The Vision Thang

In a piece published in New Matilda today, I look at the current election through the lens of Imagining Australia, and argue that there is a hole in the heart of campaign ’04. Debates over Medicare reform, tax breaks for the middle class, payments for mature aged workers and reallocation of private school funding are important, but all are hip pocket nerve issues. Instead, I make the case that our leaders ought to also be talking about the big picture: national identity, reconciliation, inequality, and international citizenship. These four issues have one thing in common – they require a leader who will ask the Australian people to focus on a goal larger than self-interest. This requires no more and no less than the rebirth of the great Australian project: born of altruism and reared on optimism. Can we do it?