20 years on

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20 years ago, the question of native land title erupted when a Torres Strait Islander had won his case and overturned the concept of ‘Terra Nullis’. But Eddie Koiki Mabo did not live to see the win. He passed away from cancer five months before.

Very shortly after the legal decision was made, there was talk about towns disappearing overnight. Farmers and miners both felt very threatened. John Howard had Aboriginals turn their back on him as he delivered a speech to them. There was a lot of hate and division in the community.

20 years on, Australia looks back at those claims of fear made by vested interests. My things have changed. Even the vested interests realise they were wrong.

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In less then 30 days, Australia starts to price carbon. Its been a very long time coming. 17 years. Already vested interests are talking about towns disappearing overnight. Again there is hate and division. Some say the hate is self made by the government cause they lied. Did they?

If the ALP had won government in their own right, then maybe that fixed term period would have been the same as the previous ETS scheme. But they didn’t win it. The electorate decided that. If the coalition had sat on the climate change committee, then they could have helped draft direct ETS policy. But they didn’t. The coalition is as much responsible for the three year fixed term as the government is.

I wonder what we would all think of the pricing of carbon 20 years on. The GST raised everything by 10%! Well almost everything. No one seemed to notice when it came in. The pricing modelling from the productivity commission is that this will raise prices by .07% of GDP. GDP is currently around 2.8%. About 1/40th of an increase. Not a 10% one. According to the naysayers, towns will disappear overnight.

Time teaches more then a lesson ever could. In 20 years, we have seen the reality of native title over the claims made by the vested interests. The fears they claimed would occur have not. In fact, the Mabo decision lead to another decision 18 years later to say sorry for so many other things.

In another 20 years, once the fears claimed about pricing carbon destroying the economy prove to be the utter rubbish that they are, will Tony Abbott will have to balls to say sorry? Not holding my breath on that though.

Fear is just a feeling. You feel hot. You feel hungry. You feel angry. You feel afraid. Fear can never kill you unless you allow it to overpower you.

Time to get over it Australia. Time to get on with it.
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A. Ghebranious 2012