A truly fair nation…
the challenge of wealth shift
Australia – the land of the ‘fair go? Not when Aboriginal life expectancy is decades less than everyone else. Richard Eckersley in ‘Measuring Progress’ (1998) tells us: “8 in 10 (Australians) said they would prefer a greener, more stable society, where the emphasis is on cooperation, community and family, a more equal distribution of wealth, and a greater economic self-sufficiency.” – all aspects embodied in traditional Aboriginal culture.
AIM for political integrity believes the principle of fairness must underlie all policy….
fair to country and city…
economic value is not the only measure of worth. Rural and regional communities are suffering greatly from diminished health and other services, drought, and population decline. Markets alone cannot address all the needs of such towns with their ‘uneconomic’ isolation and smallness. Proactive government policy action is essential. Cities meanwhile are crying out for a sustainable urban development framework.
fair to vulnerable and mainstream…
The mainstream seems to be prosperous, but hidden are the unprecedented, unsustainable levels of personal debt. Also our national debt continues to climb as a % of GDP. Side by side with this are those locked out of the economic good times, the capital poor who do not have the resources invest in shares or to buy property. The result has been a massive wealth shift to the ‘haves’. The have-nots include most of the next generation, our children, for whom housing has become unaffordable.
fair to employee and employer…
in a framework that embraces, not demonises, all the players: individual workers, unions, small business, corporations, government. In our global economy, corporate structure necessitates maximising shareholder return. Yet for true fairness the first obligation cannot be to shareholders alone who have no liability for decisions made, but to the stake-holders of any nation’s future – all its citizens, and especially its children.
fair to states and Commonwealth…
the Federal Government has an increasing abundance of revenue while most states, and local governments, are struggling to provide our basic social infrastructure: health, education, police, roads.
fair to our global village and Australia…
It is not fair Australia with most of the third world faces a level playing field for manufactures, but not agriculture. It is also not fair Africa, the continent of former slavery, has more money leaving by way of debt repayments than goes in through aid and investment. The poorest of the poor are still subsidising the rich – us. Australia contributes only 0.3% of GDP in aid, well short of the 0.7% target.
Australian Independents Movement for Political Integrity 