Welcome to this week’s editorial,
Like many across this vast land I was interested in the handing down of the National Budget. We had already been warned that it was not going to be good news and that the road ahead would be rocky. We were advised that things were to get worse before we might witness an improvement and that, generally, the average wage was not going to cover the increased costs of living.
Grim news. But it wasn’t all dark clouds. Though we, as a country, are in a fair bit of debt there is the shining light that our economy is still receiving a reasonable income from our exports to meet the demands of the money lenders. Alas our coal and gas is tied to those export values because we were too stupid to ensure there was a requirement that a separate domestic price was enacted. And we are paying the price with inflated energy costs buying our own coal and gas at top dollar as we compete against international demands.
Presently Australia is out there on the world stage playing sports. Rugby, rugby league, soccer and netball. Preceding most of those matches our teams stand tall and proud and mouth the words to our National Anthem.
Australians all let us rejoice
For we are one and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil
Our home is girt by sea
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty, rich and rare
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia fair
We openly tell the world that we've golden soil and wealth for toil and that our land abounds in nature's gifts of beauty, rich and rare. But we fail to mention that most of that rich and rare wealth for toil is exported by predominantly international companies and returns very little, if any, taxes. To them Australia is little more than “Dirt by sea”.
I am very much of the opinion that the tax system, the plunder, the lack of scrutiny and accountability, and the failure of just contribution to the Australian people by those who suck our so called rich and rare natures gifts does NOT Advance Australia fair.
So I watched the Budget unfurl and celebrated the initiatives that would deliver cheaper childcare, build 20,000 affordable homes, provide $1.4bn for new and amended listings on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. I celebrated the initiatives to remove draconian constraints to seniors who wanted to do more in the community but were unable due to being limited by how much they could earn before being imposed.
I enjoyed learning that the 2022 budget provides ’significant’ funding for the ATO’s tax avoidance taskforce to crack down on tax avoidance by multinationals, individuals and the black economy will raise about $4.7bn over four years.
But most of all I enjoyed that we might actually embrace the thousands and thousands of new Australians who live here, work here, and dream of one day being allowed to be real Australians rather than being visa-limbo residents living with uncertainty in a country that fails to recognise their contribution, commitment and love of their new home.
So maybe, just maybe, fingers crossed, the budget might be bringing us back to a place we can recognise as being Fair, and a country that actually stands behind the words of its anthem.
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
And maybe…. just maybe, if we all pull together and if everybody is allowed to do their fair share….. in joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.
Until next—lei
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