Excellent article. What the leading political dropkicks, and the media, are chuntering on about prior to the election is mainly irrelevant to the good of Australia. I particularly like the reference to promises of big spending, but silence on the ever-increasing debt.

Another example of the irrelevance was to be heard on a breakfast yabber-yabber this morning. I woke up to the host, or whatever they are called, yabberring about 21 Labor party candidates disagreeing with their own party's bilateral stand on offshore processing of you know who. Albo for Labor, and Squeaky Pyne for the government, who gave their entirely predictable spiels, were presented. The point about this, is that the subject brought up has nothing to do with an election campaign for Australia. Useless, alien people, who should be working out their own problems and destinies, in their OWN countries, is not something Australians should be concerned about in a election: unless, of course, a genuinely concerned political candidate brings it up as one of the causes of the enormous debt broght on us by the dropkicks we have had ruining the country up to now.

Yes Don, we do need someone who is fearless, honorbound and able to persuade the doubters to change a view with reasoned logic, as opposed to simplistic sloganeering, mindless mantas and ideological we an them dogma.

We also need inherently honest folk to say more about what they're for rather than what they're against; or purporting to speak for or verbal the other side.

And there needs to be a cogent explanation of how we are to pay for the promises, which simply cannot disappear like non core promises or windswept sand in the desert, but only after the votes are counted.

Given it is a contest of ideas, we need those ideas fleshed out, rather than parrotted on, (jobs, growth and the economy) with no cogent explanation of how we can do that!

I believe it's long past time we had a mature debate on the merits of becoming a nuclear powered economy and why a much smaller vastly less well resourced Singapore and many others are doing so much better than us as still functioning economies not literally drowning in unrepayable debt.

And shouldn't the folk that created that situation be the ones paying for it as their personal obligation; rather than living high on the hog on ultra generous government handouts.

I mean, were the old codgers much smarter than the clever folk of today? And why is the gap between the haves and the have nots still growing?

Please don't insult our intelligence by claiming that the parameters have essentially changed. When what has changed is a belief in what is possible or affordable or just and fair. Coupled to the fact many of the more privileged citizens have systematically overvalued and over leveraged theirs and our assets? And central to many of the affordability issues that confront us today?

Oh for the days when Leaders fronted up on our Aunty with a fireside chat that took the voters into their confidence with explanation.

Now it all about media mangement and the dumbed down 30 second sound bite.
Alan B.

An Afterthought: Let me add, wherever there's a problem or conflict in our deliberately divided society, there seems to be an element of greed is good at the very core.

Or a fallacious belief if "they" have more, "we" must make do with less? Growing a bigger pie is the answer, but only if we all get bigger slices, rather than greedy guts in there first second and last, and again for leftovers?

And I know you know who I mean!?

And "they" seem to believe that an attack on poverty in all its forms is an attack on them and their personal fortunes, rather than the increased discretionary spending that would enable "them" grow it, along with the national economy.

It really is the economy stupid!
Alan B.

Why worry?
Regardless of who gets in little will alter.
We shall continue breeding and overpopulating in the usual uncontrolled manner.
We shall continue destroying the Environment by felling trees and covering the remaining soil with concrete and brick.
We shall continue emptying our river systems of life giving water.
We shall continue driving our planet co-sharers into extinction.
We shall continue chasing the mighty $ until it, and we, have long vanished.
Why worry?

Yes, the issue of immigration gets a one line mention in an obscure press release from Dutton. http://www.minister.border.gov.au/peterdutton/2016/Pages/strengthening-borders-boosting-jobs-growth.aspx. Nothing from the ALP. They are proposing to bring in over 200,000 people next year, more than Hobart's population. One might think that this is worthy of discussion. Only the Sustainable Australia party has a low immigration policy.

Not “old fashioned” enough Don to require professional politicians to tell the truth: that because Australia is part of the global economy, Federal Parliament does not control commodity prices, interest rates or value of the dollar, and consequently they are reduced to insulting slogans and trivia.