The Australia Tree

Guest Author Uncategorized

Today’s Guest Author is Victoria Rollinson, with a thoughtful reflection probably best described as a parable. Thank you, Victoria, for your superb, and sorrowful, story.

A metaphor occurred to me today about the Abbott government and I felt it was good enough to share. There’s nothing like a good metaphor to clarify how you feel about something; in this case to remind us how destructive and dangerous the Abbott government is for our country.

Imagine that you live in a big old house with your family and in the backyard in the middle of a sprawling lawn is a huge plane tree. In this metaphor, that tree is the Australian government. Yes, this is going to take some imagination but bear with me. The tree has been there forever and has grown tall and wide, with branches reaching out to every corner of your garden. It offers shade in summer, a place of shelter in winter, a quiet spot for an outdoor meal, a branch hosting a tyre swing for the kids and the perfect climbing gym and fortress for outdoor games. You can’t imagine your garden, or your home, without this tree and you always assumed it would always be part of your future.

But then something changed.

A man from the council knocks on your door one day and tells you there’s a problem with your tree that has been raised by a neighbour. He won’t tell you which neighbour, only that the council was taking the complaint very seriously as they would with any risk to the community. The only neighbour you could imagine caring about the tree is the grumpy old man living in the property behind yours. He had never been a friendly person and grumbled constantly about everything; the weather, the council, the rates he had to pay, the noise your children made playing and a few times, the leaves that your tree shed in Autumn, some of which found themselves in his swimming pool that he never used because he whinged about the cost of energy to heat it. ‘Is this about the leaves in the pool?’ you ask, nodding your head towards the grumpy neighbour’s house and wondering what type of ‘community risk’ a few dead leaves could possibly cause. The man from the council avoided answering directly and said instead that the council were ordering you to lob off your trees largest branches before they fall off, endangering your home. And the lives of your family. You suddenly feel anxious. ‘What’s wrong with our tree?’ you ask nervously. ‘It’s got a tree disease which is making it slowly rot. Your neighbour recognised the symptoms. In effect it’s dying and the branches will fall one by one. The entire structure of the tree is unsustainable. You may in fact be better off cutting it down completely to avoid worrying about it in the future’. ‘Let me have a think about it’, you respond, wanting the man to leave. He tells you not to think about it for too long as the council wants something done about it immediately. He leaves and you pass on his terrible news to your husband who then feels as anxious as you do.

The next day you can’t stop looking at the tree and worrying about how quickly it is dying. It doesn’t look sick, but the man from the council is meant to be an expert on this type of thing so you’re sure he isn’t making it up. After a couple of weeks, you decide to get the largest of the branches cut off; just the ones that are risking hurting anyone if they fall off or coming down onto the house. This is the moment Australia elected Abbott. The tree of government was suddenly a risk to the community, rather than a protector.

The day the man arrives to cut off the large branches, you try to make yourself scarce. The sound of the chainsaws grate on your nerves. You return home hoping to feel less anxious now that the branches are gone. But you don’t feel less anxious at all and the tree looks hacked up and pathetic. No more social safety net. Medicare is under threat. Huge cuts to health and education spending. Gonski no longer a bipartisan policy. No more credible climate change policy. No more mining tax. A fraud of a national broadband network that will be no faster than what we have now. Huge increases in the cost of higher education. Cuts to the ABC and SBS. And the economy is flagging under the weight of austerity cuts and lack of confidence. You did what the man from the council expertly told you needed to be done and yet you can’t help feeling like you’ve lost something you’ll never be able to get back. The tree had been there much longer than you had and in one afternoon its dependable foliage is destroyed forever. You feel sad.

The man from the council returns a few weeks later to inspect the tree. He taps his pen on the thick trunk and nearly trips over the tyre that used to hang from the branches as a swing. ‘The disease is still risking the structure. I would recommend cutting the whole thing down. It could easily come down in a storm. You wouldn’t have the insurance to cover the damage’. You nod weakly and promise to do something about it right away. The tree makes you sad now so maybe once it’s gone you will get over it.

The arborist who cut off the large branches is booked out for the next month so you call someone new and he can cut the tree down next week. Again you leave him to it, as you can’t bring yourself to watch your tree become a useless stump. When you return home, the last bits of trunk are being fed into the noisy wood-chip creating machine. ‘Why did you cut it down?’ the arborist asks cheerfully. ‘It was dying, it was risking our home and was dangerous for our family’. The arborist raises an eyebrow. ‘Who told you that?’ he asks. ‘A man from the council. We didn’t really have a choice, it had to be done’. ‘That’s a shame, because there was nothing wrong with the tree. It would have happily outlived you if you’d just left it alone’. Your heart sinks and you feel like crying.

