Australia sliding
A conversation the other day with a group of locals—Roula, Jess, Killiana and Jordyn—was revealing. Two are teenagers, two are very intelligent adults. The younger ones—one at university, the other at secondary college—are typical of Australian youth, hoping for a bright future in this great country. The adults in the room believe strongly that Australia is sadly sliding away from the kind, tolerant nation of the past. There is little faith in politicians or those in positions of power. However, Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart shines like a beacon in a composite landscape of greed and wokeness. The term ‘woke’ sadly can be applied to governments and corporations, for too many people in high places seem to express little and stand for less.
Rinehart assists countless organisations and those in need and champions several Australians, in particular the financial needs of young Australians in sport. She delivered a powerful address for the Bush Summits held in regional towns across the nation a week ago.
She covered many areas of concern, including a focus on education as indicated in the following excerpt.
Australia’s wealthiest person, Gina Rinehart, says Victorian children are being taught ‘Propaganda rather than facts,’ and to ‘hate’ Australia as she calls for a major shake-up to the national curriculum.
In a powerful address to the Herald Sun’s annual Bush Summit on Monday, Rinehart called for mining to be introduced into high school curriculum, saying the education system was failing to teach students about the sector that ‘underpins’ our economy.
“Can you believe that in the entire high school economics and business curriculum, mining, coal, and iron ore do not receive even a single mention?” she said.
“Mining provides not only jobs that pay more on average than the national average of salaries and wages, but massive export earnings, the largest of any industry, and taxation revenue too.
“Yes, without the billions in taxation revenue mining provides, providing for 65,000 police and 210,000 nurses each year, Australia would simply not be the same.”
The Executive Chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting said ‘woke’ causes were replacing ‘logic’ in classrooms.
A dog’s life
The sporting landscape
It’s certainly a crowded sporting landscape in the modern era. Footy finals fever is in the air right now as the AFL and NRL seasons draw to a close. It’s hard to predict the winner in the former. While Melbourne Storms is well in the hunt for another Rugby League crown, the Victorian Storm coach Craig Bellamy has an incredible record across two decades at the helm of Storm.
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The Spring Racing Carnival will captivate millions as it leads up to the mighty Melbourne Cup. First run in 1861, it has been for much of its history, ‘The race that stops a nation.’
The Indians are coming
In November, the Indian Cricket Team arrives for a much-anticipated fire test series. Very large crowds will watch the contest. India took the honours on their past two visits to our shores and will start favourites against an Australian ‘Dads Army’ XI. George Bailey and his co-selectors can’t be accused of investing in youth. In contrast, England will be here in late 2025 for a resumption of the Ashes saga and the poms will bring a very talented, aggressive side mostly in their 20s. Their only ‘oldies’ will be Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Mark Wood—each a superstar of the game. York Shires Joe Root continues to peel off hundreds—two in the recent Lords test. Joe is rated as one of his country’s finest bats of all time, alongside such legends as Hobbs, Hammond, Hutton, Dexter, Dickersen, and Cook.
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Australia needs to unearth some real latent, and quickly. The game in this country urgently needs another Keith Miller, Ricky Ponting, or Greg Chappell—each an immortal of cricket. Miller played football for St Kilda, rugby in Sydney, and was a sensational all-rounder. He had a colourful life—a pilot in the battle of Britania in World War II, and on the 1948 Invincibles tour of England he had a brief fling with Princess Margaret.
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Victoria and New South Wales need to produce a top-class batsman or two. The Vics haven’t turned out a genuine test bat since the late great Dean Jones. NSW hasn’t produced one for a decade and a half since Warner and Smith came on the scene. Maybe there is something wrong with coaching philosophy in both states.
Cricket legend Keith Miller.
