When we went to the polls in 07, I wrote to the ABC and asked them what the employment figures in one of their articles meant to the average voter and how the figure was arrived at and I was referred to the ABS figures. I was trying to point out to this newspaper that John Howard could not expect voters who have to be citizens to be impressed by employment figures that include student workers, visa holders etc who are not voters. I wanted to know how many citizens are employed and I received no adequate response. This notion that we should be happy that we are not training our own people to hold positions that are advertised overseas and we should be happy that non-citizens are given priority over citizens in the employment stakes is at the heart of the problem. I believe that the true test of democracy is the elected fulfilling their obligation to their voters and ensuring the well being of voters first before all the other inhabitants of the place. Surely being a citizen of this country must mean more to the government than being a non-voting resident who has no say in who gets elected or is that something they gloss over at elections.
Globalisation is the problem, because we don't cast votes on a global level and the people we vote into power who should meet their first obligations to us are sucking-up to their newly found super-power masters. The disconnect between Canberra and the States and Local Government is bad enough. Now we have to contend with yet other levels of de facto "governments" that make decisions with no regard to the interests of the Australian people.
Ultimately I believe the voting electorate are to blame. We don't hold them to their promises and we keep voting them in. The first thing we need in place is transparency because we need to know who is failing in their duty to us to be able to not vote them in again. I guess collectively we get what we deserve by our inaction and apathy.
I guess my question to whoever is out there is - how many Australian citizens are in paid employment?

I want to rescue the Austrakia with a credible national response to digging in and Digging a Canal of hope that has a dramatic effect on the entire Eastern Australian climate and removes the threats of drought and fire while creating a permanent rescue environment for all Bird Life..

Allan
Hawk

Now is the right economic climate to
take advantage of the labour and equipment surplusses from the mining industries, and enable a NaTiOn BuIlDing
program to build a NeW RiVer or in this case a CaNal between Pt Augusta and Lake Torrens, hence creating a HUGE inland sea that adds EVAPORATIVE elements too the Australian Climate that increases the rainfall ove most of Eastern Australia, such that all droughts and Bushfires will be removed.

NOW is the RIGHT TIME to achieve this.

Allan
Hawk
SaVe Me A River

During WW2 Australia was isolated from the rest of the world. It was a crisis and we became quite successfully self sufficient.
Now we have an economic crisis and we can do it again if necessary.
The USA has begun a public relations 'Buy US' campaign which is another form of protectionism.

Should we follow suit and have a 'Buy Australian' campaign? If not, why not?

Bert old feller, you gotta be kidding me. Harold Holt was the toerag who committed Australian troops to that debacle in Vietnam.

I'm 51 and the only decent PM I ever saw was Gough Whitlam, although I didn't realise it at the time. Keating was OK. The rest were, and are, dross.