There is no free education

There never has been, nor never will be, free education in this country. Whether your education has been private or public I and every other tax payer have paid for it. And if you have accrued a HECS debt at uni - your education has still been subsidised by the tax payer.

As someone who has contributed to your education I expect you to give something back to the community. That means, if you are able to, get a job. It also means if that education has given you opportunites that others haven't had and you now find yourself earning an income that may be the envy of others you recognise that not everyone has had your opportunity, or that they have made their equally, if not more, valuble contribution to the welfare of our community in ways that have not brought them the same financial reward. So don't complain if you are asked to make a contribution above what you may or may not give through your employment.

Random Stuff

If we support and endorse a predatory economic model should we then complain when it chews us up and spits us out?

What if we valued work according to what it contributed to the betterment of the community? 

The power of an idea, philosophy or belief is seen in the willingness of people to embrace and hold onto it freely without inducement, fear or force. 
 

The first role of government and our elected representatives should always be to maintain the social cohesivenss of the nation.

It should be to this purpose that they frame their policies and their debates.

To the extent that they fail on this point they fail the people and on this point they should be judged first and foremost.

Frustration

One thing I have learned from Karate is this. Frustration, if understood and managed the right way, is good.

When I try to learn something new after a while I get frustrated with my efforts. Frustration tells me that my brain now knows that I could be doing it better but my abiity does not match my ideal. It is a natural part of learning, necessary if I am to improve.

And right now I find this world and this country frustrating. Ideals, like perfect karate technique are something to be pursued, but will always remain unattainable. But to stop trying is to accept mediocracy.

The Wisdom of the Ages

There was once an Emperor who wanted to leave something for posterity. So he called his sages together and said; 'Gentlemen, I want you to write down the wisdom of the ages.'

Away they went and applied themselves diligently to the task. The weeks and months passed and finally they returned with the sense of satisfaction that can only come from a job well done.

'Your majesty', they said, 'it is with great pleasure that we present you with the wisdom of the ages'. And with that they handed him ten beautifully bound volumes.

The Emperor took one look at their finished work and exclaimed 'Gentlemen, this will never do. No one will ever take the time to read all that. You need to do better.'

So away they went. Again the weeks turned into months and finally the sages returned. 'Here it is you majesty', they said. And with that they handed over one beautifully bound volume.

'Gentlemen', the Emperor returned. 'Your work is still too long for no one will take the time to read it. Go away and make it shorter.'

So off they went again. They worked and worked, long into the nights. Finally, they felt they had achieved what the Emperor wanted so they approached him again.

This time the Emperor was satisfied with their efforts. 'Gentlemen, you have excelled yourselves. Surely, you have discovered the wisdom of the ages.'

And with that he took from them a single sheet of paper on which were the words 'There ain't no free lunch.'

Anonymous

The Story

For as long as humans have walked the planet is the story. We each have our own story, yet we share the story. It is passed down from generation to generation, forever changing yet remaining constant. It presents us with our highest ideals and confronts us with the dark side of our being.

The story has always entertained us. Throughout our history it has defined us, helped us understand who we are in relation to others, and passed on values and the knowledge we have needed to survive.

It is ours to decide what we do with the story we inherit. The story we receive is the amalgamation of many stories, that of our parents and their parents, our community, our nation and more. We can accept it as read, or take from it that which is good and discard the bad. We can also add to it by taking from the stories of others. If we are wise we will recognise the good in their stories and understand how we can weave that into the story we leave our children.

Our land has an ancient story, the story of the Dreamtime. It has been passed on in dance and painting and narrated around the campfire from ancient time. Most of us know little if anything of this story, for we have a different one. The majority story is still one of Anglo Celtic origin. Informed by our Christian heritage it has shaped our laws, values and attitudes. We have made it uniquely ours with tales of convicts, squatters, bushrangers, suicidal swaggies, miners and soldiers. Since the end of World War Two especially people have come to our shores from other places. Europe, Asia, Africa – indeed, in the words of the song ‘from all the lands we’ve come.’ Their story is not of depression – at least in this land – squatters, ANZAC, Eureka, shearers’ strikes and bushrangers. They are Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist and Orthodox. They bring different values, attitudes, and ways of understanding. The story is fragmenting, changing.

