This is what our ‘leaders’ should have said but didn’t:

Dear Australians,

There is no doubt that Australia is the greatest country in the world.  We are safe, we are prosperous and we respect all.

But, we are always at a tipping point.   A tipping point exacerbated by the actions of others literally forcing us to hone our inclusive values and to expand our capacity to get better. 

The first hallmark is respect and it is a God given right, it is not something to be earned.  This is Australia.  A land of respect for all.  This does not mean we have to like someone or agree with everything they say but it does mean we try and respect their opinion and themselves.  Without respect we shrink mentally into a cocoon blocking out life and physically by erecting imaginary borders whilst becoming introverted and just a subsection of what we used to be.

The second hallmark is hope.  Hope is not an esoteric nebulous thought ‘others’ seem to have in abundance.  It is something created, onto which all peoples can latch and ride the wave. 

Hope comes in all forms but without it, we perish.  It is embodied in a living wage from which people can move to a new level expanding both mentally and physically, it is knowledge that our country’s safety net will protect us in an emergency and most importantly it is building our nation from the top down.  Putting in nation building strategies which will propel Australia into the future.

This is where politicians come in because it’s our job to ‘light the fire’, to deliver hope that we as a country are leapfrogging the world by putting in place strategies designed to give us that ‘edge’ and from which we can see our future – as a country.

Just two examples of nation building …

We will offer the top 50 graduates across all disciplines and the country each year for 5 years to work together to come up with practical ideas in exchange for all their Hex fees which we can implement to secure our nation’s future.  Maths and science gives us strength whilst art gives us soul.  The brightest people working for our country – wow!

On a more ground level, we will support the Australian development and production of what will be the world’s best taxi and the world’s best Police car.  Thousands of jobs created and the probability of exports all over the world.  This is not a minutia led pipe dream, it is in fact part of the vision we have for our country to lead the world in carefully chosen areas.

That vision is … ‘Australia is about seeking a future based on knowledge and strength of purpose proving respect and enabling palatable hope for all for a planned future in which everyone will ride the wave.’