Gina Rinehart
Australia Day is an important day for all Australians.
A day to think about our past, our present and maybe our future too, all elements of who we are as Australians, surrounded by people we enjoy, plus some great Aussie wines and cheeses and of course, meat pies, our Kidman pies are delish!
Our pioneering history is one of struggle and hard work, as they strived to build a better living for their families and future generations.
Their lives were hard, I recall dairy pioneers, the Daubney family, telling me when their ancestors started the dairy industry in our Southwest, they had to handsaw the giant hardwoods to see the sun and build fences and a cabin, a two-bedroomhome, no bathroom inside, that ultimately comprised parents and their 11 children. And, with no shops around, for ten years they lived off bread they made and butter they churned, a long tiresome process back then, and any fish they occasionally caught, or wildlife.
Sundays in the Pilbara were special days for my pioneering family that built the first stations, town, and port in the northwestback in the 1860s. Sundays were when they’d take off two hours and the family would read the bible together. That was their entertainment, the rest of their days were filled with work. There was only room for common sense in the constant battle to survive harsh conditions, logical and rational thinking were required, no room for nonsense.
Moving forward centuries to today in Australia, despite more than seven consecutive quarters of falling living standards, thanks to the primary industries our forefathers pioneered and developed, our standards of living for most Australians are well above the poverty line.
But today, let us also think of those not so fortunate, the family businesses struggling and failing, reportedly their first issue is the payroll tax, license fees and stamp tax that our state governments across Australia were supposed to cancel when the GST came in. Why haven’t they? Government overspending and wastage took precedence.
We can see excess bureaucracy at work, through unfair government policies restricting pensioners, even veterans and students from being able to work as much as they want, to try to improve their lives and cope with the governments cost of living crises, instead of suffering with the stress and misery of poverty.
Let’s not forget these wrongly suffering Australians, on our national day.
So, what of our future? Well, I’ve run out of my word allotment, simply it’s what we chose to make of it.
I personally hope propaganda and government wastage will be tossed aside, and a better future for all Aussies can prevail, based on common sense, rationale, and logic.
Wishing all Australians, a very Happy Australia Day!
Gina Rinehart is the executive chair of Hancock Prospecting.
