There are times in history when the fate and future of a nation can be traced back to a single decision; Gough Whitlam becoming Prime Minister was one of those moments. Edward “Gough” Whitlam was the Prime Minister of Australia from the 5th of December 1972 until the 11th of November 1975. He was a new class of Politician. He had a private school education, served time in the military and was from a middle class family. (Davidson Hurst Macyntire 1998 p689) He came on board with a lot of new, exciting and somewhat radical ideas. (Dyrenfurth Bongorio 2011 p137). Famous for his “Its Time” slogan he was destined to make a difference. He was known as “The Great Reformer” and he implemented one of the biggest rehauls and reforms of Australian society, policies and way of life in the history of Australia. (Hocking 2012 p1) He eradicated the Infamous White Australia Policy and gave women equal rights. Aboriginals had their land rights recognized for the first time, he ended sexual and racial discrimination among many other things (Davidson Hurst Macyntire 1998 p689) The ideas and policies he put in motion are arguably some of the most influential and a lot of his ideas are still implemented in Australian way of life today. In the 3 years he was Prime Minister he implemented over 200 policy changes. To put that in perspective, that works out to be a little over one a week. While he may have only been PM for three years, he undeniably helped to change Australian society forever.
In this essay I will argue that Gough Whitlam, His Government and His Policies changed Australia and the Australian way of life. I will argue this by examining some of his best known policies. Specifically the ones aimed at the everyday Australian and how the pol...
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The first is Paul Keating’s Redfern speech of December 1992, during the Mabo case. Keating spoke about the injustices committed against Indigenous people since European settlement of Australia and the need to acknowledge and remedy these. The conflicting source is an interview of John Howard on the 7.30 report in 1997, 4 years after the Mabo decision. Howard deals with the perceived implications of the Mabo and subsequent land title decisions for land ownership across Australia. The two sources conflict as they are taken from opposing parts of the mainstream Australian political spectrum. They reflect the so-called History Wars, a debate regarding the unresolved cultural struggle over the nature of the Indigenous dispossession and the place it should assume in Australian self-understanding. The Redfern Speech sets out the views of the left wing, progressive spectrum of Australian political views. John Howard’s interview sets out the arguments against the political and economic effects of the Mabo decision and subsequent land title decisions and largely reflects right-wing political views. The sources differ not only in their political views but also the time that they were given. Keating sets out his moral perspective regarding the need to rectify the past wrongs and improve the future prospects for Australian indigenous people. It was delivered before the final Mabo high court decision, and so cannot deal with the social, economic and political implications of said decision. Contrastingly, John Howards interview was 4 years after the Mabo decision, during which several subsequent land title decisions had been made. Consequently, his interview focused on his views of the implications of those subsequent events for Australia’s political, social and economic
Both Keating’s and Rudd’s speeches are firmly based on the ideas of recognition and reconciliation for the wrongs that European settlers, and their decedents, have inflicted on Indigenous Australians. To explore this idea I believe that it is necessary to take a closer look at both the plight of Eddie Mabo and the stories of the Stolen Generation.
Though, Professor Armstrong makes very good connections between health care policy reforms and its impact on women, all of these connections are eclipsed by the values encompassed within the Canada Health Act of 1984. Health care to this day is provided on the basis of need rather than financial means, and is accessible to all that require it. Professor Armstrong’s argument is hinged upon the scope of services provided under the public health insurance system, and the subsequent affect of these reforms on women as the main beneficiaries of these services and as workers in these industries. However, these reforms were made to balance the economy, and the downsizing and cutbacks were necessary steps to be taken with respect to this agenda. Moreover, as aforementioned the access to medical services ultimately comes down to need, and the reforms to date are not conducive to an intentional subordination of female interests in the realm of health care. Therefore, I find Professor Armstrong’s critique on Canada’s public health insurance system to be relatively redundant because the universal access to care encompassed within the Canada Health Act transcends the conditional proponents of her arguments of inequality. In other words, I believe she is
The contributions and achievements of Indigenous role models continue to make substantial impacts upon our history in areas such as the arts, sport, education, science and more increasingly; the world of Politics. Modern Australia is recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people more than ever before, where the social landscape is changing (albeit slowly) as a result. The gradual change of peoples ingrained preconceptions, unfounded ideas and prejudiced notions are being challenged and ultimately transformed.
