response to last week's apology to the stolen generation, but have been too busy until now. I was so impressed and it drew such an emotional response from me that I couldn't let it go by without getting my feelings down.

It seems Kevin Rudd can do no wrong so far. That he made the apology the first order of business for the new parliament was as symbolic of the way he's going to govern as the apology was symbolic of his commitment to changing the way this country views and treats our indigenous population.

His speech was heartfelt and meaningful but also pointed to his plan for action. He didn't try to justify the past, he commented frankly about the atrocities committed as a way to recognise what these people had been through. Probably most important beyond the actual act of apologising was his outline of how he plans to start to change aboriginal health and education and decrease the 17 year gap between indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy. He was realistic about timeframes, but didn't look to pass the buck to future leaders.

My workplace stopped to watch the apology, and it was a very moving moment. People were crying. I even found tears welling up in my eyes and had chills through my body for most of it. The top brass were mainly there watching too, which impressed me.

Of course, Nelson's opposition leader speech was a different story, and was in fact largely offensive and inappropriate. I found myself shaking my head at what he was saying. His attempts to justify the past and highlight supposed "good intentions" was plain out of line. As a couple of people have said to me since, Hitler probably had "good intentions" too. The people turning their backs on his speech were justified in my opinion, and I wish that I'd made some kind of stance too -- I think I was too stunned at what I was hearing. As impressed as I was at Rudd asking Nelson to greet those in the gallery with him, and present the gift to the speaker with him, it was a hollow act on Nelson's and the Liberal's part after the sentiment expressed in their speech.

I am excited about the direction of this government and the country at the moment. It is so refreshing to have kindness and social justice on the political agenda for the first time in 12 years, as opposed to greed and fear. Thankyou Kevin Rudd. Please don't let me down.

Dr Nelson, who has already written his speech without seeing the words [of the apology to indigenous Australians], said yesterday that the process had become chaotic.

"If Mr Rudd wants to unify Australia, to bring our nation together, the most important person he should be negotiating with is me," he said. "We're two days away from this, for goodness sake. He should be sitting down with me and saying 'these are the words which we propose, what do you think?"'
taken from SMH

Can you believe he thinks this? To bring our nation together, black and white, past and present, the best way to do this is for the PM to negotiate the wording with an opposition leader that really never wanted to apologise and sees no need to.

How about getting the wording right via negotiations with THE PEOPLE WHO WERE STOLEN FROM THEIR FAMILIES in a wave of government-supported genocide-of-sorts??

Rudd gets it, and must feel like he's dealing with a pack of whining preschoolers:

[Rudd] said the issue was emotional for indigenous Australians and "it's important we get it right".

"Quite frankly, what's important is the people most affected are comfortable with that wording."

Every day I am so very glad that he beat those old-school arseholes at the last election, as must those marginalised groups in our society who may finally stop getting ignored and fucked over.

My workplace is stopping at 9am tomorrow to watch the apology live, which is an impressive gesture on the part of management.  I'll try to get some thoughts up afterwards.

UPDATE: Just read this great article by Peter Garrett on why the apology is important, and referencing the 'sorry' t-shirts Midnight Oil wore when they played at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

The Coalition's support for the apology is "in principle" and subject to the final text. Dr Nelson dislikes the term "stolen generation" but Kevin Rudd said this was non-negotiable. The Coalition will not force the issue, but Dr Nelson and others plan to complain about the phrase when they speak on the motion.
taken from SMH

For fucks sake. These pricks are even more insufferable in opposition because they are now completely irrelevant to modern Australia. What are you arguing about and why are you quibbling over semantics?  You or your children weren't forcibly removed from your family so as to systematically "cleanse" the country of its native people, so give these people the apology they so sorely deserve and stop watering it down and undercutting it's significance.

Kevin Rudd, our new PM

What a fantastic night.  You did it, Australia.  I had my doubts, but you did the right thing and kicked Johnny to the curb.  He looks pretty certain to lose his seat too, making him only the second Prime Minister in history to get completely ousted from Parliament in an election.  It's quite a message we've sent him!  Hard to believe that complete arsehats (to borrow a term from Mikey) like Abbott, Nelson, Downer, Andrews and Turnbull didn't get the boot too, though.  I really can't understand how they could be voted back in when Australia has so convincingly sent a message saying we don't like their policies.  Oh well, they can say what they like from the opposite side of the house, I guess.

I am so excited about the new Government, it's really a new dawn for this country.  As mentioned over on Sarah & Gam's blog, let's just hope that Rudd doesn't get complacent, that the machinery of Government doesn't wear him down, and he stays true to his promises and values.  They have so many opportunities to bring back the 'fair go' now, and I think they will.

And to have our first ever female as the Deputy Prime Minister is a great thing -- can't believe it's taken this long.  Julia Gillard will be PM one day.  It has to be.

To Howard, you have changed the country for the worse these past 11 years, and we have nothing whatsoever to thank you for.  I despise your way of thinking and your way of governing.  I leave you with this song entitled 'Get Fucked' by The Fauves.  Written specifically for you, it says exactly what I'd like to say.  Good riddance to you and your cronies, and I hope history treats you unkindly:

When the first punch knocks you down
and you're lying prostrate on the ground
in your sponsored tracksuit
and all your soldiers are disarmed
remember to stay alert but not alarmed
while I hit you

cos' you're a liar, and we are tired
we are sick of compromise
diminished by the fucking lies
sick of being patronised

well you've been power walking now for hours
sickly sweat frosting your brow
your minders don't know how
to tell your their solemn vow to step in.
That was a non core promise
you're mine again

cos' you're a liar and we are tired
we are sick of compromise
diminished by the fucking lies
sick of being patronised

Get Fucked

The Fauves

Saw this today in the city.  Great take on the old 'do the right thing' litter campaign.

