Traditionally Labour’s workhorse policies have been well defined in terms of achieving fairness and a future for the workers of Australia. Labour has had on its agendas social policies that would protect and care for the young, the old and families in need. Labour’s think tanks always had the wider population’s interest at heart. To meet all commitments has sometimes been a real challenge and we have seen Labour governments actually lose elections as a result. The track record of Labour has been much improved since the Whitlam years: at the Federal level Whitlam, Hawke & Keating, Kevin Rudd, although only briefly as Prime Minister, showed fundamental values that not only embraced traditional Labour concerns but they also borrowed from Liberal and minor parties platforms to achieve great improvements in the social fabric of Australia.
Julia Gillard lamented this development when she said that Labour had lost its way. It seems to me that Julia wants her Party to return to the glory days of Labour where all have a fair go, where all share in the riches of the Nation, where all are taken care of by moving forward to an egalitarian society. Words and deeds have to be closely related. Support is also required. When these elements are missing, the job is harder to achieve. There is also the problem that in today’s world the worker is either a technical or information expert or the work given is of a lower value in the market place.
The great success of Governance in the Australian Democracy has been achieved because the people have seen beyond the ideologies and particular platforms of the philosophies of each Party. The electoral cohorts vote out, in no uncertain terms at the ballot box, Governments that become tired and need to be changed. We can say that healthy debate from opposing forces of the political spectrum leads, in the long run, to a better governed Country, with laws that protect and gives its people as much freedom as possible, in a civilized environment. So how can we find the way that has been lost?
The struggles to achieve our current living standards in Australia have been hard fought over a long period of time. It’s fair to say that a lot of progress has occurred since after the end of World War II. The lowest point in living standards in Australia occurred at the beginning of the 1930’s with the period of the Great Depression. If we go a little further back to the formation of our Australian Federation and the subsequent policies of the White Australia legislations and their economic ramifications, we can say that the Australian people had it pretty tough. Therefore if we reflect on the Labour Party traditions which date back to the 1880’s, we’ll find the base of Labour Party ideology in the requirement of mateship as a way of surviving the harsh conditions of rural Australia.
The now defunct ‘Bulletin’ magazine and newspapers built their own myths and showed the way forward with their poems, ballads, short stories, myths and legends. The search for fairness for all in a more just society led to a number of developments. A just wage was agreed to in 1907, the formation of Unions, the achievement of universal suffrage, the application of the democratic processes to elect appropriate representatives from all viewpoints were established. A timeframe for achieving political program for government was introduced. So much of the ground work was laid in the innumerable debated battles of a Parliament which not only came up with laws for all human activity in society, but which began to also rationalize and review its programs according to the views expressed by all parties. Labour and the Conservative sides of society fought it out to achieve a more egalitarian community.
It’s strange that all this democracy actually developed under the very nose of the British Monarchs… but then they were so far away. There was more room for experimentation in a vast land, with a small population and literally indebted to every individual to do his or her best. At times this best had to be shared in times of crisis, in a land that experienced extreme weather and economic conditions. These mutual needs of survival for rich and poor led to great political ideas from all angles of the electorate.
But it wasn’t until after WWII that things really started moving forward. The great wave of immigration from Europe at first and then the rest of the world has propelled this vast and beautiful country into the world arena with its vibrant embrace of a respect for all humankind within the realms of its Government bodies, regardless of which political leanings. There are some basic values that make Australians humanitarians at heart and in deeds! I know that this seems too good to be true… but look around. Here we have welcomed all people, from all places, in beliefs that are as varied as the world itself. However we expect to produce from this diversity a nation of people who are highly tolerant of the rights of individuals and groups. We hope that extreme cultural backgrounds and practices, whether social or religious, will eventually be able to understand the power of our Southern Cross.
The symbol of revolt against unjust authority, the call to cooperation for a fair outcome in our place of work, the rise of equality in the dealings between government authority and ordinary citizens who try to extract a living from effort which is then rewarded so unequally by fortune and chance. The Australian population is often reminded of these great past experiences to encourage us all to continue to build a fair, just and humane society where cooperation is extended to all in times of need. However when the need is not there we also expect a degree of participation in the work force so that all efforts come together to better our living conditions and society in general.
Labour and the Conservative Parties, together with the new innovative smaller Parties, are essential to our democratic, free loving and fair society. Their politics and political programs need to be clearly defined so that people can choose and then judge whether the promises made were delivered in the time given for governing the Nation. We are fortunate that political opposites accept the will of the people at the ballot box. We don’t want corruption of the processes with which we have built a wonderful country to live in. However we cannot take for granted these achievements.
We need to revisit our ideals and goals, our political choices and the way in which we come to implement these choices. We also must realize that from time to time our opponents have the right to govern as well to see whether they can do better in some of their areas of choice. A balance is then achieved in the long run. But we must remain faithful to our own beliefs. Therefore the Labour Party, indeed all Parties, need to review how their policy platforms rate against their own traditional custodianship of their Party.The challenge ahead is to articulate those areas of living that will continue to make our society progress and distribute its wealth in areas of common need. Infrastructure projects, education, health, security, commercial and industrial activity, commerce within the country and exports, defence, law and order, the list is endless. All of these things cannot be achieved at the same time. All of them are important to us all. It’s essential that the way forward is well articulated and clear, so that we can make our choices and then work together to achieve these and to enjoy the fruits of our Labour!
Tom Padula - 24th June 2011
