At the close of the 1980s I became part of a governmental push to implement the teaching of Asian languages (in my case specifically - Japanese) - Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Bahasa, Arabic, etc. That lasted a decade until the 1990s equivalent of Peter Dutton - one small JWHoward came to office - and in a sideways wink-and-nod the NSW state LNP brought the exchange program I had been on at its start in 1991&1992 - to an end. So short-sighted. And the same thing happened to Bahasa Indonesian - and then later to Chinese when the Confucius Institute (the equivalent of the various national cultural arms of their countries such as the Japan Foundation, the Alliance Française, the Dante Alighieri Society, the Goethe Institute or the British Council) was demonised and basically folded. In any event I was in Japan for most of the 1990s and 2000s and thinking much more seriously of my own Kable family's trading links around the Asia/Pacific region in the early decades of the 19th-century - out of Sydney-town - ranging from Calcutta (sic) to Thalang (Phuket), the Malaysian Peninsula (Malacca) around to Macau down to Tahiti, etc. What I am trying to articulate here is that trade with Asia - out of what later came to be known as - and is still called - Austral-asia (Tamworth is the Australasian country-and-western music capital...keeping in mind that "austral" means "south"! Paul Keating was and remains right. Australia is the South Land in a region to the north generally proclaimed as south-east & north Asia. One recent PM was a fluent speaker of Chinese - one of his successors has a Chinese daughter-in-law and grand-children from her. Are we "grown up" yet? Adrienne Clarkson is a former Governor-General of Canada - born in Hong Kong. Her father was born in Chiltern in north-east Victoria - to a Chinese father and mother of Irish background. I have cousins near and distant out of China along with friendships - former colleagues and students and neighbours. Kinfolk not only out of China but The Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and Viet Nam. Unfortunately - apart from the occasional politician - very few politicians who can speak to their own family attachments much beyond the anglo variety. It makes most them deaf and blind, one might argue, to the geo-political realities of our place in the world.
I note an interesting analogy to the situation in the USA last year. << If Peter Dutton becomes PM, any hope of realigning Australia with Asia will be extinguished. >>
I stated repeatedly that as horrible as the Biden-Harris agenda was, things could only get worse for the Palestinians with Trump in the White House. Recent events have proven me correct. I sense that as disappointing as the Albanese regime has been (particularly vis-a-vis the genocide in Gaza), things can only get worse under Dutton.
Sometimes we must settle for the lesser of two evils.
X @PeterDutton_MP·Follow "Thank you to President @Isaac_Herzog for a very friendly and productive meeting in Jerusalem ..our mutual interests and shared values" ...of genociding the indigenous population of our respective countries❓
My dad told me years ago that Whitlam would have been “even better as PM …… if he was Liberal”. He remains a staunch Liberal voter at the ripe old age of 94 but acknowledges that Whitlam deserves praise for many things.
That, along with my belief that political parties are much the same once they hold the power as government, leads me to think that a Liberal government is a better alternative for the country. Neither party will want to dance to the tune of The Trumpet but we need the alliance with the American defence forces to ensure our security.
What we do need desperately is for a government to stop selling off our country to foreign investors. We need to “sell the milk, not the cow, and definitely not the land on which the grass grows that feeds the bloody cows”
The Trumpet says that he is pushing for America first. Our next Prime Minister has to do the same for Australia. We need the vision of Whitlam, Keating and Hawke but with (in my humble opinion) a Liberal party to get some discipline, direction and respect back, and LEAD our society together as ONE country under ONE flag.
Unfortunately there is so little real difference between Libs and Labs on major issues that it does not really matter who is in. The Greens sadly have gone off the rails on many counts even if they are the only sane ones on the genocide in Palestine.
Too many of the independents have also become Zionist Shills which means they represent Israel and not Australia which is a problem.
But, this is a Western disease not an Australian disease. We live or die together pretty much.
Well said, George. I totally agree. I miss Keating, and always listen carefully to what he says when i hear something he has said.. I also agree with Roslyn about the independents supporting Zionist shrills. They need to remember that this is Australia & support the 99% of us who voted for them for climate change & cost of living etc. We didn't vote for them to represent other foreign powers or vested interests.
