Selwyn Johnston… Independent Advocate

As a credible Leichhardt Independent Candidate for the forthcoming 2007 Federal election, I publicly announced my feelings about the 6.7% pay rise that Federal politicians have just voted themselves. I have already stated that I would, when elected, donate the 6.7% pay rise to the Committee for Oncology Unit Cairns Hospital [COUCH].

It now turns out that the Beattie government, which had verbally promised to match the community donations dollar for dollar, have reneged on the deal and have backed out on the promise. Apart from confirming my belief that political party promises are flexible to the point of reversal, this one does not even add up to grade 1 maths standards.

COUCH is trying to raise $850,000 for the purchase of a chemotherapy mixing vapour head. Queensland Health is presently loose a reported $40,000 worth of chemotherapy drugs every month because of spoilage, that is from being mixed elsewhere and transported to Cairns in an unstable state.

Twelve months loss amounts to $480,000. Without public contribution my estimate is that it would not take Queensland Health two years to get their money back, and from that point on it would be all profit, or reduced loss however they do their accounting. It is a matter of concern as to just who picked the team to administer Health in Queensland.

Presumably, the Minister is responsible, but as he has a crisis a day [at best] as a management style, it is no surprise that a place as far away from George Street as Cairns is not even on the radar. Perhaps it is time the Federal Government spent a portion of taxpayers annual Budget surpluses to upgrade Queenslands appalling Health care fiasco!

So we all might just have to work harder for COUCH locally among ourselves and, remember who not to forget at the next Federal election.

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Defence Minister Brendan Nelson announced (5 July 2007) that oil was a factor in Australia’s contribution to the unpopular Iraq war, as “energy security” and stability in the Middle East would be crucial to the nation’s future.

Reasons specified for our continued involvement were that our involvement was for both our defence and the economy, and further, it was important to support the “prestige” of the US and the UK. The validity of all these points is of course very debatable.

Two things stand out. Firstly, why are we not surprised? Some 5 years after 911, and given the ensuing carnage in Iraq, not many people now believe that the original reasons for going into the war were true. Even of greater concern is that an increasing number of people really believe that the Government knew, at the time of giving those reasons, that the reasons were absolutely false. In other words the Government knowingly lied to us about the circumstances of going to war and steadfastly held to the story until yesterday.

This calls into question the credibility of the whole Government and particularly any of its dealings regarding foreign affairs. After this it will be difficult to trust the Howard Government on any matter under any circumstances.

The second notable aspect of this whole sorry affair is the initial response of the Labor Opposition. For Kevin Rudd to simply accuse the Prime Minister, John Howard of “making it up as he goes along” amounts to a flogging with a feather. Admittedly it’s early days yet but if Rudd’s initial reaction is typical of what is to come on this matter, then the Australian voters’ choice at the next election can not be for the incumbent Coalition parties or the Labor Opposition.

When the true significance of what both the Government and the Opposition have done becomes apparent to the general public the judgement against them could be severe and it will be interesting to see what defence they can put up… not for the country, but for themselves.

At the forthcoming federal election should the public elect to vote for any of the major parties then they have a clear and unequivocal understanding of what they can expect. After all, forewarned is forearmed.

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