OPINION: Australia is no longer the land of a fair go

AS HARD as I try there seems to be a simple fact I cannot ignore anymore - Australia may not be as worthy of praise as we think it is.

NO CAKE: Immigration Minister Peter Dutton refused a two-year-old refugee birthday cake last week. Picture: Patrick Woods

AS HARD as I try there seems to be a simple fact I cannot ignore anymore - Australia may not be as worthy of praise as we think it is.

A few good sporting performances on the international stage recently gave us reason to celebrate, but closer to home things are a little dire.

You may be wondering why I have come to this conclusion.

Sadly, the reasons are as simple as they are frustrating, and I don't see us fixing them any time soon with Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton ruling over us, and in turn holding power over anyone who seeks a life in Australia.

The headline I read this week that caused me to shake my head was about a two year old who was denied a birthday cake while she was in an immigration detention centre.

First, I thought no birthday cake for a two year old, Dutton you are a cruel-hearted spud.

Then it hit me in the face - a two year old who was born in Australia is in a detention centre because Morrison and Dutton are pandering to a right-wing base they owe their power to.

My thoughts toward Dutton was not related to vegetables any longer, the words I thought to describe him could only be published on the NewsMail website after midnight.

What happened to Australia, the land of a fair go?

The country that opened its doors to so many migrants in the past has decided to become so insular that it thinks national security is threatened by a family seeking refuge from the Sri Lankan government.

We have to put up with three years of the Liberal Party pulling the strings in Canberra, so there is little (none whatsoever) hope of Australia accepting those who are different.

So, what can we do here, in Bundaberg?

To counter the hate and fear we have shoved down our throats from the terrified right we can be more tolerant at home.

That does not mean just to people who look different to you, I mean if you're feeling a bit wild and crazy you could even accept someone's point of view that is different to that of yours.

You never know, the hate we're getting fed from our overlords might not soak into the soil in Bundaberg, and we could have a more harmonious society here at least.

Monday: Don't miss

Betty Lowis

Originally published as OPINION: Australia is no longer the land of a fair go