My concerns, it seems, are irrelevant as suffrage is a key plank in the survival and operation of our democracy and again we will watch it function as Australians vote for a new government on August 21.
I support the idea of adult universal suffrage, considering it an important human right, but the idea of voting for others and heaping on them the right to make rules that impact on lives and so control our destiny should be discussed and explained right through our student lives.
But there is more than that – we live in a specialized world in which all of us tend to excel, sometimes in decidedly simple terms others quite complex, narrow fields – and although we are all entitled to that right, those same rights come with responsibilities and within that each of us must work to ensure we have an expansive education that enables us to understand, or at least have some insight into the intricacies of life.
Choosing who should decide on matters that will impact on how we live our lives is close to the most fundamental and important decisions we will ever make.
Considering that, it is an aspect of our lives that demands our attention, but beyond that the realization that we must think beyond personal wants and needs and so imagine what is best for the wider community and then vote accordingly.
Some might think they are voting directly for Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott, but that is not the case as we are ideally searching for a local person, who may or may not be affiliated with either the Labour or Liberal Parties.
That person needs to be able to alert and convince their peers in Canberra that Australia be governed to reflect what is important to the Goulburn Valley and within and beyond that make it a good international citizen.
