This is Paul, a Horticulturalist from the Cherry Dale Orchard in New South Wales. He is stood in front of his oldest cherry trees which he has been forced to let die so his only water source, a knee-deep puddle, can be used to keep his younger trees alive until the drought breaks. We had a good long chat covering history, politics and climate change which have all influenced his current situation.
When I first studied the Australian system for my citizenship test, I was impressed by how the Aussies have improved on the British parliamentary democracy by having an elected upper house and compulsory voting. However, I ask myself how democratic is any system where policies are dictated by large corporations and the uber-wealthy who fund both sides of politics, ensuring their interests are protected regardless of the puppet which is elected.
I see no problem with the structure of government in Australia, only how the political parties are funded. IMHO the only solution, however unpalatable, is to ban all political donations and replace it with tax-funded parties on a per-vote basis. Nobody likes to think of their taxes going to political parties but in the long run, it must be cheaper than political donations being paid back 10-fold to the wealthy through policy changes such as tax brakes or handouts. Something labelled an “economic stimulus package” which benefits party donors is essentially a legal corruption of power at the heart of democracy. Unless this change is made, I fear small scale food growers like Paul, who have fed this nation for generations, will be the last in line when it comes to precious resources such as water.
I will be making a brief stop on the Gold Coast before dodging fires on my way to the Blue Mountains.