Josephus wrote: “I believe our representatives should be people from various industries and services who employ at least ten people under them. Without knowledge of employment and industries and services, we are not adequately represented. There are to many second rate lawyers and self appointed hacks who have no idea of the needs of industries and employment. Leaders of industry and services have the best ideas of needs and employment. The idea that anyone can be a politician is nonsense. This leads to the lowest common denominator, because they have the best oratory skills.”

Dear Josephus,

You have just described the corporate legislature of Fascism under Mussolini. We fought Italian Fascism in WW2.

While the legislature concerned itself solely with the running of the economic engine the energies of the people were directed to serve the state. The slogan of this tyranny was ‘Credere, Obedire, Combattere’. ‘Believe, Obey, Fight’. There was an unholy alliance of state with the Catholic Church. Democrats, atheists, socialists, communists, Jews, peasants who protested the oppression of landlord and others who did not fit into the Fascist state were persecuted, tortured, imprisoned or executed. Mussolini wished to restore the past glories of the Roman Empire He called the Mediterranean Sea ‘Mare Nostrum’, our sea.

As it is in Australia, our legislature with all its faults considers not only the needs of industry but the welfare of all Australians, the environment, the needs of the military, the protection of democracy and other concerns of Australia. It is elected by the people of Australia. More and more I think Australia is a great place, and its system is a great system. When I hear of suggested alternatives I think of Churchill’s words:

‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’

Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947

Banjo,

Me no understand why you perplex(ed). When I say no one is running Australia, I mean no one is running Australia. We are in freefall. The people who are SUPPOSED to be running Australia are not doing so. There is not a decent person in Australian politics; the idiots in Canberra are greedy SOBs who have never had a real job or could never have got the huge pay we give them if they were in a real job.

The total stuff up of their fumblings with the Chinese virus and their gutless denial of the Chinese threat to Australia, are the standouts of the moment; but it is a long time since we have had people who could be respected as leaders and relied upon to do the right thing. Australia is rooted.

david f,

I alone can do nothing.
Even if I were to find and gather all those of like mind, WE could do nothing.
The structure and actual workings of system of govt, or democracy, is designed to serve the servants and not the those who the servants are meant to serve.
The laws are designed with a form of blackmail; Do as I say or else.
The govt is elected by only half the voters consent.
The ministers have at different levels and opportunities gouged or benefited from their position in office.
I won't waste my posting on describing what you all already know, and most of you know a lot more than you say.
Anyone who thinks that those in govt, all levels of govt, are there because they want to "make difference", well I am not allowed to say or call you what you truly are.
Someone has already spewed her rosy and totally sickening adoration of these criminals by suggesting she has never met a bad polly and that they are decent people who reflect public opinion.
Well I've got news for those of you who agree with such bunkum and bull-dust.
IT IS NOT SO!
Any idiot will tell you that even a salesman is "quite nice" when you are buying something, but try and get any sense out of them once they sold you something.
People these are scheming charlatans, ALL of them, as I said before, even if they were naive twits on the way in they will be seasoned thieves on the way out.
My idea of life is not these egregious and constraining laws and rules, and because the current system only caters to half the population, it is a complete and utter farce.
I believe we should be allowed to do whatever we wish, and only when someone is harmed do we invoke an appropriate punishment, BUT, only if it is proven to have been intentional.
Some rules stay, but generally people should be left to themselves on the understanding that there are consequences, for malicious acts, NOT for accidents.

Dear Banjo,

Thank you very much for this thread. It has made it more evident to me how much I appreciate living in Australia. Nobody from government has consulted you about your ideas, wants and needs. Since Australia has millions of people it would require a vast bureaucracy to contact every citizen about his or her ideas, wants and needs. Australia does not have a bureaucracy deficiency. We do not need more. People with similar outlooks get together in political parties, but you wish to preserve your independence. What do you want the government of Australia to do for you that it is not already doing? What would you tell a representative of the Australian government if that person asked for your input?

As an individual who does not belong to a political party do you want somebody in government assigned to you to find out your ideas, wants and needs?

david f,

your last paragraph is exactly what we need.
There is always a better way, but unfortunately there are too many competing factions and ideologies to be able to get consensus.
People are lazy and complacent, just to mention two of the many faults and flaws that permeate through a populace.
I disagree with this form of management which is referred to as Democracy.
It is merely a vehicle to lull the people into a false sense of security.
It's un-acceptable to say that this is the BEST system of running a country.
For those who lack depth and breadth of thought, I wish to remind them that all this freedom and fortune they enjoy, was NOT due to good management, but COMPLETELY due to the absolute abundance and an overwhelmingly large natural resources and primary industry, when you compare our population to export income ratio.
So without these bonuses we would be no better off than the rest of the world, that doesn't have access to free money making resources.
And while I'm at it, why do you think we get this on-going BS of a campaign trying to get access to more and more, so called, useless land.
Historically, the Kimberley was a vast area of "useless land", until a white fella, and not a very smart or educated one, thought otherwise.
So once this and other white fellas create the wealth, for some reason it belongs to others who have no overarching or rightful ownership, to either the land or it's resources.
And so it is that more greedy scum find ways of availing themselves of the money and wealth and handing it over to a select few, when it actually and legally belongs to EVERYBODY, and should be distributed amongst everybody.
This Democracy is rubbish and only benefits those who have the say, and that's NOT US!

(the so-called “experts”) could only succeed in obtaining the adhesion of a majority of the population to their theses by putting forward irrefutable scientific arguments, the validity
Banjo Paterson,
That is assuming that the 'theses' are more than theses & are in fact fact !
These theses invariably turn out to be just theses hence the the incessant strafing of common sense with the only weapon they have, Indoctrination, preceded by poor education/teaching !