My Take: Where’s the Vision?

With the Australian Labor Party ahead of the Liberals in the polls at both state and federal government levels, you would think the future of Labor couldn’t be rosier. However, the party’s status as the social democratic party of Australia, coming under threat with such inhumane policies as their take on asylum seekers, and a lack of leadership and vision from their leaders. The issue of particular focus in this article is the lack of vision. Every successful political party, whether on the left, centre or right needs an understanding and a vision of what their perfect country would look like. The centre-right Liberal Party of Australia sees an Australia which adheres to laissez-faire capitalism, a land where individual wealth isn’t taxed, and people who can’t pay for services are left behind in society. The middle left Greens sees an Australia where the environment is preserved for future generations. Who knows what Labor wants? One minute they’re passing the carbon tax, next minute, when Liberals attack it, they just let it die a miserable death. Gough Whitlam, when he was elected in 1972, had the vision of a multicultural social democratic country, with healthcare for everyone with Medicare and an Australia that controlled more of its resources through the failed nationalisation of mining and other resources. Bill Shorten and the modern Labor party have become the party without a vision, apart from simply attacking the Liberal Party.

My take on Labor is that under its current caucus and senior leaders, it will not become a party of vision, like the one Whitlam was a part of. Ever since the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd fiasco it has constantly tried to simply restore its reputation, rather than take the opportunity to revitalise the party and revamp its image. Politically, they have been the whipping boy for the Liberals and a party that even though it is the biggest in Australia, its vision means right now the political landscape is very much favouring the party in blue. This is seen, most clearly by the barrage of attacks on everything from workers rights to the environment to education and healthcare. Right now, the party with a vision to change the world isn’t the Labor party, it’s the Liberals.