lost our way, page-11

Mark70920

Having been lucky enough to have travelled a fair bit - my horizons world wide are pretty wide - and I have seen dreadful poverty in those travels.

No one denies the need for helping other countries via fully considered and well targeted Foreign Aid. Audited Foreign Aid! The emphasis is on well targeted! And accou7ntability as to where the funds go.

The confines of this forum restrict me from any detailed surmising or queries why we seem to be seeing reckless ad hoc overspends, seemingly at whim with this current government, and why we sre so fixated on apparently appeasing those at the UN, those who so freely dicvtate to us as to how we should run this country, whilst seeming to turn a blind eye to so many deplorable world issues.

I bring to mind the following examples of a few local injustices. Perhaps petty realtively to some, but not to those who are affected.

Through so-called lack of Government funding:-

Subsidised dental care for the chroniclly and/or mentally ill, the elderly, and the disabled, is being cut out. (Boat people, meanwhile, can access express dental treatments immediately!)

Autistic children's support groups are always battling for subsidies, and there are not enough of them. If such children are not diagnosed and educated at early intervention centres when they are very young, many may be mute for life, or severely affected. The support systems for these kids is deplorable. Kids have to travel long distances, or there are just no services. Thus a whole life is ruined.

Battered women, victims of severe domestic violence, and sheltering from abusive partners, have long been issued with
alarms, with a push button going through to cehtral monitoring to alert police in the case of an imminent assault or similar abusive incident. This scheme is being curtailed, through "lack of funding." These woen are therefore terrified for their lives.

Our teenagers and young adults have little mentoring or counselling support, especially those living in outer rurual areas. They have no jobs, no hope - and many have suicided, or are contemplating it. Their parents have lost the plot- and have nowhere to turn for support.

WHY does Australia feel the need to help finance Islamic schools right throughout Indonesia?When Indonesia, in turn, thumbs it's nose at us, by sheltering and aiding these illegal migrants and the criminal people smuggling crooks.

I could go on - but don't have the time - and it gets tedious. Surely we must all fight for the benefit of Australia first! Or do we just get "taken over", food, finance, real estate, and money-wise? And we end up the working lackeys - supporting other, eventually richer, countries?

Politicians should be brought to acoount, and made to realise that they are elected into the positions they hold to work primarily for the Australian people's benefit, and not for their own personal advancements up the political rungs by haing as their first priority their own personal ambitions.

COmpany CEO's are required to put out into the open all their financial details, and provide reasons as to their success or otherwise at running their company with fiscal responsility. Why then should any politician of whatever party not also be similarly accountable, and be brought under questioning where needed?

There is no meanness in asking questions - and in asking for answers as to where and why. Surely that is our right as citizens?