Federal "Opposition" Leader, Bill Shorten is pledging to "Advance Australia" by stating:

"We can build an economy where growth is strong, where prosperity is shared and opportunity belongs to everyone," he said, adding that Labor would deliver tax reform without changing the GST."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/shorten-launches-labor-conference/story-fni0xqi4-1227455089609

I recently saw a homeless person sleeping at night recently, in my area for the first time and I was shocked. The person looked filthy, dirty and had some type of blanket over them.

Do people have any potential real ideas, of any type, that may "Advance Australia" and not simply pick parts of a line from our National Anthem?

"I recently saw a homeless person sleeping at night recently, in my area for the first time and I was shocked"

NathanJ, join me any night in Sydney I'll take you on a tour around Central Station where the homeless abound in large numbers, it is shocking indeed!
Lofty words from Shorten! The fact is no matter how sincere Shorten may be our system simply is incapable of delivering "opportunity for everyone". The competitive nature of society will produce winners, but it also producers losers, all for a variety of reasons.

We certainly do not advance AU by reconfiguring the federation, we need solutions to get this economy moving , not pie in the sky ideas.
Abbott has caused that much uncertainty that AU is in stagnation. We need an election to clear the air.
Abbott has become unbelievable, untrustworthy and unrealistic, to the extent he has lost all credibility.
All of his tax reform is aimed at the workers of this nation, while the fat cats lap up the cream under the protection of federal parliament.
The coalition are more concerned defending the indefensible than getting on with what needs to be done.
Business has no confidence and consumer has no confidence, we have stalled. With 100 Billion $ added to the debt in 2 years with no extra income we are in trouble , and Abbott’s direction is doing nothing. 17 billion in interest payments alone.
Abbott said 60% of debt to GDP would be ok. This regime is operating in the danger zone

"The competitive nature of society will produce winners, but it also producers losers, all for a variety of reasons"

My experience is that it is the very hardworking and most often people who have been willing to commit and give up a large part of themselves who qualify for and hold down better paying jobs.

Remember too, that the day they stop learning and striving is the day questions arise about their future.

There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, would not be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist.

So let us leave out the demonstrably wrong Marxist inferences and accept that in a country like Australia we can make our own decisions, take hold of our own futures and yes, what we put in very largely determines what we get back.

So too do poor choices, indolence and dependence bring consequences.

Struggle Street and Missing Labor
Ex-Labor Leader Mark Latham got it right on the elitist push who run Labor,

<He [Mark Latham] told 3AW radio Bill Shorten’s private members bill to push for changes to the Marriage Act [for gay marriage], was nothing more than a symbolic gesture.

He said the biggest social issue facing Austalia was unemployment, drug use and homelessness in suburbs such as Mt Druitt which was the focus of the SBS documentary, Struggle Street.
“If you are interested in equality and social justice in Australia then what was the really big event in the month of May,” he said. “We had the Struggle Street documentary which revealed that in the nation’s public housing estate, most notably in Mt Druit people live in conditions that you wouldn’t wish upon your dogs. Absolute chaos, despair and hopelessness in their lives.
“And surely, you would have expected a serious national response from the party of social justice?
“We didn’t hear anything.
“They’re obsessed, instead, by gay marriage [and playing silly buggers to disrupt Parliamentary business].”>
http://tinyurl.com/p6kts6c

My, "There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, would not be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist."

should be,

"There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, WOULD be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist."

Australia has always prided itself on being a
nation that is more equal than most - a place
where if you work hard, you can create a better
life for yourself and your family.

But the fair go has never been guaranteed it has
always been something we have had to fight
for and luckily we have had mostly good governments,
leading the charge.

How do we Advance Australia Fair? I feel that Australia's
fair go is under threat from the rising power of vested
interests. A small number of elites increasingly feel
they have the right to bend the nation's
future to satisfy their own self-interest.

Thankfully, the interests of ordinary Australians have not
yet been drowned out by the desires of a well-funded
handful, and there is still time to ensure that all
Australians receive a fair return from the resources they
own.

