The Wallum fiasco exemplifies all that is wrong with our current neoliberal economic system, one that thrives on pitting nature and community against ‘progress and development’.
The dollar so often wins.
It is very obvious that housing should not be built on this wetland, already home to so much life, including endangered species.
While other countries are busy protecting and regenerating vital wetlands, ours are still at risk of destruction.
The developer, Clarence Property, is determined to push ahead, out of step with community wishes, trumpeting its ‘long-standing reputation for delivering high quality residential communities’.
This is not about building community, nor providing homes for hundreds of people barely existing in pods, tents, cars and doorways. It’s exclusively for millionaires.
The developer will bring in metres of dubious fill to raise housing sites, pushing flooding elsewhere. Which insurance company will take the risk of insuring houses built in a wetland in a worsening climate emergency? It’s certain to flood within a few years.
Valiant young people are putting their bodies on the line as an act of love to save this precious area – and losing income to do so. The current system is loaded against them, yet they are determined to win.
The ‘law’ is on the side of the developer, but the law is an ass in this case and so clearly wrong. Bad laws need challenging and changing.
The Minns government could, and should do it.
Neoliberalism and its winner-takes-all ideology has been an increasing disaster since its introduction by Reagan and Thatcher just over forty years ago.
It brought massive tax cuts for the rich, crushing of trade unions, deregulation, privatisation, outsourcing and competition in public services.
Then-Labor Treasurer, Paul Keating, followed suit, and introduced radical changes, including selling our national airline QANTAS and the Commonwealth Bank, under the banner of ‘economic rationalism’.
It worsened under former Liberal MP John Howard, who attempted to cripple Medicare and force people on to private health insurance.
The public health system still hasn’t recovered.
The mantra is: ‘private good, public bad’.
This hard-right-wing ideology was accepted as normal by the general populace. Younger generations have known nothing else, and are experiencing its worst impacts. Apparently, the marketplace should not be interfered with, or even regulated. It must be ‘free to compete’ and come up with the best solutions. Interference in the marketplace is regarded as socialist, or worse ‘communist’ as if it were an either-or situation.
Now, we’ve ended up with a catastrophic meta-crisis.
The ‘market’ ideology has been a shocking failure.
Global uncontrolled, unregulated laissez-faire capitalism has brought the entire planet to its knees, not just for humans, but millions of species brought to the brink of extinction. Oceans are filled with plastic, dangerous chemicals and pesticides are everywhere.
Fossil fuel corporations continue to operate virtually undisturbed by governments and pay minimal tax.
The discredited ‘trickle-down’ theory, where tax cuts for the wealthy supposedly mean they can afford to employ more people, has proven to be a giant con.
Now we have a world run by billionaires, whose power and influence control media and governments.
This massive rise in wealth for the already wealthy has divided our society into the super-rich and poor, who can’t afford to buy or even rent a home. Feudalism has returned.
So, what’s the answer?
Voters once believed they had little choice, as both major parties remain wedded to this failed ideology. The tide is changing and voters are now turning increasingly to alternatives like Greens and independents.
Some are calling for the end of capitalism. Defenders of the system say those opposed to capitalism are ‘communists’ as though that’s the only alternative.
Clearly neoliberalism needs to be junked urgently and there are hesitant signs the Albanese government is starting to moderate it, with the recent announcement of the Future Made in Australia legislation to support Australian industries. Protectionism may no longer be a dirty word after all.
The upcoming May budget is an opportunity for the Albanese government to show it understands the depth of the meta-crisis.
It needs to make major changes, for example scrapping HECS indexation altogether. HECS debts are due to rise 4.7 per cent in June.
How about re-introducing free tertiary education? It was free from 1974 until 1989. Yes, we could afford it, if capital gains tax and other taxes were reformed. We need this Labor government to be true to Labor principles, as Gough Whitlam was.
We need to work together as a community to ensure there is a future for those young people working to prevent the destruction of the precious Wallum habitat. We need to elect caring representatives who will work to bring back the joy and fulfilment of living on this beautiful planet. We have the voting power. We can do it.
♦ Richard Jones is a former NSW MLC and is now a ceramicist.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
