A new political map

Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott have put country NSW on the political map – hopefully the city-centric newspapers will soon follow suit or at least learn how to read an actual map.

On Wednesday Melbourne’s Herald Sun was asserting that people in Windsor’s electorate of New England had complained to Lismore’s Daily Leader. Obviously we know that Lismore is in Page and the Daily Leader is published in Tamworth but it nicely illustrates the city-centric attitude inherent in both those who govern and those who would seek to comment.

Windsor and Oakeshott made some very good points explaining his reasons for supporting a Gillard Labor minority government – certainly some that ring true for those of us who live in country Australia.

We already know that regional Australia has been sorely neglected – we live here.

Windsor and Oakeshott seem to be people with good sense and judgement – something that has been sorely lacking from the main debates in Canberra for quite a while.

The Northern Rivers and other parts of regional Australia should hopefully benefit from the changes we will see in this parliamentary period – climate change, broadband and education were named by Oakeshott as some of the areas where country Australia needs improvement.

But for me the most important statement made by either of the two country Independents came right at the end of Oakeshott’s statement.

“We’ll see a referendum question put at the next election on Indigenous recognition in the Constitution. Something that is part of the social fabric of this country that has been left behind for too long.”

Well said, sir, and something all Australians – country, city, black, white – can agree on. Our record on Indigenous affairs has long been a disgrace and it’s time to make that right. If the only major policy change to come out of a hung parliament is a better deal for and proper recognition of Aboriginal Australians then it’s a good one.

And it’s something that all politicians can recognise and agree on.