The Australian Financial Review of 6 March had a wraparound front cover with the headline “First we revolutionised the Price. Now we’re revolutionising the Agenda.” The two page colour spread below the headline appeared to be a graphic of the Fin Review’s idea of Australia. I found it a very troubling picture.
It was entirely devoid of any Australian wildlife. There were no Kangaroos, Koalas, Emus, Lyrebirds, Echidnas or Platypus. There were no birds or animals or reptiles at all. In one sense this was scarcely surprising, because the picture of mines, industry, agriculture and infrastructure left no room for them – they cannot survive in an Australia without forests and grasslands and waterways and wildlife corridors.
But it is a barren Australia, totally stripped of the natural beauty which has been such a source of joy and inspiration to Australians and visitors for hundreds of years.
The Financial Review’s accompanying words refer to a clean environment, but surely an environment without birds and plants and animals would be a sterile nightmare. I hope the omission was inadvertent.
The economy is meant to be a system to support our lives, to provide goods and services and jobs etc. Now it has been over-rated to become an end in itself, even to our own, and nation's, detriment! The economy is a means, not an end or objective in itself. If Australia becomes overburdened with people and our mega-diversity and environmental wealth is lost, then our losses outstrip the benefits. We need some leadership and balance in politics, not this fatalistic economic growth agenda.
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