The federal election hasn’t been called yet, but judging by what we’ve seen and heard so far, we the public are in for a rough ride during the campaign.
Personally, I was dreading the cliched “this will be the most important election in our country’s history’’ theme, but mercifully it looks like it won’t be brought out this time.
But what looks certain to be employed is the old “hip pocket’’ campaign approach.
So far this kind of approach is coming from the government, which recently promised a massive injection, if it wins, into Medicare, to bring it close to 100 percent in terms of bulk billing.
Peter Dutton’s opposition shrugged and matched it, and I think it was at this point that the two major parties revealed they would be trying to buy our votes.
And remember, this is only the start, and before an official date has been set for the 2025 election.
So they will be both saying to us, vote for me if you want steady as she goes and more money in your pocket if I win.
Whatever your view of the Voice referendum, and setting the politics of it aside, at least Prime Minister Anthony Albanese showed some guts back in 2023.
It wasn’t a vision a majority agreed with, but it was nonetheless the actions of a conviction politician.
The PM got his fingers burned over it, and it now looks like he’s walked away from ever again having some vision for the country.
The opposition aren’t much better, and are yet to show any signs of a plan for our country for the next 5-10 years.
I don’t have anything against nuclear power, but I think Dutton’s proposal is pie in the sky stuff.
Let me remind you dear readers that just building a second airport in Sydney took us more than 50 years.
I’ll be generous and give Pete’s nuclear reactors 200 years, if ever.
Of course the truth is that the ball is in our court, that is the voters like you and me.
We need to tell our politicians, and those who want to join them, that we want to see conviction, a vision for this country before we head to the voting booth.
Tax cuts and more money for Medicare are great, but what about fixing up the pollution and congestion in our cities, the housing shortages, immigration, law and order, and so on.
What are you going to do about our constitution, free speech, and converting the Northern Territory into a state that could become a powerhouse of the country.
There are many more issues of substance, but how many candidates will have the guts to tackle them?
Not many would be a kind answer.
