At least at the national level, the two major parties are simply failing Australia. There is no leadership to drive our nation forward. There is no plan to make Australia prosperous. There seems to be little interest from either party to have a cohesive plan for our future. The only plan that is clearly displayed day after day from our national politicians is their fixation to hold onto power – for themselves and secondly for their party.

 

Australia has many economic strengths and it is no doubt that the power of our agricultural and mining industries has allowed us to get by without much planning.

 

But times have changed drastically. Industries have changed remarkably. Completely new industries are blossoming around the world. And the nations that are benefiting most from the 21st century economic landscape are not those that can just grow or mine, but those that can harness and direct their nations’ intellectual assets to address the threats of rapid change and capitalise on the opportunities that exist.

 

Make no mistake. If the leaders of businesses were so inept in planning as our national politicians are, they would be sacked or out of business.

 

The real problem Australia has is that there appears to be a real dearth of politicians that really understand 21st global economics and are motivated to do something for our national wellbeing.

The electorate is crying out for leadership and vision, but the calls continue to remain unanswered from our political leaders.

 

If one of the parties actually displayed more vision and came out with a cohesive plan on how they will help to propel the nation forward, I am sure they would attract votes. Perhaps we would even see a Government elected on its merits, instead of merely being the lesser of the evils as it has been in recent elections.

 

The big question for Australia is how do we change the current political situation, particularly when the vast bulk of the electorate has been knocked into a state of apathy?

It is not easy to answer, but it must be answered if Australia is to reach anywhere near its future economic potential.