Battling for survival
Everyday ordinary Australians are leading or participating to greater or lesser degrees in their jobs, sporting organisations, churches, service clubs and social groups. They find themselves battling for housing, hospital care and schooling for their children, space on the roads, cost of living. For those wanting government services, productivity collapses as government moves at a snail’s pace.
Private enterprise suppliers of goods and services destroy productivity as they expect callers to hang on the phone indefinitely. Life is an increasing battle as politicians try to enrich big business leaders by rapidly increasing our population and confining them to major cities.
Democracy itself is a constant battle between various individuals, groups and organisations, to get government doing what they want and to give them a fair share of what is going. Some people earn $50,000 a year and some earn $50 million.
Financial equivalent of the Bondi Massacre
At Bondi those with the means to destroy 16 lives, did so. It was the gun power game. But on our roads motorists killed nearly 100 times that many people, 1300 in 2025. How have politicians reacted to both massacres? Driving is not rocket science. Politicians have made no progress at reducing the road toll since our Roadwatch Votergram campaign reduced the road toll from 17 killed per 100,000 of population to 4.5 people killed per 100,000 of the population
Therein lies the lesson.
Roadwatch Votergrams made politicians focus on the killers of the road. They were and are more deadly than the two gunmen at Bondi. The Jewish leaders and community have made the government focus on the Bondi massacre of their people. We will have a Royal Commission. It will earn a lot of money for those involved in running it and government services will miss out on that money. But will it stop lone gunmen killing people gathered together for social or other activities. Given Australia’s size it would be amazing if it did.
The Limited power of parliament
A newspaper headline proclaimed that “Families plead with Labor MPs to end hate”, but of course politicians, parliament, government or laws cannot end hate”. It is the Australian community as a whole that can end hate. That can only be done by finding out what causes the hatred in the first place and eliminating it. Maybe the Royal Commission will give us all a guide on that. But what government can do is ban hate speech and restrict gun ownership. It can make gun owners responsible for any harm caused by them failing to adequately secure their guns. Substantial penalties would be required to be enforced.
Big lobby groups are weighing in on the fallout of the Bondi massacre. But those battling to have their own voice heard on the issue can just as easily make those views known to all politicians by Votergram. That will probably have more impact than telling the Royal Commission which will not really have any power to do anything except compile an report of recommendations. Government may or may not adopt any , many or all of them. The power of the people to persuade politicians lies in their voices and their votes.
The Battlers’ Lobby
Votergrams make the Battlers’ Lobby, open to any Australian at all. It is the best investment in Australia’s future because it makes government more productive in using the tax money you give it and providing the sort of country you want.
Lobbying as an Australian is as easy as anything you do. It carries no party-political connotations and is carried out politely and in the privacy of parliament. The expenditure of the equivalent of “coffee money” can make you as powerful as the richest Aussie.
Elected to represent
There is a misconception that politicians are elected to lead us like generals lead and army. They command, we jump. They lead, we follow. Not true, is it? Politicians are elected to represent us at a big conference called parliament. We pay them to do that. We say, they jump. In order to represent us faithfully, they need to be guided by us as to what we want them to do. With one Votergram any Aussie can put their suggestion with reasons, in front of every MP in the relevant parliament.
Our future depends on you!
Parliament can only properly represent those Aussies who take the trouble to tell them what those Aussies want. You need to tell them all, as Votergrams do, because parliament does what the majority wants done. It’s no good just telling one local MP, or writing to the newspaper as if the editor ran Australia, or the readers would lobby for you.
Democracy must deal with many fluid ongoing situations daily. Constant demands come from all sides. It can be overpowering for MPs. Your Votergrams can being a bit of common sense to the situation on which you intervene. Then the MPs can explain to the profiteers who are pushing for policies to enrich themselves, that voters want something different.
Who drives our democracy
Currently Australian democracy is driven by a very small, if rich and powerful, band of people. They punch above their weight. When they want something done that politicians do not believe to be in the interests of the population, they pile on their power. But ordinary voters , the mostly silent vast majority have far more electoral power than this small rich and powerful minority. In elections, votes count and the poorest Australian, like the richest one, has one vote. In addition the poorest one has the power to go into a marginal electorate to campaign against the government.
Politicians want to help
You don’t mainly have to campaign against them or protest in the streets. You just have to say what you want and explain why in a Votergram. If it is a reasonable, good or brilliant suggestion they will probably get it done.
That is the best way to Advance Australia Fair as our National Anthem proclaims.
Become a Battlers Lobbyist and join all those other Aussies who are letting parliament know what they want done. Australia depends on it. Otherwise you may find that Australia is going the wrong way and you are having to battle even harder every day.