Anti-WorkChoices sign on the side of a wheelie bin

With less than a week to the election I think my wife and I have decided to vote Greens. It's something we considered in the past but we were always hesitant to 'waste' our vote -- more important than voting for a minor party whose ideology most closely aligned with our own was ensuring the Coalition were removed. That's more important than ever this time but I think we understand the whole preference thing a little better now. The Greens have a preference deal with the Labor party, so if the Greens candidate for the House of Reps is knocked out then our vote will go at full value to the Labor candidate. As the Greens candidate will definitely be knocked out, then we're in effect voting for Labor.  The point is that we're registering a vote for the Greens to send a message to the Government, even if that's Labor, saying we agree with more left-leaning socially inclusive, environmentally friendly policies. Hopefully there'll be a bigger than usual percentage who feel the same way this time around.

I am genuinely excited about a Labor government, and would be happy enough to vote for them. But, as the Greens pamphlet says, we can have our cake and eat it too by voting Green.

In the Senate our vote will be for the Greens candidate as I feel that any Senate majority is a bad thing, even if that's Labor. Greens keep the place honest and aren't as easily swayed by the almighty dollar. It's a no-brainer to vote Green in the Senate.

Three days to go to what must surely be a change of Government and the beginning of a new era for Australia. I can't wait to see those arseholes given the boot, and I especially hope Johnny loses his seat. Roll on Saturday.

Mind the gap

A comment by vongruzzly the other day on one of my posts got me thinking more about this bogus claim by Howard and Costello that the economy is the most important factor in this election. This point of view is so skewed from what humans and humanity is all about that I can barely believe they can say it with a straight face. But the problem is that people seem to truly believe that it's either the most important, or at least one of the most important factors on which to base their vote. This 'egoism' as vongruzzly put it, or 'individualism' as I call it seems to be one of the the biggest, most fundamental changes to Australia since Howard got in back in 96.

It's bogus because, as long as we don't fall into a depression, I reckon the majority are in the same position whether the economy is deemed to be booming or lagging. OK, so we're supposedly in a boom now. I earn a bit more perhaps, wages might be higher in general. But my fucking home loan has gone up by something like 6 times the rate of inflation since Howard came to power. My grocery bill is out of control trying to feed the 3 kids, and our child care costs are out of this world, rendering my wife's full-time return to work pointless and leaving us with no choice but to be basically a one-income family. Woo-hoo for the fucking economic boom.

Of course, those who are in a nice cushy position are free to reap all the benefits of this 'boom'. They were doing fine before too, but the rich get richer as the saying goes. They are very much the minority though, as the capitalist model dictates. In reality, then, the boom simply widens the gap between rich and poor.

For the majority, it doesn't change a  fucking thing at the personal level. I think the reason people are worried, though, is because they are living so close to the edge that they mistakenly believe that we need to keep this boom going or they'll go under. This is the message/fear-mongering that Howard is happy to perpetuate, because it gets him votes from these people afraid for their families, and any continued boom of course benefits his core voters of big business and the wealthy.

Labor are appealing to this sense of 'good' economic management being important by emulating the Coalition in their "fiscal conservative" stance. They have to tap into that if they're gonna win, but from speeches and policies I don't believe they place it up there as being the most important element of our society. Of course, the Libs are clinging to this position so strongly because they've got nothing else to really hold over Labor -- this is the only issue where opinion polls still give them the edge.

All the Coalition's conservative little eggs are in this one basket now and we'll need to wait to see if people cast a vote to keep the country as it is now out of fear, or if they vote for a change and a more positive, socially progressive future.

clipped from www.smh.com.au $150m 'homes for homeless' Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has unveiled a $150 million plan to provide 600 new houses and units for homeless people. He said Labor's aim was to halve the number of homeless people turned away from shelters each year within five years and close the gap within a decade to ensure all homeless obtained shelter. "This is all part of reaching out with a helping hand to Australians in need," he told reporters. "It is part and parcel of our Australian set of values, having a bit of heart and soul and doing the right thing for all those Australians out there who have run into one of life's walls."

Finally, some real, proper, socially conscious policy. This, my friends, is the fundamental difference between the parties. After all the mee-tooisms that are being flung around during this campaign, here is where we find a real difference between what you're voting for:

• Do you feel that all people deserve a helping hand and inequity of wealth is an issue that needs addressing? or
  
• do you subscribe to the social darwinism school of thought where it's survival of the fittest and you see homeless people as nothing more than a blight on civilised society?

The Libs, being out for big business and the rich, would never announce a policy like this. I was starting to think Labor never would either, so I'm very glad to see the socialist side of them emerge regardless of Latham's heavy defeat in 2004 due, in part, to his "dangerous" social views.

Let's face it though, this one isn't a vote winner. If you think this way, you're either voting Greens, Democrats or Labor. All this might do is pull a few votes from these minor parties. It's symbolic, I guess, but a gesture I'm glad they made.