A PSA for all Australians – it has come the time where we need to make a stand, pack our bags, purchase our tickets and fly across the Tasman to start again where the grass is greener, the air is fresher and the future is brighter, in New Zealand. Because let’s be honest, what the f*** is going on in Australia?
Australia, a country where “the land abounds in nature’s gifts”– the ones we are killing because we can’t even ban the bag. Australia, a country of “those who’ve come across the seas with boundless plains to share” but only if you arrive by one particular way and definitely not if you really need it (despite being a nation substantially made up of migrants).
You see, in reality, it seems Australia is the country of contradictions and the land where decisiveness and leadership are no longer prerequisites for those elected to lead our country, just “desirable” attributes. So for the good of all my fellow Australians I say, let’s see some sheep and make our way to the land of the Long White Cloud where they actually get shit done.
For a decade it seems Australia can’t even decide on one Prime Minister to fill their actual term. We pick one major party (well most of the time when we can decide on just one) that is minutely different from the other major party (because let’s be honest how different are they these days?) and then we decide half way (sometimes less) into their term that we don’t like the leader.
So rather than focusing on making positive policies and changes we instead focus our attention on the indecisiveness and incompetence of those who are meant to lead our country as they um and ah over who should be ‘in charge.’ It is like a living and breathing soap as they backstab each other and talk about each other behind each other’s backs until eventually a challenge is announced and a decision is made, which lasts a little while until it all begins again.
Meanwhile our Kiwi friends pioneer the way and elect an intelligent, competent, strong leader in Jacinda Ardern who leads a country while pregnant and now with a newborn while at the same time making decisions for her country that have purpose and make a difference. One example of her leadership and actual decision making is the recent policy to ban single use plastic bags from the entire country. And to do it in six months.
Back in Oz the plastic bag ban is just too difficult. We don’t have enough nous to ban something that is a known environmentally toxic, harmful and devastating object to our environment. We can’t even do it properly at our supermarkets. Apparently it is too hard so we give up and then introduce mini plastic collector items to reverse any of the actual good we did for the week it was (sort of) in place.
Australia banned plastic bags. But even that was too difficult…
But New Zealand leading the way isn’t really new. Their first female Prime Minister was back in 1997, Jenny Shippley who led the National Party. It took us another thirteen years to ‘elect’ a woman (not that we officially elected her at all) at the head of our country in 2010, Julia Gillard, who was Prime Minister until we decided we’d changed our mind (again) and challenged her Leadership to be replaced by Kevin Rudd who she had replaced the last time the Leadership was challenged.
Confused yet? You wouldn’t be if you lived in New Zealand.
In New Zealand their Prime Ministers make decisions that are pragmatic, thought out and that actually benefit our society. Jacinda Ardern just refused a pay rise and froze those of other politicians, who she argues are already paid “well enough… Because we, of course, already are on a high income … One of the things we’ve been trying to bridge as a government is the fact that we see these increases at the top end of the scale, without the same increase at the end of the scale where most New Zealanders sit,” she said. So here they are again actually making steps toward dealing with an issue that is impacting their society.
Meanwhile back in Australia we wasted over $500million on a plebiscite to decide whether all people that loved each other should be allowed the right to get married. Which the people of Australia (the ones who can actually make decisions) of course said yes to- surprise, surprise. These people who had been vocally saying “yes” for years and who are also the same people that these politicians are meant to represent perhaps should have been listened to just a bit better, it would have made our lives much less frustrating and saved them (sorry us) this huge sum of money.
But perhaps if the politicians of Australia could make some actual decisions, like this one that was made in New Zealand in 2013 (over four years before us and without costing their people an obscene amount of money), we would actually solve some issues rather than fill our tabloid magazines up with the secrets and private lives of our politicians as they carry on like squabbling school kids instead of actually doing their job.
So with plane tickets let us all combine to advance our future elsewhere.
Top Comments
What I'd be interested to read is an article that isn't superficial about Jacinda Ardern. I'm well aware that she is: a) female, b) a mother, c) partnered to a guy who likes fishing and who will look after their child while she works - because that's the sort of stuff that is always written about her. Thanks to this article, now I also know that she a) banned plastic bags and b) refused a pay rise. All great stuff, but ultimately inconsequential to the larger matters of actually running a country. I can honestly say I know NOTHING about her domestic and foreign policies. I'm not going to get behind her just because she's a woman with a kid - it would be good to see a few informative pieces that actually outline what she stands for, beyond the superficial details.
THIS. Both Julia Gillard and Hillary Clinton tried the "vote for me because I'm a woman!" tactic and it ultimately failed them because they had nothing else of any real substance to offer as a leader. I would be very interested to know what makes Jacinda Arden so different. I couldn't care less what gender she is- she's a politician so I want to know what her policies are!
I think that's a bit simplistic. Women politicians tend not to run on the gender ticket alone; it's more that the media and press report everything through a gender filter, so you come away with the impression that all they are offering is the fact they are female. Gillard, for instance, was a gifted politician with a lot of policies, but was hobbled by being in a minority government with incredibly stupid advisors. Most of the stuff about her being female was at the hands of the press, and those who used her gender to discredit her. She didn't make her gender the issue - largely, the opposition, the press and the public did.
Similarly: Ardern, I'm sure, is not just appearing on TV saying, "oh, hi guys - it's me, your female prime minister. I have a new baby!" - but that's predominantly all that's being reported about her. It's time the media grew the hell up and stopped gendered reporting of our politicians. Tell us about their policies and track records; don't patronise us with fripperies about their wardrobe, appearance and private life.
Not long ago I lived and worked in En Zed for for a couple years. One year Wellington, one year Christchurch.
This is just one opinion but I found the average pakeha to be not socially progressive at all. My spouse at the time was transgender and we had all sorts of awful awful times dealing with closed minded and conservative mean spirited pakeha. The Maori however were super lovely to interact with each and every time. Gorgeous sweet natured people.
You can't always judge a population by their government.