Tag: government

Our Afternoon on a Polling Booth.

I was scoured at, swore at, abused, hugged and thanked. Such is a afternoon on a polling booth handing out pictures.

All was a direct result of what the punters state of mind was on the way to the polls and influenced by what they had seen or heard via the media.. Democracy takes on different personas according to each individual but it does bring out behaviours often concealed but revealed in the final steps to polling booth door.

I saw youth who’s futures are influenced by governments directly scrunch up all handouts as a act of defiance to the volunteers. I saw people in uniform who’s lives depend on good Government decisions boast and laugh at making pirates or other luny tunes famous allegedly by gaining their tick., and then older people bitter about loosing income who had no idea about what franking credits were let alone qualify yet were convinced pensions would be cut and they would starve.

In my electorate alone over 6k were informal, nationally over 600k nationally indicate it just got either too hard to understand of they are too lazy to try to understand and democracy is a inconvenience, but the most worrying thing I feel is our country is adopting the terminology used of defining people and our society of being Lifters or Leaners, and that was not our culture, but after Saturday we may have moved closer to “up you I’m all right Jack” outlook for Australia.

Political agendas are set to appeal to what people see either effects them as individuals firstly and only or what effects our society first then, sow the flow on effect. My preference it to the latter as I believe we work better together as our nations forefathers did so we could get us where we are today.

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Truth over Murdock Propaganda Critical in Australia.

I try to look at election campaigns across the free world objectively and I do hold my own political biases but we must rely on the media to give deliver truth, ethics and that in itself is sometimes is a problem depending on which outlet one chooses to read.

The line between news, opinion then verging on propaganda in this country sadly is mirroring America and this campaign is descending into that gutter by the Murdock press.

We have seen in past elections attacks on PM’s openly saying bag and drown the bitch, burn the witch, and many other slogans prominently splattered across mastheads and now we are sinking into attacks on politicians mothers.

Has Australian politics sunk that far or is it being dragged down by this organisation to keep what it sees as the right people to keep its organisation with a say in how our governments run?

We as Australians deserve better than this rubbish. We should not accept material that an never be described as journalism.

I am well aware this paper is owned by Murdock and it does not reflect its owners, as we do have editors around the country that maintain journalistic standards clearly reported when Palmer Party tried to ethically corrupt.

I’m pretty sure most intelligent Australians will not accept this American style of confronting intimidatory politics and demand balanced reporting, however painful it might be to our egos.

Strategic Sub Editing but the point was not lost, only the culprit hidden. 😂

The Vegan Dilemma

Many of us in our youth took to the streets if we felt civil protest was the only way to change governments or  Legislative powers for the good of living conditions of our fellow workers or democratic rights were challenged. 
The vegan protest philosophies  however, do not fall into that category in my view and are based on core beliefs on how humans should exist today compared on how we got here over evolution. 
To be clear from the onset I am not and never will accept animal cruelty, but we have to accept the fact  the food chain exists and right down to the basic kitchen gecko chasing mosquitos to lions chasing gazelle we humans come from  carnivores and changing that will never happen, but like all beliefs be it spiritual,  political, or society changing we are entitled to have them, even live by them , but we are not entitled to force them upon others in their own homes. 
I feel invaded when people turn up wanting to convert me to their beliefs as do many, but that does not stop the right of those people holding them but forcing them by invasion is not the way to go. 
I feel deeply in  todays world animal experiments should be a thing of the past, our science should have expanded past that age, but we cannot change the way we evolved, agreed not pretty in places but to be brutally honest we as humans do much more damage to each other in daily life physically and mentally on this planet than we do to when we take to survive and maybe that’s where our own back yard would be a good place to start to clean up first. 

Invisible People with Invisible Disabilities with Invisible Support.

I wish to raise a subject on behalf of people beligned by our present society by the broad term of dole bludgers.

I agree some people use the system out of pure laziness often stretching back generations however there are some very desperate people caught up in broad perception projected by our politicians that are living a life in abject poverty and can do nothing to break out.