At the close of the 1980s I became part of a governmental push to implement the teaching of Asian languages (in my case specifically - Japanese) - Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Bahasa, Arabic, etc. That lasted a decade until the 1990s equivalent of Peter Dutton - one small JWHoward came to office - and in a sideways wink-and-nod the NSW state LNP brought the exchange program I had been on at its start in 1991&1992 - to an end. So short-sighted. And the same thing happened to Bahasa Indonesian - and then later to Chinese when the Confucius Institute (the equivalent of the various national cultural arms of their countries such as the Japan Foundation, the Alliance Française, the Dante Alighieri Society, the Goethe Institute or the British Council) was demonised and basically folded. In any event I was in Japan for most of the 1990s and 2000s and thinking much more seriously of my own Kable family's trading links around the Asia/Pacific region in the early decades of the 19th-century - out of Sydney-town - ranging from Calcutta (sic) to Thalang (Phuket), the Malaysian Peninsula (Malacca) around to Macau down to Tahiti, etc. What I am trying to articulate here is that trade with Asia - out of what later came to be known as - and is still called - Austral-asia (Tamworth is the Australasian country-and-western music capital...keeping in mind that "austral" means "south"! Paul Keating was and remains right. Australia is the South Land in a region to the north generally proclaimed as south-east & north Asia. One recent PM was a fluent speaker of Chinese - one of his successors has a Chinese daughter-in-law and grand-children from her. Are we "grown up" yet? Adrienne Clarkson is a former Governor-General of Canada - born in Hong Kong. Her father was born in Chiltern in north-east Victoria - to a Chinese father and mother of Irish background. I have cousins near and distant out of China along with friendships - former colleagues and students and neighbours. Kinfolk not only out of China but The Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and Viet Nam. Unfortunately - apart from the occasional politician - very few politicians who can speak to their own family attachments much beyond the anglo variety. It makes most them deaf and blind, one might argue, to the geo-political realities of our place in the world.
I note an interesting analogy to the situation in the USA last year. << If Peter Dutton becomes PM, any hope of realigning Australia with Asia will be extinguished. >>
I stated repeatedly that as horrible as the Biden-Harris agenda was, things could only get worse for the Palestinians with Trump in the White House. Recent events have proven me correct. I sense that as disappointing as the Albanese regime has been (particularly vis-a-vis the genocide in Gaza), things can only get worse under Dutton.
Sometimes we must settle for the lesser of two evils.
Repeating myself but...
X @PeterDutton_MP·Follow "Thank you to President @Isaac_Herzog for a very friendly and productive meeting in Jerusalem ..our mutual interests and shared values" ...of genociding the indigenous population of our respective countries❓
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/dutton-dotes-on-israel-during-visit-organised-by-pro-israel-lobby-group,18836
My dad told me years ago that Whitlam would have been “even better as PM …… if he was Liberal”. He remains a staunch Liberal voter at the ripe old age of 94 but acknowledges that Whitlam deserves praise for many things.
That, along with my belief that political parties are much the same once they hold the power as government, leads me to think that a Liberal government is a better alternative for the country. Neither party will want to dance to the tune of The Trumpet but we need the alliance with the American defence forces to ensure our security.
What we do need desperately is for a government to stop selling off our country to foreign investors. We need to “sell the milk, not the cow, and definitely not the land on which the grass grows that feeds the bloody cows”
The Trumpet says that he is pushing for America first. Our next Prime Minister has to do the same for Australia. We need the vision of Whitlam, Keating and Hawke but with (in my humble opinion) a Liberal party to get some discipline, direction and respect back, and LEAD our society together as ONE country under ONE flag.
Great article George, as usual. Go get ‘em.
Unfortunately there is so little real difference between Libs and Labs on major issues that it does not really matter who is in. The Greens sadly have gone off the rails on many counts even if they are the only sane ones on the genocide in Palestine.
Too many of the independents have also become Zionist Shills which means they represent Israel and not Australia which is a problem.
But, this is a Western disease not an Australian disease. We live or die together pretty much.
Excellent article George - as usual.
I raised this issue in a political forum recently, expecting to be thoroughly caned.. crickets.
I did go one step further, suggesting our security, as a minnow of a Nation, should be an alliance with China.
As mentioned, crickets.
Like it or not, we are Australasian.. Anzus/Aukus is not worth a pinch of shit.
Well said, George. I totally agree. I miss Keating, and always listen carefully to what he says when i hear something he has said.. I also agree with Roslyn about the independents supporting Zionist shrills. They need to remember that this is Australia & support the 99% of us who voted for them for climate change & cost of living etc. We didn't vote for them to represent other foreign powers or vested interests.