It's Election time (again!)

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It's on!

2nd July 2016 Australia will vote for a new government. In a relatively peaceful way we will be all asked to choose which political party we want to lead the country for the next three years. 

Part of me can't believe I started this blog nearly 3 years ago because I wanted to have a place to keep various information on politics. Strangely enough, the issues I had back there don't seem to have resolved themselves much since 2013 and you do kinda wonder what all the fuss was about.

Australia has changed since 2013. The politics has, in most parts, moved away from the name calling and the outright hate language that we see in some other countries. But then again, the election was only officially called today. 

I've changed! I live in a margin Liberal seat now. Though still a mum of two children. With the last one heading to school next year, education and stuff like that seems to be more on my radar. But, as I spend more time at work now days, I also have one eye to what is happening in my industry. Thankfully I am still married to The Man, Peppa and George are still kicking on growing and I still live in a big Australian city.

I haven't read much (how do other people get the time to read this stuff to make an informed choice?!) but I have put links below of a few places I have read. 

I am still unsure what the policies I will be focusing on in this election. Since I started this blog, I have come to realise my views are maybe more left than some people. Please don't take that as an insult.

I know that the key policies for me will be around:

* The Environment - be that climate change/carbon tax/ renewable energy

* Cities - planning, development, housing affordability and infrastructure (slightly swayed by my work but also nearly 90% of Australians live in an urban area now. It needs some national focus!).

* Family - education /healthcare

* Refugees

Links to things I have read:

ABC News

The Guardian

Property Council of Australia

Fifth Estate

School of Life (Ok, a bit out there but its a fun animation that helps you think big picture)

The Project (on affordable housing)

What policies are others focusing on? What do you think is important for this 2016 election? What are you reading to get informed?

Hopefully, over the next 8 weeks, I can feel what PM Turnball said at the start of this election "It's the most exciting time to be an Australian!" 

(and yes, new layout.)

Election happening in NSW soon!!

A lot of this blog has been about Federal politics.  Issues of immigration, environment and parental leave are federal issues.

State and Federal politics are two very different beasts.  Each state have their unique cultural, environmental, demographic and financial situations.  There are some states, like QLD, that have favoured one side of government more than the other.  State politics use to be considered less volatile to change, however the recent QLD election shows that anything can happen. I was amazingly fascinated with the results in QLD because they were so close and the result was surprising. I strangely started getting a little bit excited about the NSW election.

I have been thinking about this post for over a month, but struggled to have time to think and read.

It's important to realise that State Politics has very different issues they can control and to be wise about which ones you will vote about. State government control a lot of things that we touch, see and have to deal with each day.  Transport. Healthcare. Schools. The main ones that I am interested in are:

• Infrastructure- namely transport and the increase of public transport;
• Education - namely provision of public education in my area (not many co-ed comprehensive public high schools around here);
• Healthcare - namely funding for hospitals and area healthcare services; and
• Environment - mainly mining and mining licences.

I live in an electorate that has been historically Labour, by a slim margin. In the last election, it had a swing of over 20% against Labour to give the Liberal Party victory for the first time in over 20 years.  I don't think it was the candidate. I think it was more the perception of the party at the time.

In this election period, I have not see hardly ANY poster boards for anyone else except my sitting Liberal MP. Are there any other options? I have seen a few posters for these guys. Not sure if I am all for one-issue parties. I have received one hand out in the post for Labour and just received a letter, addressed to me, with my current MPs "plan".

To try to find out what options I have, since neighborhood light posts are not helping, I have gone to this electoral NSW website, which tells me what my other options are. Appears I have 5 other options (which is nice).

Even though my seat has been a swinging seat, I suspect that it will stay Liberal as the local member is very popular. I also think, that on the issues above, all bar one favour the current government than the the one who is challenging.

But I haven't read enough.

What you are thinking about in regards to this State election? Thoughts on one-issue parties? Or other minor parties?

It has to stop!

(Cartoon via Compassion without Borders)

I am haunted by the stories of children in asylum.... either en-route to Australia or in Australian-funded detention centres in Nauru or PNG. The Australia government did not cause this but it is DEFINITELY NOT making it better!! The government that was technically elected by me is adding continuous physical, mental and physiological stress to hundreds of thousands of people because of it's inhumane treatment of asylum seekers.

IT HAS TO STOP!

