Step right up, step right up! There’s something for everyone to see in this year’s NSW State election. The star attractions are…Morris Iemma, admirable son of migrants who’s “heading in the right direction”, and Peter Debnam, the politician with naval experience who’s got courage enough to drink recycled water.
There’s been more policy launches than there are 18 year olds enrolled to vote, a few scandals thrown in for good measure, and a whole lot of presidential-style self promotion. If Morris is the pin-up boy for salt-of-the-earth family values, Debnam is a picture of middle-aged buffness, as displayed in several photo shoots in his budgie-smugglers. A few weeks out from the 24th March, the election appears to have descended into a political freak show, complete with daredevil stunts.
For virgin voters, it’s not as simple as enrolling and voting. There’s a minefield of political hot air and publicity to negotiate. And most of what’s on the table and in the news is not aimed at winning the youth vote.
So what sense can you salvage from the circus?
Water
Desalinated or recycled?
Actually, it’s not as simple as that. Advertising campaigns keep telling us how both parties have ‘flip-flopped’ on their water policies like slimy wet fish.
Labor offers the last bastion of hope for Sydneysiders who are squeamish at the thought of drinking recycled water. For everybody else, there’s Peter Debnam, who’s drinking the stuff at every opportunity, as well as handing it out to unsuspecting punters.
There are many shades of grey in both parties’ environmental policies—Liberal’s recycled and storm water harvesting plan is preferred by environmentalists, yet the party is also supporting wide-scale clearing of ‘woody weed’, which is damaging to the environment and will contribute to climate change.
There’s a lot of money being thrown around—Iemma announced a $310 million climate change fund, only to be trumped by the Liberal’s $1 billion drought proofing fund. Both funds have catchy titles but what they plan to achieve with the dosh is more complex. Yet the money itself shows politicians on both sides are seriously considering public opinion about the environment.
With every new announcement and ‘flip flop’ of policy, it’s clear the debate on water is becoming a frantic scramble to prove which party cares more.
Public enemy #1
Young people sound dangerous. In fact, young people sound like the most dangerous people out there. Debnam says NSW is “simply devastated by… youth crimes”, and would like police to have the power to dish out ‘antisocial behaviour orders’ to teenagers, preventing them from seeing certain people and going certain places, especially at night. Breaching the new-fangled ‘order’ could attract up to six months in gaol.
In other bad news for all the antisocial youth out there, 10 to 14 year olds will be convicted for crimes that they may not have understood were wrong. Evidently Debnam is not only a Speedo pin-up boy and avid recycled water drinker, he’s also self-appointed sheriff of NSW. He’s vowed to take on young criminals “street by street and town by town”. (We can only assume not in the literal sense).
Then there’s Iemma, shining knight of the “hard-working families of NSW” and foil to ‘hoons’ everywhere. Iemma is all for “clamping down” on antisocial street behaviour, planning to increase police surveillance of young people in places where they congregate.
Youth crime is a problem both parties want to deal with. Great… but why the gangbusters approach? Suddenly the “hard working families of NSW” are on one side of the fence and the rabid young antisocial types are on the other.
The most recent data shows that between 2002 and 2006 juveniles coming to the attention of police and courts fell by 8.8%. So much for the crime wave.
Government integrity, or something like it
The advertising smear campaigns have been successful. We’re convinced! Both parties have managed to show that Iemma, Debnam and their politics are seriously flawed. If only the time and energy spent on publicity stunts were redirected to fixing CityRail—imagine what could be done.
It’s time that young voters were treated as a valuable constituency and not as political scapegoats. So read up on the issues that are important, and ignore the hype—our votes do count.
How do I know this?
ABC television,
NSW State Debate, 16 February 2007.
Australian Labor Party,
Debnam Record,
www.debnamrecord.com.au
Australian Labor Party,
Morris Iemma,
www.morrisiemma.com.au
Clennell, A. 2007, ‘Kids in Libs’ sights, again’,
The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 March,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/law-and-order/kids-in-libs-sights-again/2007/03/04/1172943280682.html
Frew, W 2007, ‘Tapping into the new reality’,
The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 February,
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2007/02/23/...
The Greens. 2007, ‘Greens on a roll! Greens urge young people to enrol to vote’,
Greens News Releases, 26 February,
http://nsw.greens.org.au/media-centre/news-releases/greens-on-a-roll-greens-urge-young-people-to-enrol-to-vote/
The Greens. 2007, ‘Increased policing of young people all about votes, not solutions’,
Greens News Releases, 12 January,
http://www.nsw.greens.org.au/media-centre/news-releases/increased-policing-of-young-people-all-about-votes-not-solutions
Liberal Party,
NSW Division,
www.nsw.liberal.org.au
Marr, D 2006, ‘Debnam’s not drowning, he’s waving’,
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 September,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/not-drowning-just-waving/2006/09/01/1156817102739.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Mascarenhas, A and Clennell, A 2007, ‘Debnam plan to convict 10-year-olds attacked’,
Sydney Morning Herald,3 March,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/law-and-order/debnam-plan-to-convict-10yearolds-attacked/2007/03/02/1172338885864.html
NSW Liberal Party,
Peter Debnam,
http://www.peterdebnam.com.au
Welch, D 2007, ‘Debnam’s chesty, but is he Bond?’, The
Sydney Morning Herald, 5 March,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/state-election-2007/debnams-chesty-but-is-he-bond/2007/03/05/1172943315552.html 
