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Aussie politics - game on

By Henry Thornton - posted Monday, 5 February 2007


There needs to be a tough budget. This would minimise the chance of further interest rate hikes and be portrayed as a sign of the Government's continued economic focus and expertise. The overall economy will continued to be supported by the commodity boom and perhaps also the breaking of the drought. Consumer confidence has remained robust and Australians are still world champion consumers.

Expert reader of the public mood, Hugh McKay says: "Straws in the wind. Hints. Possibilities. Nothing more. But it's hard to escape the feeling that the Australian electorate might be emerging from its dreamy period. Sitting up. Taking notice.

"If there is, indeed, a turning of the tide, it appears not to be the result of a single, sudden crisis, but a confluence of several unrelated factors.

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"The environment tops the list. Not since the late '80s has there been such widespread openness to the possibility that the planet is sending us a message. A drought that seriously threatens the water supplies of our capital cities, bushfires that rage out of control for months and have seasoned experts shaking their heads, and the scary prospect of global warming all suggest there's an issue here we can't ignore”.

McKay is right about this - a November 2006 Morgan Poll found that, according to Australians aged 14 and over, the most important priority for the leaders of the world was “protecting the environment”.

This is a dramatic change when compared with a similar survey conducted two years prior - in November of 2004, the most important priority for Australians was seen to be the “war on terrorism”, with the environment coming in third. Now, only 9 per cent of Australians believe the “war on terrorism” is the most important priority, and a massive 22 per cent believe the environment to be the leading issue.

To return to Hugh McKay:

Then there's the "values" question. Ironic, really, that politicians have tried to hijack this one: the issues are real enough, but they have nothing to do with defining distinctive Aussie values or deciding whether "mateship" somehow distinguishes us from other cultures (the French, after all, claimed fraternité long before we did). But deeper values-based questions are engaging our attention: have we become too materialistic for our own good? How can we lead more balanced lives? Can we revive our communities and our sense of belonging to them? Is the Australian way of life in danger of being hijacked by American values and culture? ...

Our changing attitudes to David Hicks look like another symptom of a mood shift. An authoritative Newspoll survey has revealed that 71 per cent of us think Hicks should be brought home. Six months ago, I doubt if enough of us were paying attention to have an opinion, but perhaps the fifth anniversary of his incarceration without trial has jolted us. Even our involvement in Iraq seems set to attract renewed, more critical, interest.

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Howard has embraced the fact of global warming and the theory that human action is a primary reason for it. Now it is eccentric to be a "climate sceptic" and Nicholas Stern from a position inside the UK Treasury has advanced the debate in the language of economics. He makes the powerful point that strong action now will be much less costly than if remedial action is postponed.

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald recently reported:

A draft UN report forecasting dramatically higher global temperatures and even less rainfall over Australia turns up the heat on the federal government to reveal a climate change policy, the federal opposition says.

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About the Author

Henry Thornton (1760-1815) was a banker, M.P., Philanthropist, and a leading figure in the influential group of Evangelicals that was known as the Clapham set. His column is provided by the writers at www.henrythornton.com.

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