Thanks everyone for signing and sharing!
Anyone who endures the HORROR that is Question Time in our Australian Federal Parliament will see little of substance but lots of point scoring, guffawing derision and demeaning of those who dare to ask questions on income equality, or anything that deals with the way our society is functioning today.
It seems our Politicians do NOT understand that by dismissing questions, and giving demeaning replies they are not only making themselves look ARROGANT but that they are DISRESPECTING the PEOPLE of Australia who TRUSTED them enough to VOTE for them!
A politician from the 'other side' ACTUALLY represents the PEOPLE who VOTED for them - NOT their Political party - so it's not a 'political game' of who's the wittiest or has the smartest put-downs!
When you demean and disrespect your OPPOSITION - you DEMEAN and DISRESPECT every PERSON who VOTED for them.
A HUGE number of Australians..
Opposition Politicians ASK questions of BEHALF of the people who ELECTED them and who expect them to KEEP the Govt of the day ACCOUNTABLE. The increase in 'Dorothy Dixers' (meaningless questions designed for Governments to pat themselves on the back) that fill Question Time these days - do NOTHING except PROVE that our Politicians have no understanding of ETHICS nor ANY respect for those who VOTED for them.
A couple of days ago the Treasurer of Australia decided it was witty to mock the Opposition Leader over a Well-being Budget - where the health and happiness of the PEOPLE of a country is the most important role a Government has..
Other than the fact THIS is EXACTLY what is WRONG with politics today - trying to humiliate the Opposition - the Treasurer went on as part of this diatribe to make comments DISRESPECTFUL of another RELIGION while Govt members lacking RESPECT for the Australian PEOPLE"s intelligence fell about laughing.
Completely hypocritical considering the Govt is TRYING to push through a Religious Discrimination Bill! If I did such a thing in MY job I would be counselled and receive a FORMAL WARNING!
But beyond this - WHY would a Govt even BELIEVE that the Health, Well-being and Happiness of its Citizens is NOT IMPORTANT?
For THOUSANDS of years, Leaders and people of History have thought this is EXACTLY the REASON a Democratic Government exists!
To quote a few:
"The happiness of society is the end of government." ~ John Adams
"The object of government is the welfare of the people." ~ Theodore Roosevelt
"Patriotism is the intelligent appreciation that one's own welfare is inseparably connected with the general welfare and that to prosper personally one must intelligently do his utmost to maintain the general prosperity." ~ Julius Sterling Morton
"The welfare of the weakest and the welfare of the most powerful are inseparably bound together. ... The general welfare cannot be provided for in any one act, but it is well to remember that the benefit of one is the benefit of all, and the neglect of one is the neglect of all." ~ Calvin Coolidge
"An ideal is an unselfish aspiration. Its purpose is the general welfare not only of this but of future generations. It is a thing of the spirit. It is a generous and humane desire that all men may share equally in a common good. Our ideals are the cement, which binds human society." ~ Herbert Hoover
"There should exist among the citizens neither extreme poverty nor again excessive wealth, for both are productive of great evil." ~ Plato
Making decisions that BENEFIT the welfare of your citizens has NOTHING to do with a WELFARE state! ANY pretence that it does is both UNETHICAL and UNPRINCIPLED
In Australia INEQUALITY is rising. This leads to more social unrest, more CRIME and less opportunity for everyone.
NO one WANTS their children growing up in an increasingly DANGEROUS society. Governments and their members in particular should not WANT this.
INEQUALITY and poverty means people often can''t find work. NOT because they don't WANT to! it usually means they DON'T have the skills, can't AFFORD to get the skills, can't afford transport, have broken teeth & can't AFFORD a dentist (customer service roles are out) or there are simply no jobs available in jobs tbat they COULD do..
OUR current Govt KNOWS that there is substantial INEQUALITY in Australian SOCIETY - YOU and I KNOW there is INEQUALITY.
WHAT kind of Government DOESN'T want to change that?
What kind of Politicians/people BLAME the disadvantaged FOR their INEQUALITY when the people themselves have NO POWER to change society OR their circumstances?
UNETHICAL POLITICIANS make UNETHICAL GOVERNMENTS!
We SHOULDN'T have to HAVE a National Integrity Commission OR a Code of Ethics for Politicians - but LIKE the Banks, Institutions who care for Children, Aged Care Facilities - Politicians who DON'T don't HAVE ETHICS and INTEGRITY appear to now OUTNUMBER those who DO!
Please sign and share with those who think the same..
Have included some links for those who DOUBT that inequality in Australia IS rising..
https://www.csiro.au/en/Education/Programs/Datasets/Humanities-Social/Income-Inequality