We need the right leadership that will ensure the
interests of Australians not those of vested interests.
Our rich agricultural land should not be used for mining
purposes. Neither should overseas investors and
Multi-nationals - be allowed to
buy and own our land and take their money overseas at the
expense of Australian taxpayers. That should equally apply
to local mining companies that exploit the system.

Beach, I am not sure what part of Australia you are from/reside, maybe the back blocks of Queensland. To your shock horror you seem to have just discovered "Struggle Street" and the Sydney burb of Mount Druitt was that from TV? The Druitt is not the only location of its kind in Sydney the Houso flats of Waterloo will testify to that, along with a dozen other places. Melbourne has the same as does Brisbane and all around Australia.
As for your attack on Shorten and gay marriage with your perceived insensitivity of Labor for the suffering of the often decent people of "Struggle Street". I believe unlike Abbott, who certainly does not give a toss for Australia's poor and needy, Shorten is capable of some multi-tasking on issues.
Mark Latham is only stating the obvious.

Paul1405,

Being linked with the elitist, Trotskyist, NSW 'Watermelon' Greens as you say you are, you cannot be expected to be interested in Struggle Streets either.

Ex-Leader of the Labor Party Mark Latham's criticism applies to the Greens as well and with bells on.

It is all 'Do what we say and never you mind' from the idealistic 'Cultural War' elitists of the Watermelon faction.

Tell us all now, what exactly has (say) your hissing, serial activist Watermelons ever done for the 'Struggle Streets' that has produced any practical results?

The Greens are all human headlines, there are almost as many factions are there are Greens. Their new leader has his work cut out trying to manage the seriously lunar Watermelon faction that loves dabbling in international affairs - embargoes and nasty sledging directed against Israel mainly, the only democracy in its region.

Bob Brown couldn't handle the Watermelons and finally resigned leadership.

However Bob Brown was also much more interested in gay issues and Mark Latham's criticism is very fair comment on his leadership in spades.

So the Greens have always put their idealistic Cultural War and dabbling in social re-engineering ahead of the practical problems of Struggle Street too.

It will be interesting to see if there is any change under the new Greens leadership.

In terms of advancing Australia, it won't go very far at the moment, as we are already in election mode. I saw a shocking advertisement, which came up by coincidence, when I was watching a youtube recently.

See it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbnYlMQq3CA

If the two major parties can't work together in a positive way, it will have to be the community to advance Australia not Bill Shorten, Tony Abbott or a small number of Senators.

I've lived in Chippendale, Sydney (hardly "Struggle Street") for 23 years.
When I first moved here, I never saw homeless people.
NEVER!
To see a tramp, I'd need to go shopping in the CBD.

Now I see them all the time, especially outside the Broadway Shopping Centre.
Mostly young White men. (Where is has their "privilege" gone?)

I saw a middle-aged Asian couple with all they owned in a shopping trolley (good luck doing that now with those wheel clamps).
Not doubt "enriching" Australia with their diversity after "reunion" with their family.

With over 700,000 unemployed and 100,000 homeless, unless a party proposes SERIOUSLY slashing or even stopping immigration, anything else they say or do is just BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

Bite the bullet, drongos, before it's too late.

My goodness NathanJ, you do lead a very sheltered life indeed.

>>I recently saw a homeless person sleeping at night recently, in my area for the first time and I was shocked. The person looked filthy, dirty and had some type of blanket over them.<<

Here are some insights for you to digest, in case you ever need to venture out into the real world from your comfort zone:

http://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/index.php/about-homelessness/homeless-statistics

The "answer" however is out of the hands of Bill Shorten, though, as he is currently Leader of the Opposition. So it is puzzling why you should choose to focus on his statements at a conference - which are necessarily non-specifically fuzzy - instead of asking the question of those who are actually in a position to do something about it.

Federal and State Governments should be your target here, surely.

Apropos of vested interests, Andrew Robb was bragging on AM this morning about great progresss towards negotiating a Trans Pacific Partnership aimed at undermining the sovereignty of Australia, America and Canada and reducing our labour and social conditions to those of Asian slave economies.

