Prosperity in a compassionate Australia

GREED IS DEAD

Capitalism and Socialism are utterly discredited ideologies that have created economic and social polarisation. They are now irrelevant in any valid democracy based on equality of opportunity.

Their legacy is revealed in the lives of far too many self-absorbed people who have lost their sense of community by embracing individualism, consumerism and materialism in an aggressive manner that threatens the sustainability of the world in every facet of human existence.

THE SHARED GOOD – A visionary alternative

Fostered by communities, not imposed by governments, it has no role for greed.

Jesus of Nazareth, the Prophet Muhammad, Confucius, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King were powerful advocates of it, but no Australian leader has ever taken it up.

This creates a challenge for Australia to progressively adopt THE SHARED GOOD by 2025.

At that time, it is highly possible that our nation will have the following values.

DEMOCRACY

*We are a Commonwealth. All Australians benefit from the common wealth of our nation as we wisely share our freedom of thought, speech, movement, religion and enterprise.

*In writing the Australian Constitution, our Founding Fathers followed Abraham Lincoln in creating a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

*Referendums have enabled the powers of the British Crown to be passed to the people of Australia without creating a Republic. Efficiency of governance has improved by removing Local Governments. We have a Federal Government in which power lies with the House of Representatives. The Senate is a House of Review. There are 50 States and a Flag without the Union Jack. Our elected Governor General has no reserve powers, but administers a politically independent Corruption Commission.

*Our Parliaments are democratically elected. Most parliamentarians are intelligent, educated persons who govern responsibly by wisely abandoning ancient ideologies of left or right, preferring to act with long term vision and immediate commonsense. They are required to have professional skills in governance gained by academic or trade qualifications as well as community service experience. Our Constitution protects them from censure when they vote against directives of their political parties.

*Our elections are totally publicly funded. This has eliminated political powerbrokers who have used money to divide society by fostering fear, greed, prejudice and bigotry. Election laws make it illegal for trade unions and corporations to ally themselves exclusively to only one political party.

*Our parliamentarians understand that their prime responsibility, above all else, is to foster social cohesion and advance the quality of inclusive community life by fostering THE SHARED GOOD.

*We have a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities that defines our citizenship and provides severe penalties for those who defame others or breach their privacy, particularly via social media.

ECONOMY

*Taxation is based solely on revenue earned, thus ensuring minimal tax evasion. New businesses have exemption periods. GST has been eliminated as well as taxes on profits and most State taxes.

*Employees do a productive day’s work for a fair day’s pay. They are able to join a democratic Trade Union that respects the law and supports an honest market place which rewards effort and skill.

*Business owners seek to earn an honest profit, not an exorbitant one, ensuring that transactions with customers are transparent. Staff are frequently paid more than industrial laws require and their employers are involved in ensuring that they, and their families, enjoy the essentials of life.

*Our prosperity is based on innovative economic systems, sustainable technology, pragmatic vision and community initiatives that are constantly upgraded and expanded to ensure jobs and skills training for every citizen, especially enabling those who otherwise face long term unemployment.

*We have eliminated welfare and all sense of implied entitlement. It has been replaced by a National Dividend which is based on the prosperity of Australia and automatically received by all registered voters. This has removed a huge welfare bureaucracy and the personal humiliation it has inflicted. The dividend is taxable for all who earn more. A National Not for Profit Foundation receives Dividends declined by voters. It finances community initiatives that enhance the quality of life.

*We have a system of retirement incomes that provide most Australians with a quality of life beyond that of the National Dividend for their entire longevity.

*We have proven beyond doubt that the highest levels of prosperity are gained by implementing and improving THE SHARED GOOD in a manner that restricts insatiable consumerism and personal greed and ensures that homelessness and poverty have no place in our civilised nation.

*Our markets operate as level playing fields that function by practical rules. People achieve their aspirations by competing fairly in accord with their abilities. Genuine competition is never diminished and significant penalties are imposed on those who plunder or monopolise markets.

*Small business is a growing core of our economy, gradually replacing major corporations.

*We foster not for profit corporations whose well paid employees give surpluses to society.

*We abhor inequality and are committed to reforms that narrow the gap between rich and poor.

*There are incentives for investment in drought proofing our continent and for the balanced development of Rural and Regional Australia in preference to overcrowding our capital cities.

*We give priority to the physical and social infrastructure required for quality of life and the efficient conduct of trade, ensuring that all of our development projects are achieved through equal partnerships of public and private capital which enhance THE SHARED GOOD.

*Our passenger and freight transport systems favour rail over road and provide financial benefits for those who use public services in preference to private vehicles.

*Our alliances for Trade, Defence and Culture are focussed on Asia.

SOCIETY

*Most Australians are active in the community, making generous gifts within our ability to do so and giving time and skills to advance good works. We believe that spiritual strength is gained by sharing.

*We place a price on pollution. By strong community involvement in planning development projects, we live in harmony with the natural environment and welcome our responsibility for the Great Barrier Reef, no matter what the cost, so that future generations may enjoy life on a clean planet.

*No one in Australia is denied a home, job, school, health care and justice, nor the right to achieve.

*Healthcare is first class and affordable. We have capped levies and fees for Medicare and Health Insurance by removing monopolies that have unfairly corrupted the practice of medicine.

*Our public education fosters excellence. It is superior to independent schools and is universal and free. No Australian pays for their first university degree or initial professional qualification.

*Our Police work in partnership with our people to create a peaceful society that respects law and order. Our Courts operate with total freedom from political, religious and financial interference.

*Religion is an asset of our people. We reject bigotry and fear, giving priority to compassion over doctrine. All Faiths add spiritual strength to THE SHARED GOOD, respecting with grace and peace the laws of our nation, particularly our culture of non-violence. The length, breadth, depth and height of our lives is fostered by religious and secular values that have equality as a cornerstone.

*We neither accept nor tolerate discrimination by gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or politics. People of all ethnic cultures are welcome in Australia with equality of status.

*Australians share a core belief that life is about reaching our full potential as creative citizens by team work, rather than as lone individuals, thus maximising our achievement potential.

HUMANITY

*Most of us value our sense of belonging and are not mean, selfish, short-sighted or isolated. We have removed the ‘glass ceiling’ for women and prejudice against indigenous citizens and migrants.

*The social and economic impact of longevity has been converted into a community asset with intergenerational partnerships being a splendid example of our cohesive productivity.

*As Australia is not an island unto itself, we accept full responsibility for refugees and we are positively involved in the social and economic development of the poorest of nations.

*Living as we do in a world of constant change in which artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the scale and nature of our workforce, we have planned for a radical impact on our social structure and behaviour. We have confidence that our National Dividend meets the economics of lifestyles based on education, recreation and community service as an alternative to full time employment.

*Our understanding and implementation of THE SHARED GOOD is constantly upgraded. Economic and spiritual values enable us to anticipate and respond to a never-ending social revolution.

THE SHARED GOOD HAS BECOME DEEPLY EMBEDED INTO THE FABRIC OF LIFE IN AUSTRALIA, BEING A NATURAL OUTCOME OF OUR 65000 YEARS OF PURPOSEFUL HUMAN ENDEAVOUR.

EVERALD COMPTON AM                                                                          everald.compton@live.com.au

I invite you to share this page (www.thesharedgood.com) with friends, telling them that you advocate THE SHARED GOOD and inviting them to do likewise as we create a nation that most Australians want.

My thanks to 50 eminent Australians, most of whom are not involved in politics, who personally assisted me during the year that it took me to write this vision of THE SHARED GOOD. They were positively constructive in expressing their views about the drafts that I sent them and I listened to them carefully.

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