Today the story is all around us. It is on our plasma screens, IPhones, tablets and movie screens. It beckons to us from the book shops and newsagents. We can fill our minds with the latest gossip about our celebrities of choice or the latest conquests of our sporting heroes. Never before has the human race had such an abundance of story. But do we ever stop to reflect on, discuss, analyse and understand it. Is it simply entertainment, or does it still shape who we are, how we think, and what is important to us? Does it still help us to survive?

If we lose the story we lose who we are. We have no meaningful legacy to leave our children and their children. We leave them wandering confused, without meaning, and devoid of lasting values.

The future of our nation and that of our children belongs to them, not to us. Ours it to pass on the story that will help them determine the values they will live by, that will help them to survive, to give them their identity and place in the world. We fail them if we do not do this.

If we are to bequeath them a worthwhile legacy we must understand our story. We must listen to the stories of those who have come to this land from the different nations of the world. If we can add to our story the good that others offer and discard the dross that permeates all stories we can help our children build a strong and united nation. The alternative is division, insecurity and meaningless and all that comes with that.

The future may not be ours, but it is ours to shape.

When CSR Screwed my Parents

Sugar cane came to the Lower Clarence early in the period of White Settlement. My great-great-grandfather John Marsh built the first sugar mill on Palmers Channel. The mill has long passed into history with milling for the district being based on Harwood Island for as long as I remember.

Sugar is part of my family history. It was an important part of my parents’ farm economy, as it was and continues to be to communities on the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed rivers of Northern NSW. Each river has its own sugar mill, and these were owned and operated by the Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) until in what could only be described as an act of bastardry they abandoned the sugar industry on the Northern Rivers in the 1970s. Closure of the three mills would have devastated these communities.

CSR diversified into asbestos mining in 1948, operating mines at Winttenoom, WA, that exposed workers and others to asbestos levels thousands of times above that allowed by regulation at the time. In a 1988 court ruling against them the ‘judged ruled that CSR acted with 'continuing, conscious and contumelious' disregard for its workers' safety …’ (Wikepedia). I will leave you to draw your own conclusions about this company and its morality.

The communities of the Northern Rivers owe Don Day, the member for first Casino and later the Clarence, in the Wran Labor Government of the day an enormous debt. Don, who married Dad’s Cousin Marie Davis, took on CSR and saved the industry. With his leadership the farmers formed a cooperative that now runs the three mills – The New South Wales Sugar Milling Cooperative.

Sugar harversting on my parents' farm

 There is something appealing in the idea of cooperatives. Companies like CSR exist solely for the benefit of their shareholders who may have no interest whatsoever in the community in which the business operates. The communities of the Northern Rivers were obviously only economic units that could be chewed up and spat out when their usefulness to the company ceased. Cooperatives on the other hand exist for the benefit of their members. In the case of the NSW Sugar Milling Cooperative, they are based in the local community that they rely on and service.

We have been holidaying in the Macksville region for over 10 years. Until the last couple of years the main supermarket in town has been operated by the Nambucca River Co-operative Society, which also operates a clothing store and service station. Woolworths has recently moved into the area which has bought some competition but we continue to do most of our shopping in the well-stocked co-op store.

I have done virtually no research on the topic. Like all things human the concept will have its flaws. But I do believe we need to look for alternatives to the prevailing economic model that sees distant shareholders with no real interest in local communities that are able to use then as pawns in the quest for ever increasing profits.

And if you want an alternative to CSR, buy Sunshine Sugar, fully Australian owned and the profits go directly back to the local community.

Budget response to my local member

The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP

Member for Bradfield

Dear Paul

I write in response to the recent Federal budget.

While I do not accept that we face a budget crisis I do accept that currently we are spending more than we are earning and that if action is not taken to address this imbalance the crisis will become a reality. This fact was highlighted by different commentators in the lead up to the last election when both parties were promising not to increase taxes.

