True seeker,

Australians are generally pretty apethetic towards politics, but maybe that is just because what is being said is not that relevant to a lot of Australian families.

Old growth forests and free health care do nothing for most people in the electorate - especially if they are juggling jobs, a couple of kids and trying to pick up all those toys on the floor.

In this way, maybe the interest rate debate was pretty important in the last election.

With pressures involved in modern living the threat of rising interest rates might have been an added pressure most people didn't want - not so much financially but the extra pressure on the household.

Still low interest rates are not making it easy for families, just easier than it could possibly be.

More needs to be done from both parties. I think it would resonate well with the masses.

Thanks Suspect. Can I interest you in my Ute "R' Us device as described above? Have you any contacts for venture capital investment? Remember how we used to take our pictures to Kodak for development? And then we went digital, and printed our own?

Well, that's nothing compared to Ute "R' Us. We're gonna be bigger than Bill Gates.

Fair-dinkum apathy, that's exactly what it is. Let's draw up a list of demands and stomp the streets!

and....so... the zealots continue to try to hold the high ground in the Temple.. and the 'priestly party' continued to try to dislodge them.. back and forth the fighting went.. blood flowing everywhere.. the Edomites were called to help, but felt insulted, and went home....
the Zealots were desperate to wrend control of the Temple..

then suddenly.. they all heard the thundering sound of the Roman battering rams on the gates of the city.
(Josephus. Fall of Jerusalem, 70 ad)

I'll get back to you all on this. I kinda feel you will not exactly see where I'm going with it, nor how it relates to the thread about mens and womens work.. or about lazy men.. etc :)
so, until the next exciting episode....
BOAZ

Its a little disappointing to see an article about fertility rates being used as a euphemism for tired old gender debate. Sure men and women do things differently, see things differently, measure things differently... blah, blah. However we are not that different in essence, being that we are all human beings. We argue over peripherals like who does the housework, what is house work, how its approached, who changes the oil, who brings home the pay check, how often baby's bum was wiped and by whom and so on. In my mind they're all just distractions. l am yet to meet anyone who actually enjoys doing chores and who doesn't look for ways to minimise them.

Choices are good. The tendency to ride on the back of another to enable those choices... well that's just the way of the world. Robinhood lives, except he doesn't need to rob us anymore, we just send off our penance with each pay cheque.

Declining fertility is a function of a, b, c, x, y and z. They're all irrelevant and the whole thing strikes me as a storm in a teacup. Population growth will likely be the world's achilles heel rather than its saviour. Declining fertility rates with regards to population growth is innanely easy to solve... IMMIGRATION. It worked in the 50s and 60s. Just invite the Chinese and the Indians over... problem solved.

Trade215,

I agree with you in some respects. I have heard that in some ethnic families, the family can be quite large in number, with a smaller family income than average. If parents are at work, children are looked after by other family members at little or no cost. There is little likelihood of divorce and the splitting up of the family, which means there is more wealth and stability, particularly for the children.

Unfortunately the children, or their children gradually become absorbed into our present culture, and we are back to small families or no families at all.

Unfortunately the issue of gender in families will not go away, until the various propaganda machines stop trying to brainwash people into forming distorted perceptions. For example:- instead of the title of this article being “ In 2005, women’s reproductive choices will prove fertile ground “, it should have been "In 2005, women’s and men’s reproductive choices will prove fertile ground “.

If and when the next generation absorbs our present familial social trends, then, increase immigration. Its such a simple solution. Australia has a long history of absorbing different ethnicities since the first fleet arrived.

Regarding media brainwashing, the responsibility is upon each individual to think for themselves and to take responsibility for what we allow to influence us in thought and action. Apparently a major trend has been identified in that something like one-third of those under 35 yrs of age, identify the internet as their primary source of information. They have grown very cynical of mainstream media editorialised and opinionated 'news' and views. Conversely, around 80% of those over 60, rely on traditional media sources.

The biggest problem, as l see it, is the minimal personal communication between people in general, and men and women in particular, regarding their expectations and life aspirations. Its as if people are afraid to broach this area of discourse. Would it be such a terrible thing for a couple to thoroughly discuss these things prior to 'partnering' or starting families. Sure its not very romantic in a Mills and Boon/Jane Austin sort of way, but so what. What l see is a lot of silence, inference and assumption. When the realities don't meet those preconceptions, then the dissatisfaction and problems arise. Maybe one day, schools will actually prepare people for life, rather than just churning out appropriately indoctrinated worker bees. Basic life skills like... how to communicate, how to align common interests, how to keep a budget, save money, look after the basic tediums of our day to day lives. Without all the scapegoating political invective.

The last couple of decades, in particular, has seen the emergence of an individualistic personal philosophy. The sort of individualism that chains us to empty careers and the short lived, highly addictive adrenaline rush of consumption. These are mere facsimiles of true Individualism. Its possible that once we get used to the glut of consumer driven individualism, we may learn to align common interests. Hopefully we will learn to be more respectful of one another and regard personal autonomy as a strength rather than the present view that it reflects some sort of infantile selfishness. Independance + Intradependance = Best of both worlds and a Better Place to Live.