Soon after you’re driving past your neighbour’s house – the one who you suspect had it in for your tree because of the leaves in his pool, and you notice he’s on his porch, talking to someone who looks familiar. It’s the man from the council. They’re laughing about something, clearly sharing a joke. They’re friends. Or at least friendly. Suddenly you get it. There was nothing wrong with your tree. The man from the council lied. You’ve been tricked into doing something against your best interest. Scared into ruining your Australia tree. And your neighbour no longer has leaves in his pool. The rage you feel is impossible to describe.

237 thoughts on “The Australia Tree”

  6. Oh my! How delicious! Abbott’s witch hunt really has caught a witch!

    Lawyers for the Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption and Governance have called for Ms Jackson to face criminal charges over the affair

  7. Leone,

    Tsk tsk. Don’t those pesky RC lawyers understand which side their bread is buttered?

  8. K Jackson appearance at TURC should jeopardise M Lawlers position with Fair Work Australia

    But there is one rule for personal friends of Tony and another for the rest of us

  9. One of the more confusing and potentially questionable AWU agreements is that involving Cleanevent. I am wondering if critics are ignoring the fact that this agreement was negotiated at the time when WorkChoices was in operation. As that legislation deliberately gave the whip hand to employers, it’s scarcely surprising that the best possible agreement for the workers in a 2006 negotiation might seem deficient compared to one reached at another time when the rules of the game were less blatantly one-sided.

  11. Shorten said of CleanEvent

    1. It had been on the verge of bankruptcy twice in preceding years. Unions try to increase pay unless pay increases lead to job losses

    2. Of some material presented by Stoljar, Shorten said this was not what the company presented to the union. Ie company misrepresented itself and union negotiator was not in possession of perfect knowledge

    3. Shorten said the AWU had to rely on the union negotiator to get the best deal act with competence and integrity because each employer negotiated its pay rates. No longer one award for all cleaners

    4. Shorten assumed that the negotiator completed paperwork properly and countersigned. The Workchoices Commissioners countersigned assuming the union. That sounds like $430K for doing nothing

    5. Shorten wasn’t allowed to mention the CleanEvent pay deal was struck under Workchoices

    6. Casual cleaners hired for sPecial events like AFL Grand Final and Sydney Olympics may have had reduced pay, these people were backpackers and union was unable to canvass their vote as these casuals were hired for special events and often spoke poor English

    NB CleanEvent has been bought by Spotless Group who are clearly Abbott luvvies

  12. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    Bill Shorten bruised but still standing.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-bruised-but-trade-unions-royal-commission-yet-to-reveal-a-smoking-gun-20150708-gi7twt.html
    Political fundraising just can’t be left to trust.
    http://www.theage.com.au/comment/political-fundraising-rules-leave-too-much-to-trust-20150708-gi7kiq.html
    Here’s the Gay Alcorn article I linked last night. It’s a straight up and down contribution on yesterday’s TURC.
    http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/08/look-past-bill-shorten-this-was-an-interrogation-of-our-political-system
    Barnaby Joyce has his nose put out by Hunt’s decision – and he’s not happy!
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/agriculture-minister-barnaby-joyce-slams-abbott-government-over-shenhua-coal-mine-approval-20150708-gi7yh8.html
    Nice glove work from Brad Haddin.
    http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/ashes-2015-alastair-cook-falls-victim-to-nathan-lyon-on-first-morning-of-first-test-20150708-gi83md.html
    The ATO has warned multinationals about their use of hubs to avoid paying tax in Australia.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/ato-warns-multinationals-over-use-of-singapore-swiss-and-other-offshore-hubs-20150708-gi7xxs.html
    “View from the Street”.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/view-from-the-street-time-laughs-at-barnaby-joyce-over-gay-beef-fears-20150708-gi7wd8.html
    When it comes to SSM it’s better to be a US Republican than an Australian Liberal.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/gay-marriage-why-its-better-to-be-a-us-republican-than-an-australian-liberal,7912
    Scientists say that the Liberals’ attack on climate science is embarrassing.
    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2015/jul/08/liberals-attack-on-climate-science-is-groundless-ignorant-and-embarrassing-say-scientists
    Ouch! Microsoft get bitten by its takeover of Nokia.
    http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2015/7/8/telecommunications/microsoft-take-us76bn-writedown-cut-7800-jobs

