AUSTRALIA, WHO IS STEERING?
What was Australia like in the past? What Australia do i want to live in today? What Australia do
i want to live in tomorrow? This is a 3 part question all students of UWS campuses have to ask
themselves. You are a member of society, both of your university society, your greater community,
and of this country. We as students, are the future of this nation. What type of Australia do you
want to be? Think beyond your basic necessities, think beyond the “ME” factor. As a tertiary
student who is enrolled in HIGHER education, and involved in HIGHER order thinking how does
your opinions and needs affect others? Are your wishes for your Australia a step forwards or back?
Some students support VSU because it saves them money, so they support the introduction of
a Voluntary system. Do you think it is fair to destroy a socially responsible universal system and
break down every single student union, in every single state, in every single university because
YOU want to save money? Lets think outside the “ME” factor for a second. How does your opinion
effect Mary*, a 25 year old part time working mother with a 1 yr old. She studies at Newcastle
University. If universal unionism is destroyed and a voluntary system is imposed and only 17%** of
students became union members how can a union afford to keep running a day care system?
Can Mary continue to go to uni and pay a babysitter on her part time wage? No she can’t.
If Australia didn’t allow migrants in to Australia during 1950-70 would we have had the people
power to build the snowy river dam system? Would we have the diverse cultures we experience
today in Australia? What does multiculturalism mean beyond the biased racist hidden agenda rants
of Piers Ackerman? Australia is only 217 years old. It was founded by settlers as a prison. The
culture we have is an amalgamation of Native Australian, Scottish, English, Irish, Greek, Italian and
Asian influences to name just a few. Commentators that mention that multiculturalism is a destruction
of the Australian identity have missed an important point. There is no identity to loose, Australia
has no fixed identity as such, because Australia is still building a true cultural identity. The stockman
and the dusty plains is not an identity. It is a mental imagery. Identity is not born out of imagery, a
brand, or an occupation. True cultural identity is born out of hundreds of years of soul searching,
mental and spiritual evolution, and most importantly cultural intermingling. Australian culture has
no true musical identity, culinary blueprint, very little political evolution, or embedded social ethos.
Many might refute this with examples such as;
-The meat pie. But this is a singular food type, that subsequently can’t be classified as a culinary
blueprint, and Vegemite, but again it is a brand not cultural identity.
-The ideology of the “fair go”. But even the idea of the “fair go” cannot be used anymore. This is a
relic from times gone by. Mandatory detention, deportation of legitimate Australian citizens to
overseas countries, as seen with Alvarez, Rau and many others has played a large role in eroding
this precious ideology.
The implementation of Full fee University courses, the reduction of uni courses, the dismantling of
workers unions, destruction of medicare, considered to be one of the most successful subsidized
medical systems in the world and the further implementation of a user’s pay system in all other
facets of society has eroded any possibility of Australia holding on to the ideology of a “fair go”
what does this entail for us? the future generation of Australia?
As opposed to this being a negative opinion towards Australia, it is anything but that. I am a
proud Australian that views all students of UWS as part of the future of this country. We are the ones
that will mould, form, and develop Australia into the country it will be in the future. For these reasons
alone it is paramount we, as Australians, realize the direction that this current government is taking
us in. will it lead to a future we are proud of, or will we be left with a nation were we regret the present,
fear the future, and yearn for what could have been? Do you agree with assistance to the needy?
The disabled? The less well off? Should health and education be a universal right available,
unquestionably to all? Do we all have the right to vote? Who do I harm when I say no, and who do I
assist when I say yes?
Next time you go to vote don’t ask yourself what they will do for you, but what they will do for
our country. You will probably find that the answer is: NOTHING. For too long we have been fooled
into thinking about “ME” as opposed to “US”. The social benefits that are derived from thinking
about others aren’t felt in the hip pocket, but felt Throughout the Country you live in.
Written by Tomas Buratovich. Article published in 2005, Semester 1, issue 7 of the UWS
"the Western Onion" newspaper
*Not a real person
**17% is the figure of workers' union sign up rates in Australia