Challenged over the secrecy and lack of public consultation, Mr Robb responded that thousands of industrial stakeholders were being consulted - those being the owners of industry, cetrtainly not its creators.

He went on to note that the Prison Republic of China was not part of the negotiations, but not to worry, free trade agreemensts with with that monstrosity and others like it were being stitched up as we speak.

A poem, by Annette H. A. Schofield

Let Australia stand for liberty
Freedom, hope and unity
Destined now to be a nation
With a higher valuation
Of what life on earth should be
Not in social degradation of the weary and the weak
But with pledge in honour keeping
Giving to each human being
Human pride and dignity
Let us then a new world hasten
Work for peace to right each wrong
Treat all others as we would brothers
Heed not either creed or color
Sing our own dear country’s song
For the God of all creation
Waits the unity of nations in to one great family
Let Australia then the guide be
Beacon for the world to see
Australia

I have just read through the depressing comments in this thread.
No one seems to be aware of what is going on and just blame government
of either brand or big business & banks.
The problem we have is that it is not just politicians
that do not understand, it is the majority of us all.

I believe I know, and I am far from being on my own, but those that
have the power to act are not aware in sufficient numbers.
I gather that it is a physiological condition that is well know that
causes people to reject concepts that makes them uncomfortable.
The condition means that people will not react until something very
substantial occurs that inconveniences people dramatically.
Then they will want it fixed tomorrow.

The Schofield poem is better than the national anthem but not relevant to where we are in history today. Our current anthem is in turn better (or at least less-worse) than the ridiculous British royal song that served as a "national anthem" before it. However the words of our national anthem are still a fatuous word salad cobbled together in a thought bubble. "We are young and free" - bollocks. Austrslia has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years - it's plain whom the "We" in "We are young and free" excludes. The projected exercise in re-badging Australia, mooted at the recent COAG meeting called to beef up the GST war on the impoverished, might profitably turn attention to a much better national anthem for a start.

I really don't know where the blame should levelled ? Obviously both federal and state governments can do some things, how much though, I really don't know ? A couple of things:-

(a) Why do some youths (14 -17 years old) 'choose' to live 'rough' when the have perfectly good homes to go to ? Is it because many are not prepared to submit to basic family discipline at home perhaps ?

(b) It's definitely not the job of uniform police to act as 'ex officio' social workers and counsellors to homeless people living in inner city parks and gardens ?

Pericles,

"Here are some insights for you to digest, in case you ever need to venture out into the real world from your comfort zone."

I don't live in a city/suburban area, so where the town I live in doesn't generally have homeless people at all. I also know of one person who was sleeping in a rural shed near my brother's rural property. When the new owners came into the shed, they also found around 20-30 cats. The RSPCA, people from the local council and a social worker had to be called in.

Too many charities just simply want to keep handing out food on cold nights, without providing any real, long term solutions, in terms of improving these people's lives.

There are options. So I don't know why the Labor Party isn't doing more to seriously and affordably "Advance Australia" with the community involved. Instead it seems heavily obsessed with issues like same sex marriage.

NathanJ

I have friends whose family farm has been reduced substantially. He and she are both well-educated and the travelling sort. They have often assisted in poorer countries, richer ones too.

Through word of mouth they take in youth who need space and time out. They can generally help around the place as they recover. There are acceptable shearer's quarters and the sheds. Some free mutton and veg.

It works out well with no pressure on the youth. They can come and go as they please. No drugs, no squabbles or bye, bye.

They are just good people who don't seem to need much as long as they can see the world (cheaply).

Maybe we could all do more as a community. Better town and city planning would facilitate.

Politicians want to pass laws. Often that defeats the purpose.

Arnold Zable - Writer, novelist, and human rights
activist writes:

"The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre opened its doors in
June 2001. The centre, which began as a shopfront, is
now a massive undertaking. To see the daily presence
of hundreds of asylum seekers, volunteers and supporters,
and to observe the empowering programs and expanding
facilities, is to see an alternative future at work."

"The centre is a haven, a bridge between past and present,
and a model of what is possible when Australian citizens
reach out to the latest arrivals."

