A Fair Go For All
The Australia that I grew up in always had a simple message for everyone – we believe in a fair go for all. I firmly believe that the Australia that I live in now still firmly believes in this basic right.
As a kid growing up, it was clear that some groups were not getting much of a fair go. Women, people with disabilities, and children living in poverty were definitely not getting a fair go.
That’s why we have all worked so hard to make sure that education gets young girls off to a fairer start and that workplaces are ready for women to be in the mix.
That’s why we have gradually invested in making public facilities better suited to people with disabilities, made sure that workplaces have fair access and awareness of the needs of people with disabilities, and introduced the NDIS.
And that’s why we had a Prime Minister in the 1980’s say that “no child would be living in poverty” and why we have invested so much in family payments, suburbs that have low incomes, and free services for as many Australians as possible.
If we really want everyone in Australia to have a fair go, we have to realise that the work is not yet done. There is always more to do. Women still experience discrimination in so many ways. People with disabilities don’t have full access to every experience that a non-disabled person does. And millions of Australians still live in poverty, or very close to it.
So I pose this question to you – are we still a country that believes in a fair go for all?
I ask this question because I do hear some things said in the media, and by politicians on their soapbox, that suggests an Australia where only some people get a fair go. And apparently these same outspoken people believe that they have a right to decide who is included and who is left out. Wow! The arrogance of that!
Is there an individual in this country that gets to decide if our long held call of a fair go for all lives on, or dies?
I have a view that the idea of a fair go for all belongs to about 27 million Australians. I have a view that it is an ambition, a dream, a belief that is built into our DNA. And I have a view that we will always have to strive in this direction, knowing that we might never get there, but believing that we can get as close as possible, all while never giving up.
Youn Really Should See For Yourself How Fast We Are Growing
You will often hear about our area described as “one of the fastest growing regional areas in the country”. If this just sounds like simple words, then I would encourage you to take a drive and go and see some of these incredibly fast-growing suburbs.
Cameron Park, North Rothbury, Heddon Greta and Bellbird are all perfect examples of the speed of our growth. In areas that were always paddocks and farms and bushland not so long ago, they are now home to tens of thousands of new families. You really need to see it with your own eyes.
For many of the main roads that travel through these suburbs, you will see new homes up close to that main road that you are on. But if you actually take the time to turn into one of these new growth areas, you will quickly find a maze of roads that go further and deeper into these new areas than you ever could have imagined. Before long, you will be worried that you might never find your way out.
For many decades our various suburbs and villages have enjoyed a slow rate of growth, almost completely unnoticeable except for the new looking house here and there. But those days are well and truly gone. We are now basically the outer suburbs of larger centres like Newcastle and the Central Coast. Some of our people even travel as far as Sydney for their daily work.
This is why it is my job to continue to fight for the schools and hospitals and roads and police that we need, to keep pace with our growth. And these fights that are had are made stronger with the community at large, and the local MP, working together with one voice and one message. I sincerely thank those that are willing to speak up on these important issues. The success that I have belongs to all of us.