This self-assessment of the ‘progress’ over the last 12 months highlights all the good things in life, tax cuts, new trade training centres in high schools, the 2020 ideas summit, the ‘sorry’ statement to indigenous Australians, signing the Kyoto Protocol and computers in schools (to name just a few) as its past year’s progress.
And the Population issue? The only comment it has to make about population is that future planning must take into account the ageing of the population and the need to provide for an adequate workforce to support this increasing group of Australians. It’s like population and the associated problems of increasing urbanisation, inadequate housing, inadequate infrastructure (water, roads, hospitals etc.,) required to keep abreast of the fastest population growth in Australia’s history, just isn’t a problem. Immigration too, gets very short shrift with the Government maintaining high immigration to ensure an adequate supply of ‘skilled’ labour for industry.
Not surprised? No, neither was I. Clearly, Rudd’s ‘Rose Tinted Glasses’ allow him to look at a different world to the one I see from my desk. And even though community communication is a major plank in this progress the Government seems ‘deaf’ to rational debate on the issue. http://www.pmc.gov.au/publications/one_year/index.cfm.#