As two of the over a million strong Australian diaspora living and working overseas, the ability of the Australian electorate to be so insular is surprising to us. We sat through the election coverage last night wondering whether world events have any resonance with Australians, or whether they had swallowed hook, line and sinker a sneakily deceptive government campaign of negativity surrounding the home economy and interest rates.
I questioned many things last night. Did it matter at all to Australians that Tasmania’s unique and ancient forests were being wood chipped at an alarming rate to produce pulp for Asia so I can have a box of chocolates wrapped in up to five pieces of fancy paper or use a pair of disposable chopsticks wherever I eat?
Did it matter to Australians that families so desperate to escape tyranny and unspeakable hardship in their own country board unseaworthy boats to risk death coming to our country only to have their children locked up indefinitely behind razor wire?
Did it matter that when I go to an in-service overseas next year or when Carl goes to Jakarta for a soccer trip next Wednesday that we have to book rooms away from the street and eat in our rooms for fear of being blown up? Did it matter that all Australians who travel overseas have a huge target on their heads because the Howard government chose to join a war on a huge lie? Did it matter at all that over 15,000 Iraqis have died in a war that we joined without justification? Did it matter that 100 Australians were blown up in Bali as a direct result of our meddling in other countries domestic business?
Did it matter to Australians that our much-trumpeted “sound economic management” has piggy backed on a huge jump in exporting our finite natural resources to expanding economies like China who are “close friends” with Australia as a result?
And does it matter to any Howard voters now, that the government benefited hugely from a massive preference flow from the “lunatic religious right” FFP who have effectively obliterated the line between church and state, and that religious groups have so brainwashed certain electorates that liberal members (at least two) were elected purely on the support received from church congregations? I see this as a very dangerous precedent.
The thing that most frustrates us is that Australians have chosen to ignore these issues or just don’t care; all for what they perceive will be a couple more dollars in their wallet each week. I wonder how Australians will feel about our strange alliances in the world when terrorists finally target our own soil? I dread to think.