They are the physically disabled, the mentally ill, the ones that just can’t work and do not transition to a disability pension or are in transition or cannot get through the NDS mazes alone.

Support Services for these people has been cut or does not exist so they are left in their houses or rooms if they are fortunate enough struggling to pay rent, food and usually medication last.

Suicide rates among these people is high unfortunately but suits the government data on unemployment hence low on the priority list.

Luckily some medics are sympathetic to this group but the social stigma stays when they have to venture into main stream population to get medications not on the PBS and struggle to pay at the counter.

This issue is not about raising the New Start allowance, although that would help greatly it’s about defining the people who are invisible in the present system.

This issue is in the too hard basket for many politicians regardless of allegiance.

The real issue is getting classification, getting approved or rejected then getting them into care be it NDS or Disability options, not letting them slowly fade into natural attrition.

We are supposed to have a surplus if we listen to the spin so let’s give the least able bodied people some life saving support.

Investigative Journalism must Survive.

I have been guilty of pulling the trigger maybe too quickly on the media on what I see as slanted reporting or cartooning but with the Al Jazeera story I can only commend the media on its speed on self analysis if ethical standards were breached.

Within hours of release, self questioning commenced weather it reported the story or created the story.

That debate will be ongoing but it’s my simpleton belief is overall if it’s in the public interest, the public should know.

The method of acquiring the evidence is played out regularly in capturing terrorist, online predators, drug dealers, gun runners all regarded as fair game if any investigative journalist outlet exposes the culprits.

The fact that they did not secure the funding does not change the intent or the toxic advice on how to nullify murder.

I believe this is a clear example on the value of investigative journalism, and regardless of what side of politics you support it is imperative to democracy these outlets across the world continue their work, and must be protected.

Sporting Costs disqualify Struggle Street.

At a kid in the 60’s in a war service /housing camp area kids had to make their own entertainment but when the word got around the local Football Club ( Wog Ball as it was known then ) were looking for players a few of us fronted up with absolutely nothing and the rest is history.

After reading the costs involved in the QT report I wonder who will look after those kids from real struggle street who’s parents are the living poor. The odds are those kids will be the problems of the future and never given a chance.

We all know sport is better than any lecture to teach the real lessons of life. Respect, humility, integrity and it goes on and it’s not always parents that can be trusted to impart those standards, so are we as a society prepared to accept those who are priced out in childhood will become tomorrow’s problem generations?

Sport and it’s infrastructure particularly in the lower demographic should be critical, and maybe across the board should be regarded as essential service or we can to play the risk management game and hope the pluses outweigh the minuses?

I appreciate all the government grants to existing and emerging organisations but looking at the data in the qt report sport should never be for the have and the have nots, it is the best classroom in the world regardless of how rich or poor your country is and that applies to parents as well.

Self Regulation in the Churches cannot be Trusted.

In the past week or so I have watched the wave of emotions surrounding the Pell decision and I am one who’s vote falls with the victims.

Sadly it’s not only one church or godly organisation that stands condemned it many. It’s not only one man it’s 100’s of years of perpetrators hidden, relocated or just plain tolerated to keep the cloth appearing sacred.

As a atheist I feel for those who’s faith in their gods and churches has been tarnished if not destroyed but I’m sure they will recover over time. They too are victims of this world wide culture of denial however I refuse to concede the churches do not have enough money to compensate the physical abuse.

I see church hierarchy’s bathed in gold, while their followers starve, struggle for food or justice and I appreciate the excellent work by the believers who work tirelessly across our nation as do the non clerical organisations helping our fellow travellers, but these “keepers of the cash” run the religion business’s ruthlessly as exposed by the commission.

My faith in our legal system is solid and justice will be done in the end, but after the dust settles who will watch the watchers as self regulation has proved totally inadequate for far too long.

Upholding Journalistic Standards

Maybe I’m one who should be honoured to get a run occasionally in this forum but I actually think public debate is good for democracy. To be honest I was one of the first to burr up about taking Courier Mail copy and pasting Bolt and Murray in my QT.

