Why is it hard to keep up with all the national news?
With a national election less than three months away, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull keen to secure a strong majority in the next federal election, there is little doubt the election’s tone will be set by the headlines.
But in recent weeks, the focus has been on the political ramifications of a potential snap election.
As the election nears, and the stakes get higher, some are calling for a more informed public debate about the issues.
But while some of the issues are worth talking about, others are being ignored or dismissed.
What are the national issues?
National political parties are campaigning on a number of issues and some are being left out of the national debate.
They include: How do we stop the next global pandemic from getting out of control?
How do you deal with climate change?
What’s behind the ‘polarisation’ of Australian society?
What do the new Labor-Greens leaderships offer to tackle the nation’s biggest challenges?
What can we learn from the previous governments?
What is the federal budget?
The budget is the government’s annual financial report.
How can the federal government better fund education?
What should the government spend its resources on?
What are the major issues facing the nation?
How much will we pay for the health and welfare of the next generation?
Will we be able to keep the promise to the people of Australia to pay no more tax than they earn?
Why did the Liberals promise to abolish the carbon tax?
Who’s paying the cost?
Are we going to get our fair share?
How will we deal with the climate change crisis?
Is it time for us to go back to the polls?
It is worth considering that there are many more pressing issues facing our nation.
The current government, and Labor and the Greens are proposing a number that have been discussed by other governments and even by the current Labor-Green government.
So why do the national parties have so little to say about these issues?
Why are we told to accept this, while some national parties are talking about policies that may have no chance of being passed into law?
We know that politicians have to have a sense of what’s at stake, and that there is a risk of losing the election.
We need to be able for voters to make a decision on what they want to hear from the major parties and on what the national conversation is really about.
We have the opportunity to listen to the voices of our elected representatives and, ultimately, our government and our country.
This article first appeared on News.ca.au