SPEECHES
Where
Have all the Leaders Gone?
by John
I want to talk about politics. Oh, my goodness, I hear you say. He will want to talk about sex and religion next! Rest easy Toastmasters. I simply want to ask, “Where have all the political leaders with vision gone?” I believe that Australia is faced with some very important questions at the present time and it concerns me that our politicians collectively are not up to the task. Too much emphasis is placed on re-election and not enough on constructive forward thinking.
While Australia has always been a dry continent, this fact has been brought home very forcefully over recent years with changed weather patterns. What is Australia's long term water plan?
And issuing out of that, what is the sustainable population figure for this continent?
Go to any reasonably sized bookstore and you will find dozens of books on personal motivation. Most of these books will contain a chapter on the need to set personal goals and how to achieve them.
Every company I worked for, through formal planning sessions, set targets for all aspects of their business – sales. Expenses, profit, growth, etc. Have you seen Australia's ten year, twenty year, or fifty year plan? Where is it? If ti is good enough for individuals and companies to set down plans with systems in place to monitor results, why not Australia? Not to do so is government on an ad hoc basis. We can't afford that kind of decision making any more.
We need a system where the important questions facing Australia can be discussed, plans formulated and implemented without political party interference. We need a bi-partisan approach where the questions to be answered are simply, “Is it needed?” Can it be done?” and “Is it of long term benefit to Australia?”
Unfortunately the decision was taken to disband the Snowy Mountains Authority on completing its allotted tasks in the mid seventies. This company had the brain power, energy and work force available to undertake any major construction project in Australia. It was even suggested at the time that the Authority should move on to implement the 1932 Bradfield Scheme whereby flood waters from the Burdekin River could be diverted in land through the great Divide. The reason for not going ahead was cost! In todays money the cost would have been peanuts.
In 1854, Ferdinand de Jesseps was approached by the Viceroy of Egypt, to consider building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez for the benefit of the world – a distance of 100 miles. He did so mainly by pick and shovel. Today, the canal is the busiest inter-ocean canal in the world. De Jesseps had the vision and energy to complete the task.
In 1953 the Netherlands face disaster when the dykes protecting the Southwest of the country were breached by the joint onslaught of very strong winds and spring tides. 1835 people lost their lives in the resultant flooding. Ironically the Dutch only a few days earlier had published a plan specifically designed to prevent such a disaster. The plan was implemented immediately.
The Delta Project as it is known, is one of the world's greatest postwar feats of hydraulic engineering. It now holds back the North Sea.
The British and French Governments jointly brought the Channel to completion.
The point here Toastmasters is that, people and governments around the world have shown that it can be done. All that is needed is the vision and the will. In the past we have dug natural gas pipeline all over Queensland – why didn't we place pipes in these holes to take treated water back inland?
We must get our politicians out of the habit of point-scoring on the day and acting only to protect their electoral seat until the next election. They must look and plan for the long term benefit of Australia on many issues.
Drought proofing Australia, reforestation, and positive action against the creeping paralysis of salinity and erosion, are all too important to leave to the political arena.
The first action is for the Government of the day, any Government to bite the bullet and set in motion the machinery and personal (with limited political involvement) to identify the needs and then move on the satisfy them.
Above all, we need them to show us “how it can be done” and not “how it can't be done.”