I drafted this blog a few times over the last six weeks. To begin with, i wanted it to be a balanced, fair, he said-she said piece which did not take sides. I have since re-discovered how bland and unnatural such a piece is. If you do not have a point to make, why are you trying to make it?
Firstly, i believe in, and respect, passion. Not the kind of passion that makes you call an opponent a four lettered word, but the kind that makes you speak words you believe and ensure actions follow suit. If you are so passionate about something, and have valid, justified, intelligent ammunition to back it up, good for you. I am happy you have passion. I may not agree but i can see that you've done your research and truly believe your own words.
I want passionate people to vote in the Federal election for the country i proudly call my home on September 14th. I don't want people being sucked in by media spruiking, outlandish claims and a total lack of understanding as to how a country needs to run.
Listen, i am basically saying, if you want to vote Liberal, fine. Just give it thought and have a reason to. This is not necessarily something which the parties need to take turns at. It takes time to pass legislation, time to put things into practice and not that much of your time to do a bit of research and look at what is not only best for you, but the entire country. I hope to give you a few tips on how to do this. I am not going to be impartial, i am going to try and persuade but, at times, i may be somewhere towards the centre (as much as it pains me). Don't donkey vote (and stop using the term incorrectly!) and don't say "they are both as bad as each other" and vote informally. They are not as bad as each other. They are not the same. Form an opinion, exercise your right. If you do not vote, you lose your entitlement to complain. And, knowing the direction that the population seems to be going, this is a right you do not wish to lose.
It is not an Australian quote but it is a very meaningful one. "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." I feel this country has a problem with interpreting what an election is meant to be. It should not be about "what is in it for me?" It should be "how are we going to make this country better?" Call me a socialist if you are stupid enough to misuse the term but the rich do not need tax breaks. Simply being a better option for you may not be better for the rest of the country. Which, in turn, will drag down other aspects that will affect your life.
What is important to you? The economy? Border protection? Gay marriage? Living with disabilities? Climate change? All of these will come into consideration when the parties put together their campaigns and policies for the "if we are elected..." speeches.
My two cents, whether you want it or not is as follows. The economy gets more headlines than it needs. Australia is in debt. That is nothing to be ashamed of or different to the rest of the world. We would be in debt if Liberal were in power at the moment too. I do not believe either party to be expert economists. It is not something one can use as an argument against the other! Higher revenue (as a %) and sale of assets during the Howard years brought us to surplus, some (some, not all) reckless spending by Labor has taken that away but, given the current world situation, Australia is the envy of many nations. A lot of emphasis has been placed on the surplus. It is not that important. In fact, borrowing and spending (prudently) is just about the rest way to break a rut or stimulate further growth.
Border protection is only a tricky issue if you are bigoted. People come to Australia because conditions where they live are deplorable. War, famine, poor conditions, often civil turmoil.... but we have some divine right to say who comes and goes because we were lucky enough to be born here? Seeking asylum is a human right. These people need to be treated with dignity. I am not saying open the floodgates. We could quite easily take more refugees, but the most important thing is ensuring a speedy process and making sure lives are saved.
Marriage equality is like a throwback to the early twentieth century... believe it or not women had to fight for the vote. The same with the indigenous... It sounds ridiculous now and, pretty soon, we will be wondering why we took so long to legalise gay marriage. Every day a new nation or US state seems to legalise it and there is pressure being put on our leaders - rightly so. If you are religious, Jesus taught not to judge, if you are an atheist, who are you to deny anyone such happiness? Just get this passed already, it will be great for the economy. Imagine all the lavish weddings and fabulous parties!
NDIS is a step forward. No questions about it. This comes back to the "why should I have to pay for this when I am not disabled." This is not about you personally. Or maybe it is. But why should we not support those who have not been as lucky as us. Inspire and motivate them to be all they can be and give them the tools to achieve their potential!
Climate change is staring the world in the face. The carbon tax was watered down from the one which Rudd wanted and, as a result, has not raised much revenue. However it has prevented the use of some carbon. I don't think the carbon tax is the solution to climate change but it is a step the right way. To put it briefly, companies do not want to pay the carbon tax so invest in research for cleaner technologies. These technologies are therefore receiving more funding and, as a result, more time and effort is helping them to be more efficient and worthwhile.
There are so many more things which will be considered by both major parties. And many more things to research and form an opinion about. You need to know what issues mean the most to you and which plans and policies you agree with. That should dictate your vote. Not the media, not your parents, not the first person who hands you a flyer on September 14th. I will be voting for David Bradbury. The Labor minister in my seat of Lindsay. Although i do not agree with all that the party stands for, I approve of more of their policies than the Liberal party and candidate.
I urge you all to form your own opinions appropriately. Be selfless, do what is best for our nation as a whole and be passionate in how you come to make your decision.
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