A little over two weeks have passed since the Howard Government met its maker, and already there is a change of mood abroad. It's as if a load has been lifted from the collective backs of all Australians, or at least thinking Australians. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified, the 'Pacific Solution' is being dismantled and the PM is already talking of a sorry (yes, a real sorry, heartfelt and genuine, not just a legalistic regret) to the 'Stolen Generations' of Aboriginal people. I really feel like the nation is moving forward, the ridiculous culture wars of the Howard era (yes, already an era) put behind us, the hectoring moralisms of Howard and Abbott sunk into a pit of concrete, the endless genuflections to Washington, ended. I hope.
What I would like to see is a country which re-embraces its international obligations at all levels, works as an active participant to solve problems and understands that the global and the local are linked. At home I want a Government that governs competently and compassionately, not eschewing 'tough love', but reinventing it.
And please, can we have a little less talk about matters economic, and a little more about the quality of life, our shared future and even, yes, a little bit of the vision thing.
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