It helps us to imagine a more compassionate future.
That is the way we can Advance Australia Fair.

Hi NathanJ, you said;

"Too many charities just simply want to keep handing out food on cold nights, without providing any real, long term solutions, in terms of improving these people's lives."

What you fail to understand by that statement is there are two problems, the here and now problem, and the long term problem.
You can't address the long term problems of poverty, including homelessness unless you address the immediate problems of food and shelter. In Sydney we have the likes of Rev Bill Crews Exodus Foundation a non discriminatory charity doing fantastic work at the coal face of humanity. Address the problems of today, today, and then tackle tomorrows problems tomorrow.

Hi o sung wu,
Trying to answer your questions.
(a) 'choose' to live 'rough', I'm not too sure that all that many simply choose such a life, more forced into it through life's bad experience, a poverty driven dysfunctional family environment to begin with, leading to a violent drug and alcohol culture, crime and anti social behavior. The solution has to begin long before these kids are brought into the world, by the time they reach their teen years much of the damage has been done, and a hell of a job to repair it. The answer for me is firstly education which leads to opportunity, you might only "save" one in ten to begin with but that is a lot better than the present score.

(b) That question you have already answered It's definitely not the job of uniform police to act as 'ex officio' social workers and counsellors to homeless people living in inner city parks and gardens.
Many of these people are at the end of the problem line, not at the beginning, mental illness, alcohol and drugs, given up on life, police officers are not going to cure that, never have, never will, and they are trained and paid to perform other duties, not social work.

Hi there PAUL1405...

You have a much greater handle on this issue than I, surely ? When I worked uniform patrol, many of these poor old buggers were delighted to be arrested pursuant to the long repealed Vagrancy Act, particularly in winter time.

We'd put them before the local SM the next morning, and in so doing he'd make sure they were looked after, by sending them out to Long Bay for a spell. Where they were sheltered, fed, and necessarily protected from some of the 'low life's', who used to prowl around the cities parks and laneways and pray on these poor buggers after pension day ?

On looking back Paul, I now feel quite ashamed that a rich, salubrious city like Sydney, couldn't manage to look after a few hundred 'chats', save for the Mathew Talbert men's shelter, who did their best to nightly house a few of them ?

I'm an old man myself, and I'd hate to think how I'd survive if I had to live rough ? The sheer quantity of medication alone would present a problem, I'd need to cart it around with me everywhere I went ? Often we don't realise how jolly lucky we are sometimes ? There but the grace of God, go I ?

o sung wu, "There but the grace of God, go I?"

Obviously not, because you forced yourself to take the more difficult path. While there is no recognition, no flowers and no other rewards for that except what you have denied yourself to put away for later, at least you know you did the best you could with what you were given in life.

No need to apologise or feel 'lucky'.

After one has been alive for a few decades and more, it becomes abundantly clear that we most often reap what we sow. Those who take it easy drinking in the park right now and avoid study, work and other commitments do not give a hoot about their future. They believe that others will provide and care.

Just thinking, are they going to getting very rude shocks.

As sure as God made little apples, in diversified Australia with its dramatically different demographics the definitions and policies will be a-changing. It is already happening.

Paul1405,

Two volunteers from a local St Vincent De Paul branch, were being asked constant questions about assisting people in difficult situations, as a part of an interview with the ABC more recently.

They weren't answering any of the questions at all, and it was an annoying interview. They eventually said at the end (re policy) to the person hosting the show, the best people to speak to (in terms of the public and further contact) was the head office.

I am member of another group (which is a national group) and I am a member of the branch. Each branch can speak individually and put out its own viewpoints.

Money has been given to a lot of charity groups, by government and their basic values (in terms of why they were set up) have now been thrown out the door, for fear of funding cuts). Rarely do we here from these groups about serious change (in terms of government policy) at all.

This attitude also applies with political parties as well, with huge funds they get from either big business or unions - they dominate too much.

G'evening there ONTHEBEACH...

What you say is perfectly true, we're more or less, master's of our own destiny, for this reason all of us should carefully plan for our future as best we can. Without being too philosophical, I reckon we all need a bit of luck in our lives, despite how careful we are in our planning and retirement strategy. Particularly with our health and vocational stability ?

