Pill Popping Politicians

15 August 2009

It has been a remarkable few weeks in Queensland politics and whilst corruption may be par for the norm in the sunshine state the recent ruling regarding development in the Cape York would even have Joh turning in his grave.

The Wilderness society - whilst holding well intentioned opinions regarding preservation of Australia’s environment fail to understand that its development is the only way forward for aboriginal people in rural Australia. The Queensland government has caved into pressure in the Cape York and disallowed the development of land within 2km of the regions rivers. The law however conveniently exempts some key stakeholders, chiefly Rio Tinto’s bauxite operations in Weipa. It is a strange hypocritical world when laws are designed to exempt big business and yet punish societies most vulnerable.

In someways – sadly however - this is the major problem with the left of Australia and their attitude to Australia’s indigenous population. Those who have worked and lived with Aboriginals realise that they, like anyone else, value a hard days work and reward for effort, though this reward is shared amongst the greater community. The left seem to have this idealic view which sees aboriginals living a hunter/gatherer lifestyle as opposed to participating in mainstream society whilst maintaining their traditional beliefs. Every government policy which has promoted this has of course been an unmitigated disaster.

The aboriginals of the Cape recognise this and last month, lead by last years Young Australian of the year Tania Major stormed a large Wilderness society function at Sydney’s Fox studios. I imagine it is one of the few times the Wilderness society has been the victim of a protest, yet the irony of it all failed to be recognised by those at Fox studios.

 For at Fox Studios movies are made and a false reality created. The most famous movie to come out of Fox studios is the Matrix series starring Hugo Weaving and Keanu Reeves which is set in parallel realities and the viewer is left confused as to which world is reality. The matrix obviously remains at Fox for whilst the Wilderness society is drawn emotionally to the Cape and its rivers, few, if any of its members live in the region and suffer the consequences and their reality. Yet unlike the matrix where you have no say in its ending, the Wilderness society can decide the future of the films characters.

It is one of the struggles of democracy where those who live thousands of kilometres away and only know a false reality are in a position to determine someone else’s future. In the film the matrix Keanu Reeves’s character is offered either a blue or a red pill with either pill taking him into a different reality. I think he ends up swallowing the red pill and this takes him to the ‘real’ reality.  Whilst at Fox studios the Wilderness society should of checked the warehouse and find all the props etc from the matrix movies. Amoungst it all they may of found some left over red pills from the film. Each of their members needs to take one.

For whilst much of Australia has benefited from the resources boom, including members of the Wilderness society, many aboriginals continue to be left behind. If the Wilderness society and Anna Bligh where to take the red pill, they would realise that these are racist laws that disadvantage the Cape’s aboriginals. Most of us don’t even need a red pill to realise this. I wonder what pills these guys have been taking?