What keeps you voting?

My father was given a little wooden and golden plate  by the director at Drury Lane Theatre in Hamilton, New Zealand, many years ago.  It said "Mr Fix It. With thanks." Dad was a volunteer stage set builder, and he did so well. He was involved with Drury Lane for at least the 18 years I was. At that time the Theatre or Dad never seemed to be relying on pay from the City Council, they were just grateful to the huge group of volunteers we had and it was fun working there.

This month in Australia Campbell Newman has announced an extremely close (timing) election. Driving around yesterday I saw groups in some corners which were covered not by adults, but by children who are not voting age. These kids covering the advertising group is wrong. These kids should probably never receive any money from the party they stood for, but if they are paid it should be noted that this party, LNP, is creating silly jobs. If the kids are not paid, it should be noted that they are signed up as volunteers.

How does this work into the "usual" policy? Actually, I don't think it does. Which kids have been seen in truly volunteering organisations? Which organisation is to be paid from this Queensland government or has been cut off? Which current employees will hold their paid jobs for as long as they wish to, or who will be redundant? How does the unemployment in Queensland count into the huge unemployment in the whole federal country? Does Queensland unemployment actually equal the same number of jobs? Or will they become volunteers, no paid job available?

Who will become "Mr Fix It. With thanks."?

I feel pretty cut off because I am still a New Zealand citizen, but have lived here, in Brisbane, for nearly 10 years. I have an RRV and will, hopefully, eventually get my Australian citizenship this year, but it's still too late to vote on 31 January for the Queensland government. The organisation I joined, Oz Kiwi, has introduced some media reports on the Kiwi voting over here. These are well written, but are never considered by politicians. In the 10 years since I got here I feel that living here is not as well as it used to be, and even Australian doesn't currently measure as happy as Denmark, New Zealand or Costa Rico. It seems to have just gotten unhappy. Why?

When I was a lot younger it was interesting to see how old people lived their old lives and enjoyed it until they died. In the last 30 years I believe this has changed (see the link "How the Rich and Poor Spend Money Today - and 30 Years Ago"), and most of the people I now see are a lot younger and live in a totally different place, unable to understand me - or being interesting in me. If they work at good jobs or come from well-off families, they will probably vote for LNP. They seem to believe that LNP will give them what they want, not what the other people need.

Australia is no longer in the competition with countries which are forcing themselves ahead, taking contracts, agreeing with TPP. The top 1% of richest people have money which they will never share with the lowest 30%, 40%, 50% - or more. In our country unemployed people are scraped onto the bottom, defunct from pay and forced to continue to apply for work which will never take them on.  

Yesterday the kids waved at everyone, even though most people would have either preferred to go the other way or simply didn't wave. I don't know how long they were out there, don't know if they made anything at all to make them feel pretty good, if they actually understand that people in the government will always walk all over citizens.

And other people? Non citizens? They will never be able to vote, never have anything given to them from this country, not enjoy their life if they lose too much. "Mr Fix it." This will never, not in my future life, ever be earned by Campbell Newman.