australia.gov.au. (2009, January 8th). The Battle of Long Tan and the Vietnam War. Retrieved May 5th, 2014, from australia.gov.au: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/battle-of-long-tan
Prime Minister Robert Menzies was a believer in the need for ‘great and powerful friends’ and the idea of ‘forward defence’. Before the 1949 federal election, Menzies campaigned on the representation of the Labor Party as out of touch with Australia’s postwar ambitions. He was aided by Chifley’s willpower to cover union wage stresses and control increase. Predominantly injuring for Labor was a Communist-led coal strike in New South Wales, and the government’s practice of troops to
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:
Engaging in the Vietnam War was essentially a preemptive measure on Australia's part, as many Australians at the time feared the arrival of the 'Red Terror' on their homeland (the spread of
Throughout our rich history, we have overcome these issues by making great changes in our country by promoting multiculturalism and giving everyone a fair go which means giving everyone chance to live a healthy and prosperous life. But, even with these changes, Australia once was plagued with injustice. Australia now has a good reputation, but our horrid past will never be forgotten.
Australia has involved itself in four wars where it has suffered substantial life loss and casualty. Those wars included World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War and Vietnam. Did Australia have to involve itself in these wars? Did the lives of these young Australians have to be taken?
The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial wars in history, perhaps because it was one of the first wars to be documented, filmed and shown on television for most of the public to see, judge, feel and eventually protest against. This essay will discuss the varying experiences of Australian veterans upon their return to Australia from Vietnam. In my opinion, I do believe that the Australian soldiers of the Vietnam War were treated horribly when they got back from Vietnam. Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell and many Australian families who had to fight in the Vietnam War believed that it was a bad idea to send troops. Families watched their men and boys leave for Vietnam as soldiers and came back as disrespected veterans.
In this opinion piece, the writer, Dick Smith emotional expresses and exerts the “truth” of Australia Day, suggesting it should be named First Fleet Day contrastingly. Throughout the article Smith strongly expresses his stance on the issue, and attempts to persuade the reader by noting how the day of celebration traditionally makes Aboriginals feel. Smith’s tone is ever changing during the duration of the piece, changing to a more emotive and respectful tone when talking about the Aboriginals and what they have done to “nurture and sustain” our country. As Smith changes arguments as does his tone, when establishing his clear and coherent view point, his tone is very forthright and blunt. Readers of this piece are positioned to both understand
The introductory of Canada’s health care system in the mid-20th century, known as Medicare, led the country into the proud tradition of a public health care system, opposite to America’s privatized health care system in the south. Though Canada’s health care system still holds some aspects of a privatized system, it is still readily available for all citizens throughout the nation. After continuous research, it is clear to state that public health care and the association it has with welfare state liberalism is by far a more favourable option for Canada, than that of private health care and the association it has with neo-conservatism. To help understand why public health care is a better and more favourable option for Canada, it is fundamental
Today, Canadians are concerned about many issues involving health care. It is the responsibility of the provincial party to come up with a fair, yet reasonable solution to this issue. This solution must support Canadians for the best; it involves people and how they are treated when in need of health care. The Liberal party feels that they have the best solution that will provide Canadians with the best results. It states that people will have the protection of Medicare and will help with concerns like: injury prevention, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, etc.
In the contrary, governments have the responsibility of ensuring all the citizens access quality health care, more so in public health facilities (Duckett, 2008). Despite the various forms taken by health care systems in the world, they seem to have common goals. These goals include the good health of their populations, equity and equality in health care funding among others. To achieve these goals, the functions to be executed include the generation of more resources, delivery of health services, and good leadership/management. This paper explores the Australian health care system, particularly its challenges, strengths, weaknesses, and the proposed reforms.