This story from Indonesia is the latest I read. As this article said

"Without the distraction of boat arrivals, this pain and suffering will begin to gain greater attention. It will trouble not only human rights activists and opposition politicians, but also the general public and some Coalition MPs – just as it did in the years after the post-Tampa crackdown."
"
And today there was news that the Australian Human Rights Commissioner confirmed the high rates of self harm by children in detention centres and the poor health and education provided.

This article and this article from March made me cry.

My Peppa and George are 4 and 2. I would not, in a thousands years want them to have to go through any of this, nor my neighbour, nor my worst enemy. No human should have to.

I understand the need to deter people. But to TORTURE people who are already in detention. Maybe not torture them with gas or electric shocks, but withholding medical needs, education and any hope to future ANYWHERE (not just in Australia) is a guilt that no Australia can shake off.

THIS HAS TO STOP! How?

Letter #2

It takes time, to write letters. To think about the facts and to shape a view and express it in words. 3 months in I have fallen behind my goal of one letter a month to my local member.

But I'm back! And I have lots up my sleeve!! I think that it is because there is so much I feel like complaining about, that, in the rush to get out of my brain, the ideas get clogged. Sounds silly, I know.

Below is another letter. It was suppose to be about the budget, but it became about education again. Maybe too safe. But I thought I would try again since I got NOTHING - zip/zippo/zero/ nuttin' - no response from my first letter.

It may be because it was via email. So I am going to do this the old fashion way - snail mail on paper.

Here is it:

3 June 2014

To the Honourable XXX XXX,

I write to you as a member of the local community, a working professional and a mother of two young children, to speak against the governments' proposed cuts to education.  I request that these changes are not acted on and that the funding proposed in the Gonski report as well as continued support for the FEE-Help and other tertiary education funding at their current levels.

I understand that cuts are required to service the budget deficit.  But for a country who has one of the lowest deficits in the world, cutting education seems to be a very short-sighted.  It lacks respect for the needs of future generations.  It will affect the opportunities open to children, not just as young as mine but also as old as yours.  I know you have two currently in primary school and these changes would challenge their opportunities at university.  As someone who had the opportunity to go to university because of the HECS scheme, I want my children to have equal opportunities and these not be reduced by financial constraints.  Education should not be limited to only those who can pay.  It limits Australia's ability to harness the intellectual capacity of all people in the country. 

As the member of a marginal seat in Sydney, please know that this voter, and many others like me, have taken note and are not impressed with a government that has decided to take away our children's educational opportunities instead of considering taxes in other areas (ie. mining tax or company tax).

I also note that I did not receive a response from an email dated 20 March 2014 in regards to education as well.  I understand that everyone is busy.  It would of been nice for my local member to at least provide a receipt from a letter from a member of their electorate.  Because of this, I write to you the ol' fashioned way.

Regards

Me (and I provided my details)

Let's see how this goes!!

Letter #1

It has taken me a while to decide what the best topic to write my first letter as there seems to be so much I could write (complain?) about. Was feeling slightly overwhelmed.

The topic needs to be timely. And there seems to be new issues every week that require research (time) to write a good, informed letter to my local representative. 

So, I've decided in writing to ask that the funding to Schools as the first topic. After researching how to write a letter to your local politician, this felt like a good start point, considering I am a mum with a child on the verge of starting school (how did she get so big?!!) So, see my letter below. I am sending this to them via email, as The Man has already contacted him in this way (yes, the political edge runs in the family).

To the Honourable Mr Local Federal Member,

I am writing to you as a member of your electorate and as a mother with her eldest child on the verge of starting school in 2015.  I write to ask that you vote not to reduce the funding recommended in the Gonki review that became the Better Schools Program. Our children are our future and to cut funding to their education will have impact long after any budget surplus. Cutting the funding shows that the Abbott Government do not value equality, our children and the people who teach, train and help them to become the successful people of the future. The Gonski report highlighted fundamental funding changes needed to not just improve our children's education but attract intelligent and gifted teachers and also provide Australia with intelligent and smart population. 

Though I have heard The Government's claims that it is not reducing the funding, the reality of funding for only four of the committed six years (so cutting funding by 2 years) plus providing unspecified and unstructured funding to the three states and territories that didn't agree in the original rounds of talks still sounds like funding cuts. 

Thanks for your time. I would appreciate a response to this email.

Regards

What do you think? Let me know below.

Writing a letter is not as easy as making a cup of tea. Tea at Nan's (2010)