There is nothing wrong with the quality of public housing in Rosemeadow, Airds, Claymore, Macquarie Fields, Minto or any other estate designed to accommodate people on low incomes. The houses are certainly better than the two bedroom fibro house I grew up in amongst a family of 10 similar to others in our country town. Although we were poor, indeed seriously disadvantaged by today’s standards, I remember nothing but happy times. We respected what we had. We respected each other. And we certainly had an incentive to work hard and do better.
What we now have is a deep seated attitudinal crises caused by misguided social philosophies of the political left. An examination of the voting patterns in public housing estates will indicate that the politics of dependency have been an outstanding success for Labor. Every election, welfare-dependent residents of these areas are reminded that ‘Liberals will cut welfare payments’. It’s enough to guarantee a voting pattern as high as 80 per cent in some areas.
This none-too-subtle mindset places welfare-dependent communities at a serious disadvantage. Labor can afford to take them for granted and give their bleeding hearts free reign to conduct social engineering experiments such as the idiotic and now discredited Radburn housing estate design. Progressive left policies in regard to law and order, justice, drugs, alcohol, parenting and teaching have led to the disempowerment of authority, parents, elders and other positive role models in our society.
The progressive left believe that a person’s rights are more important than their responsibilities towards society. They believe human behaviour can be legislated by acts of Parliament rather than influenced by Christian values. They have effectively removed the boundaries between acceptable and non-acceptable human behaviour in a law-abiding society. It’s OK to hurl abuse at Police and call them ‘Pigs’! It’s OK to scream obscenities at your teacher. It’s OK to use your welfare payments to get stoned. It’s OK to burgle houses and steal cars because you’ll only get a slap on the wrist.
But we should not make the mistake of blaming the residents of Rosemeadow for the situation in Rosemeadow. We have created the social environment that allows them to eat junk food, live on a mental diet of junk television and live according to the rules of the jungle. It has nothing to do with the houses they live in. It’s about the disempowerment of positive leaders, the lack of Christian values and the lack of substantive programs that give them hope for a better life.
Whether we consolidate low income people in public housing estates or distribute them among the wider community will make no difference to their behaviour if it is not accompanied by programs that bring about positive attitudinal change in regard to their roles and responsibilities in our society.
Tags: Campbelltown, Housing, Law and Order, Riots, Rosemeadow, Wollondilly