For this reason I acknowledge the courage of the current government to address the issue. What I object to is the inherent unfairness of the strategy proposed.

My mother is a pensioner approaching her 90th birthday. My parents were farmers until they sold the farm and retired. It was a small family farm and the price they got for it when they sold it was less than one would get for a lot of homes in the more affluent parts of Australia. Until they retired they paid tax every year that they earned enough from the farm to do so but, as you will be aware, not every year is a good year on the land. They received few, if any, benefits from the Government. Now Mum faces a co-contribution for her first seven visits to the GP plus other increased costs and changes to pension indexation.

Regarding the pension, I support philosophically the move to increase the retirement age to 70. We have better health care, education etc than that which was available when the 65 was determined as the retirement age and we do live longer. We have greatly improved work health and safety standards, and most people start work at an older age than was common even in the 1960s when I entered the work force. We should be able to work longer. But there may always be those hard physical tasks or tasks that involve permanent shift work or other factors that will make it very difficult if not impossible for people to work through to 70 - or 67 - and still enjoy a reasonable quality of life. Fairness dictates there must be some strategy to support these individuals.

Another factor that I would like to see addressed in the discussion on retirement ages is the value to the community of volunteer work done by younger retirees. If we lose this pool what impact will that have on the community, either in terms of replacing this contribution by government funded services or in terms of loss to community?

If an individual is able to work and work is available yet makes no effort to seek employment I fully support that person being taken off benefits. There are however many Australians who have been given a real kick in the guts by life - the disabled, accident victims, those unable to find work despite their best efforts, those who have given up work to become full time carers for family members thus saving the community the cost of caring for those who need it. Now it seems they are being belted again.

What about young people like my daughter? Half way through next year she completes her teaching degree. Now, if I understand the budget correctly unless she is able to find work or continue to learn she will not be entitled to any benefits for six months as she will only be 23. Am I expected to support her at the time I am planning to retire? What about other young people from low income families? Again, I support incentives to encourage people to find work or to improve skills, but this seems harsh.

The Prime Minister tells us that in order to correct the budget imbalance it is necessary for everyone to make a sacrifice. Nice words, but the 'heavy lifting' is not evenly distributed. High income Australians will be required to pay a 'deficit levey' for two years. Pensioners and low income people will be required to pay a co-payment for the rest of their lives. It seems there are other options the Government could have looked at, such as family trusts and tax concessions available to those on higher incomes. Could you please tell me how much tax the Government forgoes as a result of richer Australians maximising their superannuation arrangements, options that are not available to workers on lower incomes?

I do believe we need a system that rewards effort. In other words, an individual who takes some risk, demonstrates some initiative and reaps a reward for that effort should enjoy the fruits of their labour. But inherited wealth is not the same as earned wealth, and the wealth earned by the parents can be used to give the children opportunities that are not available to other Australians. I believe Government should look to limit inherited wealth with  the aim of avoiding and increasing gulf between the top and bottom ends of society in terms of wealth distribution.

We do need a national discussion regarding taxation. I am aware that some other nations have a much higher tax take than we do but in return their people enjoy free education, health care and the like. And why are changes to the GST off the agenda?

Finally, this is 'our land'. It belongs to the Australian people, not individuals or corporations. The wealth of the land in terms of natural resources belongs to us all. Again, there needs to be some reward for taking the investment risk to extract this wealth. But there needs also be an obligation on those to whom we give the right to extract this wealth to share that wealth fairly with the rest of the community, not just be providing retirement. Any system that allows the accumulation of vast wealth by the few needs fixing.

I see a nation that is growing more and more divided. We seem to have a growing problem with alcohol and drug fuelled violence, increasing intolerance to immigration and resentment in general. Political debate appears to becoming more divisive and intolerant of alternative views. I have real concerns about the legacy we are leaving our children and grandchildren.

Paul, please take time to consider my comments. I look to our political leaders to give us a vision for the future of this nation - one based on reward for effort, concern for the less well off, where all contribute as they are able, and all share in the wealth of the land.

Yours Sincerely

Ken Marsh