As it's often been averred, regardless of the 'best laid plans of mice and men', misfortune happens ? And unless we're prepared to confront it head on, we all tend to resile from it, whenever we're faced with unforseen adversity and vicissitude. For this reason I strongly believe it necessary, each of us needs a goodly portion of luck, in order that we may successfully ride-out those crippling life events, that can often defeat most ordinary men and women !

Somehow my friend, I believe you probably agree with me if not practically, then conceptually ?

It's Just Greed
Look at the top paying jobs its all about greed
who really needs 4 houses = greed
now look at the lower jobs not greedy people, mostly honest and hard working
Greed is killing our nation and the world
Stop the Greed
Respect other peoples jobs (if everyone was a high paid lawyer that tells lies for a living then we would all be in big trouble)
Pay doesn't = output
Greed = Big Pay
Some of the lowest Paid people work a damned lot harder and longer then Some C.E.O that only claim to fame is sacking more people.
The big issues atm are
Youth unemployment no.1 priority
Housing
Utilities
Food security
Regional infrastructure

Things that are NOT a priority
Gay marriage
Bad politicians wroughting system ( just sack them plenty more around)
Green power ( once its feasible it will be sold and we will all pay )
Immigration (stop it all until we cleanup our own house)

Hi o sung wu,

I see little kids from dysfunctional families all the time and I have to ask how true is; "we're more or less, master's of our own destiny". These are often cute little mischievous boys and girls in the streets of inner Sydney, sometimes 7 or 8 years old roaming the streets at night getting up to mischief. I don't know when they will get that choice to take control of their destiny or are they already programmed for a crap life ahead.
What you say requires an ability to make good choices and to have the opportunity to act on those good decisions, with the support from others, particularly family, to rationally understand the consequences of making bad choice in life. Some kid just don't get any of that.

Nathan, it is my view that we need a better producing, fairer tax system, ome that only taxes us once and one that also taxes everyone, from the smallest to the largest, even the mega rich people/companies and trusts.

While there is talk again about raising and broadening the GST, the reality is that the GST is very inefficient and extremely unfair.

It's inefficient because there is too much cost involved in crediting ABN holders and it's unfair because those who pay the tax, the mums and dads consumers, have in the majority of cases already paid income tax, so they are effectively being taxed on already taxed money and, those who can most afford this have also paid most of the income tax. What is needed is a finical transaction tax, one that taxes money not people or effort.

A TT would see All but 2% of our weekly income taxes deposited back into the bank accounts which would in turn stimulate the economy on a weekly basis, as opposed to a 'one off' which has been the case for previous stimulus packages.

So until governments take a bipartisan approach to taxes, big business will continue to run rough shot and call the shots, which may have worked for the past but this tax system has exceeded it's use by date.

O sung, I have sent a late reply to you in the online shopping thread which you may wish to have a look at.

Aussie boy, you make out the poorest are the hardest workers which simply is nit true. The problem is people have this expectation that they should be able to work a 38hr Mon-Fri job on un/low skilled wages and buy a house. It just can't happen.

As for lawyers, one, they worked very hard in their youth while many others partied and two, their high figure salaries come with extreme pressure because unlike your poor, these people risk their house every day they go to work because they are accountable for their actions.

As for your priorities, you have my vote there.

Hi there PAUL1405...

Yep, some folk are clearly not 'the masters of their own destiny' ? These little kiddies roaming the streets of inner Sydney and Melbourne, apparently without any parental controls clearly illustrates this anomaly. And who ultimately suffers, the little kiddies themselves of course ? It's the delinquent parents who should be called to account in such cases, to explain why they've allowed their children to roam around in hours of darkness in or near a public street or place, clearly unsupervised ?

In my experience Paul, we tend to live in a time where the 'excuse industry' prevails. Instead of the law making the parents accept responsibility for their dereliction in bringing up their children. As you quite correctly opine, a young 8 or 9 year old child, can hardly make an informed choice at such a young age ?