Power to the People

And yet another muses, wistfully, ‘If we had power we could have normal electric refrigerators, deep freezes, airconditioners, wash, iron and sew when we wanted, be confident the fridge would still be going if we were away for a day.

We could surf the net or even sit back and relax in an airconditioned room and watch TV - just like everyone else in Australia.’

Looking to the future of their children and their community, the women worried that even if their own sons and daughters were prepared to live their lives deprived of the quality of life delivered by rural power, would they ever find spouses willing to do the same?

Mr.Sidoti found that country people were surprised that their disadvantage was being treated as a human rights issue.

And indeed the tone of the letters from the SW Women for Power is poignant rather than strident.

But, in our market-oriented society, appeals for an equitable share in the economic, social and cultural life of the nation may increasingly have to be made on the grounds of human rights.

- A sad indictment of a nation which once boasted one of the highest standards of living in the western world.