Over time I have realised it’s important to have them there as it allows the masses to judge where the benchmarks of journalism are set in Australia and it’s becoming quite clear those columns make people aware of the lower end of the debate.

When people aspire to take this country back to the Menzies era of white Australia, coal burning, climate ignorant, society and try and spin that as the good times do not have Australia and our grandkids future at heart.

The light has finally fallen on the conservative ranks that climate change is not a political football and the right wing nutters like Bolt And Murray are so far out of step with real Australians views their opinions will only add the present to governments struggle for credibility, so keep it up.

In regards to our ABC every government regardless of ideology has bellowed bias from its inception and that’s great for our democracy and the cries from the crackpots from the right who want to silence it highlights its importance of a broader perspective, on political and social issues which is not on the media barons agenda who desire to claim the entire debate on their networks and engineer it accordingly.

Merry Christmas and let’s get to the polls.

Less Overheads better for Ipswich Ratepayers.

As our Council administrators get on with their jobs and we see basically nothing has changed in regards to day to day life of ipswich ratepayers.

Council staff are getting on with what they do best, so the question at the end of the day is “are we over governed” when it comes down to this extra layer of divisional councillors and the costs involved.

Remember please Local Government is facility of State Governments, not a seperate level of government.

In a world where we everybody has to qualify with qualifications to make a living under and directly overseen by superiors daily, I think the days of people being given massive wages on a popularity vote is well out of step with current society standards.

We cannot revert to any part of previous administration practices or culture or nothing has been achieved out of this dissolution process as it will re infest.

Ipswich is blessed with people of exceptional talent as we have seen by the top 100 run by QT, all of which I’m sure many have the skill sets required from hands on experience to sit on a board or take responsibility for facets of our great city.

No they may not be good at giving ratepayers money away to boost their own popularity come election time, or grabbing microphones or headlines at look at me rags, as true managers of our great city need to be business and socially focused on the city as a whole, not just 10 little patches each with if we are to believe the spin each like Shiltz and no nothing about the rest.

Less overheads would be better for ratepayers and qualified not popularly Appointees would serve our new beginning better come 2020.

Our Visit to Queensland Parliament..

The invitation came, we thought no, then why not.

My local State Member Jim Madden’s office emailed me a invitation to join him and some other constituents to a afternoon BBQ and tour of Queenslland Parliament House on the 2nd December 2018 and after some hesitation both headed off to a unknown destination for a adventure. Not bad for two over sixty sixes.

Planning as I do the journey I proceeded past my beloved German Club and proceeded to cross the Story Bridge, down Ivory Street, past the old Waterside Workers Club of my childhood, left at the Customs House and down to what I thought was Parliament House,confusing that with the Parliamentary Annex which was our destination.

Typically we asked security who sent us to get a parking available but not explained to the security guard it was for disabled, consequently we circled the place twice then out of frustration returned to the guard who said Oh, park right here, this is the place your looking for. R..I..G..H…T..!!!!!

On entry we were scanned, X-rayed and interrogated all part of the hospitality then aimed towards the lifts and told the 7th floor was the target zone.

On entry welcomed accordingly and after introductions proceeded to have light refreshments and good conversation with fellow Ipswich people.

The subjects were broad but all ended up on a political narrative with topics from all levels of government with varying opinions, complying with the location.

After a sumptuous lunch, love the snags, we set out to tour our place of democracy in Queensland.

And impressive it was, steeped in history and tradition, and enlightening to us who follow the political game on what we see via the media and how it really is.

I got to sit in the Speakers Chair and that was recorded, as that is not how it works in my house where she who must be obeyed reins and often I’m in the Opposition.

We were treated to a extensive history lesson and fittingly the day concluded in the Parliamentary Chook House, home of the chickens who look after the herb and vegetable gardens used in the Parliamentary kitchen. Yes they do have real chefs and people employed in hospitality.

Really it’s a experience worth engaging in if you truly interested in how our democracy works.

Thanks Jim Madden Alp Member for West Ipswich. And staff for a memorable balmy Sunday afternoon indulging in Queensland history.

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