I’ve tried my best to contain my concern over the current political situation, mainly the Australian Abbott Government and its seemingly arrogant lack of empathy and understanding toward some sections of our community. Shameful notions like ‘the age of entitlement is over’, who was so entitled anyway? Single mothers living on welfare and struggling to buy bread and milk for their kids or maybe it was the twenty-six year-old who lost his job and is now (soon not to be) on new start allowance…great existance and so, so, entitled Mr Abbott…!
Or maybe it’s the university students who are so entitled (yes tertiary education is a wonderful gift and it should be available for all to access) but a student from a poor or struggling family is not living in the cupped hands of entitlement just because they have found their way to university (often they just manage to sustain themselves during their time as a student). Oh no, My Abbott says, make them pay more when they qualify, no more entitlements. Of course students from wealthier families have it easier, more support and even assistance to pay back their education debt. It’s called opportunity Mr Abbott…opportunity if you are wealthy, and have good support networks, if you have been to private schools and already have special priveledges…that’s what I actually call entitlement.
And so, over the last week I’ve held my tongue…looking for a mature and sensible way to oppose some of the notions put forward by the Liberal Government that seem to attack the most vulnerable people in our communities. These policies come from a position that clearly sits outside any realistic view or understanding of how difficult it is for some people to exist in today’s world. It’s not the fault of individual people when they find themselves unemployed, sick or elderly without enough means to get by, it’s the fault of the greedy economic strategists who promote individualistic ideals.
And so, this morning as I listened to ABC talk back, I quietly congratulated the people who had enough fortitude to ring in and confront our current Prime Minister with their outrage and disappointment. I can’t recall ever hearing such anger directed toward an Australian Prime Minister…I guess there are times when enough is enough…I thought in my naive thinking, surely Mr Abbott himself must have been shaken and perhaps even went away pondering his own version of political wisdom…
Oh, but this was not to be. This evening as I watched (on television) part of the radio interview that I listened to this morning, I was amazed to see Mr Abbott mocking a caller by winking and making light of her story. The caller, a sixty plus pensioner with several serious health issues tried to explain how she was struggling on the aged pension and had to supplement her pension by working on an adult sex line. That was when Mr Abbott winked at the presenter and smirked…This is a man who holds the top parliamentary position in the land…and yes, he mocked her…and I suspect he didn’t understand nor did he attempt to understand, a smidgin of what she was so upset about….
So that’s why I’m angry, really angry!
Heather Whitford Roche 
Yes Heather, how revolting and revealing was that wink. We don’t have true leaders and I have nothing to feel proud of at present. It feels a very dark time in the health/welfare sector and personally I’m not sure what I can do but I know I must come up with things. As Gandhi said ‘my life is my message’, how we all individually live, the choices we make/don’t make matters. Anger and outrage are the only appropriate responses. How do we best channel this? We must never stop caring. How do we remain hopeful in bad times? Can the dismissal of a Federal government happen again? So much to think about and act upon. P.S yes, it’s about opportunities not entitlement.
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Fabulolus comments Jennifer, you are right much to think about and what do we do?
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Today I have joined a political party, signed up to http://www.getup.org.au and set up some voluntary work with some of the Abbott/Hockey targets. Looking for further ideas??
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Good for you Jennifer…action speaks louder than words.
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Hi Heather
As you know I have no idea of technology and so can’t join your post!!! I’ll leave that to Jennifer, but I want to say congratulations for putting into words some of the outrage, anger and sheer disbelief I feel at this current situation. I’ts so offensive that this government who came to power through the votes of many of these disadvantaged (or as they like to say “aspirational Australians”) is now willing to treat these voters with such disdain and contempt and to dash not just their aspirations but their right to have their basic need met, while mocking them in the process. What will Tony Abbot or Joe Hockey do when they leave politics, join the line of unemployed seeking work to put a roof over their head and food on the table, no way!! they will join their mates and all the connections they managed to make while we paid their wages through our taxes, and through this nepotism will find themselves comfortably off making plenty of money, living off “life long” travel benefits and generous superannuation payments.
When will we hear them ringing up a future prime minister complaining that they can’t survive on the paltry allowances and supports or worrying how they will pay for their visits to the doctor, or survive on the age pension etc.
The wink and the smirk are somewhat predictable from a misogynist, sexist man, who doesn’t recognise his own prejudices, but this budget and the deceit of his election promises are reprehensible and unforgivable because he does know what he is doing – why else would he talk about tax cuts in the future. Let me guess would that be just before the next election!!!
Thanks for the opportunity to express some of my thoughts.
Cheers
Fran
Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 12:43:33 +0000 To: quigwils@hotmail.com
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Wow Fran you should have written the blog…yes, he hit a nerve across the country yesterday, for all decent thinking people! Fantastic comments…
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Congratulations for putting into words some of the outrage, anger and sheer disbelief I feel at this current situation. I’ts so offensive that this government who came to power through the votes of many of these disadvantaged (or as they like to say “aspirational Australians”) is now willing to treat these voters with such disdain and contempt and to dash not just their aspirations but their right to have their basic need met, while mocking them in the process. What will Tony Abbot or Joe Hockey do when they leave politics, join the line of unemployed seeking work to put a roof over their head and food on the table, no way!! they will join their mates and all the connections they managed to make while we paid their wages through our taxes, and through this nepotism will find themselves comfortably off making plenty of money, living off “life long” travel benefits and generous superannuation payments.
When will we hear them ringing up a future prime minister complaining that they can’t survive on the paltry allowances and supports or worrying how they will pay for their visits to the doctor, or survive on the age pension etc.
The wink and the smirk are somewhat predictable from a misogynist, sexist man, who doesn’t recognise his own prejudices, but this budget and the deceit of his election promises are reprehensible and unforgivable because he does know what he is doing – why else would he talk about tax cuts in the future. Let me guess would that be just before the next election!!!
Thanks for the opportunity to express some of my thoughts. Fran
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