  13. Section 2 . . .

    Pontificating Paul Kelly brands Abbott’s moves on Q and A as “ludicrous”.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/07/08/abbott-ludicrous-paul-kelly/
    Scapegoating minorities may reap a bitter harvest.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/scapegoating-minorities-may-reap-a-bitter-harvest-20150708-gi7l2u.html
    Under the Abbott government what is the meaning of “terrorism”.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-meaning-of-terrorism,7915
    Department of Parliamentary Services staff are ready to go on strike.
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/parliament-houses-public-servants-to-strike-after-yearlong-wait-for-pay-offer-20150708-gi7nkg.html
    And the A-G’s department might be heading that way too.
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/attorneygenerals-department-votes-no-on-proposed-enterprise-agreement-20150708-gi7ebp
    Some worrying signs at Victorian hospitals.
    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ambulance-queues-getting-worse-at-victorian-hospitals-20150708-gi7y2x.html
    Michael Leunig says Abbott and Shorten are a match made in heaven.

    Ron Tandberg has a good dig at the indigenous recognition referendum proponents.

    Pat Campbell has some fun with the TURC.

    As does Mark Knight.

    David Rowe certainly does “sinister” well doesn’t he! And I wonder what “TRUC” stands for.

    First Dog on the Moon takes us into the TURC with Shorten.
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/08/bill-shorten-at-the-royal-commission-can-i-please-have-a-straw

  17. Joe6p’, Fiona..Is there enough dough in the house kitty to buy a box of tiler’s knee-pads and send them to the ABC.?…their knees must be chaffed from all that crawling!

  19. David Rowe says ‘TRUC’ was just a spelling mistake, he has fixed it and has tweeted the corrected version.

    I noticed BK mentioned in those tweets…….

  20. BK

    Thanks for clearing up the TRUC thing on twitter with the man himself. We are all prone to spelling errors.

  21. More comment on Bill Shorten at TURC yesterday, this time from Paula Matthewson. There’s an intriguing little teaser right at the end. If only….

    Will the real Bill Shorten please stand up?

    And yet a completely different man rocked up to the Royal Commission to face the inquisitors.

    Of the three Labor leaders who have been interrogated by the Abbott government royal commissions, Bill Shorten looked the most confident.

    He stayed in control of his evidence, didn’t give an inch under scrutiny from counsel assisting the Commission, Jeremy Stoljar (who fancies himself another Rumpole), and was disarmingly articulate.

    At times, when asked a question, Mr Shorten gave little homilies about his devotion to the working people of Australia, or mini-dissertations on the arcane workings of unions and the industrial relations system. Each time, he sounded genuine and made good sense.

    And when he said no, it wasn’t like the unconvincing no that he gave in response to that question about abandoning Julia Gillard for Kevin Rudd – it was a resounding no.

    Even when he had to admit that a dog ate his 2007 candidate declaration but that he’d found a new copy a couple of days ago, the Labor leader looked assured and almost bullet-proof. Mr Stoljar seemed to find this a little off-putting

    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/07/08/bill-shorten-stand-up/

  24. Their ABC certainly has sold out. Now they are pushing the comments of Grace Collier (yes, THAT Grace Collier), ‘former union official’ on Shorten as the opinions of all ‘workers’.

    But Grace Collier, a former union official who now works as an industrial relations consultant and News Corp columnist, told Lateline no worker would be happy about Mr Shorten’s conduct

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-08/shorten-gets-party-support-for-handling-of-royal-commission/6605494

    Of all the thousands of ‘former union officials’ in this country they had to choose a viciously right-wing NewsCorpse alleged ‘journalist’ for a comment?

  26. We should use Ms Collier’s given name – ‘Wendy’. She doesn’t like it.

  27. Tony Windsor still undecided whether he should stand or not but he gave the impression he would. He criticised Barnaby for having done nothing for his area and that his whinging now is not convincing. Good to hear Windsor’s voice again. He’ll be back!

  28. Why did the govt give the go-ahead to the Liverpool Plains coal-mining? Is there a possibility of Barnaby losing his seat, coal-mining or not?

  29. Tony Windsor will be leading or helping with a community protest against the Shenhua mine, going by some things he tweeted last night. Like this.

    @suzipeep The peoples process begins -this decision has all the ingredients of the Franklin peoples movement – will you join it— Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) July 8, 2015

  31. Just a couple of random thoughts…

    Is it possible that approval of the Shenhua mine was a verbal side agreement of CHAFTA…?

