Jon Kudelka’s cartoon in The Saturday Paper of 16 April 2022 is very funny. (I think)
It also addresses what should be a key issue in Australia’s 2022 election, but which Australia’s “major” political parties resolutely avoid even acknowledging, let alone addressing: inter-generational inequity.
Frail older Australians’ plight is a national disgrace, and is (at last) now generally recognised as such.
Healthy, property-owning older Australians are, however, a different kind of disgrace – we (and I am one them) are, collectively, Australia’s most pampered, self-entitled, and unfairly-advantaged cohort.
This is in large part thanks to John Howard’s political “genius” in recognising how he could win the votes of those who already owned property.
Prior to John Howard’s “political genius”, Australia was “a nation of owners of their own homes” – home ownership was an attainable goal for most employed Australians.
We are now a nation of property speculators.
This has proved hugely advantageous to those who already owned their own home, prior to Prime Minister Howard’s “genius”.
Societally, this is an unfolding calamity.
In 2022 many young Australians who are not heirs of generous, property-owning parents face a future in which home ownership has become an impossible dream, whilst the landlord-tenant “deck” remains heavily stacked in landlords’ favour.
For John Howard, furthering the relative advantage of the already-advantaged proved a winning strategy.
Ever since, accepted political “wisdom” has dictated that it would be electoral suicide for any Federal Government or Opposition to dare to change this approach.
I hope to live to see this “wisdom” exposed for the corrosive bullshit that it is, and to see an Australian government introduce real taxation reform
Alas, it is very clear that this will not be happening in 2022.