    Or the Govt may think it can score some brownie points by eventually (at some strategic point) withdrawing the provisional approval due to the “overwhelming scientific evidence”.. then make a big song and dance about its environment credentials by protecting the underground water quality..

  33. Comrade,
    Hunt has claimed that he saved the Great Barrier Reef. So what you suggest, may actually happen,also it would make Barnaby look good too.

  36. The NSW government did their approval of the Shenhua mine in January, something that is being over-looked. The Feds were supposed to give their approval in March, but held off so there would be no clash with the NSW election. Anger over the state decision did not hurt sitting Nats member Kevin Anderson in that election. He was returned with a 3% swing towards him, 55% of the primary vote and 60% 2PP, in an election where a lots of Nationals saw big drops in their votes. Voting for Barnaby, voting for Anderson, swings towards both, you would have to assume that the voters of the Liverpool Plains want that mine.

    The decision to approve being announced this week, while the MSM are all looking at Shorten and TURC, is no coincidence.

    I am certain that it is all tied up with CHAFTA, and that’s why I don’t think there will be any cancellation of the approval. Not with the political majority National vote in that area. Hunt can just claim a ‘mandate’ and push on.

    The only thing that might stop it is a huge public protest, but it would need to be something extraordinary, enough to threaten the loss of seats for both Anderson and Joyce and a flow-on to the national vote.

  37. First we had Bob Hogg’s ‘Shorten must resign’ outburst. Another no longer important old Labor bloke creating trouble because he wanted attention.
    http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-should-resign-after-failing-to-properly-disclose-donations-says-former-alp-national-secretary-bob-hogg-20150708-gi895f.html

    I don’t think Hogg was expecting the sort of attention he got. Talk about being hit by the Karma bus!

    Unions royal commission: Bob Hogg’s call for Bill Shorten to resign as Labor leader backfires

    Bill Shorten’s praetorian guard has returned fire following a call from former ALP national secretary Bob Hogg for the Labor leader to resign, circulating news stories from 1991 about Mr Hogg’s own court appearance for failing to disclose political donations.

    The stories note Mr Hogg was placed on a $1000, six-month good-behaviour bond for failing to declare individual donations of less than $1,000 to the Labor Party ahead of the 1990 election – an amount totalling almost $143,000

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/unions-royal-commission-bob-hoggs-call-for-bill-shorten-to-resign-as-labor-leader-backfires-20150709-gi8e7p.html

  39. Abbott gets questions about TURC, talks about decency and honesty he’d like to see in the Union movement. No questions about Kathy Jackson were asked.

  42. Bob Hogg – another turncoat.

    On Sky News Kristina Keneally and Ross Cameron, with PvO, have been doing TURC commentary during breaks/ Ms Keneally has been giving a spirited defence of Shorten. Cameron, unable to find much dirt, has just been reading from Hogg’s comments.

    Gee, thanks, Bob, so nice of you to give the other side so much help.

    What is it with these ageing Labor men? Have they reached a stage of life where they are physically impotent and that makes them crave a semblance of political power? Were they all passed passed over for a spot on the union cricket team in 1965 and are still upset? Are they just crazed fools? Who knows . I just wish the whole lot of them would STFU and go away.

    Can’t you imagine the dinner conversations chez Hogg and McKew? All that bitterness, all that hatred, all those snide remarks, all that rehashing of old slights and picking at old wounds.

  43. Bob Hogg’s outburst was a bit over the top, and quickly put in place by his own oversight. It’s hard to understand, except in the context of him and Maxine being in the Rudd camp. In Rudd quarters Bill’s never been forgiven for being in the factional revolt that led to Rudd resigning. He might have voted for Rudd the final time, but there was still the original sin.

    It’s ironic that Rudd’s sandbagging of the leadership position has probably saved Shorten from destabilising and media speculation to go with the ‘Kill Bill’ season. The TURC inquisition has provided an unexpected bonus of revealing Bill actually stood for things and is relatively competent.

    Stoljar’s trying desperately to string it out but at a cost of looking like a pedantic tool.

  44. I can imagine Hogg and his wife still longing for Rudd or perhaps now hoping for Albo to take over. Disgruntled people.

    JG never had much luck with any of those “aging Labor men” either. They’re traitors.

  45. 9 July 1900 –

    Queen Victoria gives Assent to an Act creating Australia uniting separate colonies under one federal government.

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