Australia: GMT+10 -60 years

“I think it would be folly to expect that women will ever dominate or even approach equal representation in a large number of areas simply because their aptitudes, abilities, and interests are different for physiological reasons.”

If Tony Abbott were writing an article for the Boar’s Comment section, that might well be how he would begin. It’s a direct quote from the head of Australia’s Liberal Party, who was elected Australia’s Prime Minister on September 7th.

Some other great soundbites from the man himself:

“I think there does need to be a give and take on both sides, and this idea that sex is kind of a woman’s right to absolutely withhold, just as the idea that sex is a man’s right to demand I think they are both, they both need to be moderated, so to speak.”

“Same sex marriage? I’m not someone who wants to see radical change based on the fashion of the moment.”

“I won’t be rushing out to get my daughters vaccinated against cervical cancer.”

“Abortion is the easy way out. It’s hardly surprising that people should choose the most convenient exit from awkward situations.”

“Jesus didn’t say yes to everyone, Jesus knew there was a place for everything and it’s not necessarily everyone’s place to come to Australia.”

“There may not be a great job for indigenous people, but whatever it is they just have to do it – and if it’s picking up rubbish around the community, it just has to be done.”

It’s like Mitt Romney and George Bush had a son in the 50s and the Australian people decided that son was who they wanted running their country.

Voting is compulsory in Australia and has been since 1925, so it’s not even as though the blame can be placed on low turnout or a politically unengaged society, the latter of which would surely have returned a re-election of the opposing Labor party to the same seats. But Labor, newly led by Kevin Rudd who has done nothing effective since effectively overthrowing Julia Gillard, lost a record number of votes.

The truth is that Australians didn’t feel as though they had a lot of choice. Once Julia Gillard was ousted and it was Kevin v. Tony, Australians were essentially looking at the same candidate. Both men ran on the promise of a tough stance on asylum seekers who came to Australia by boat. Australians merely picked the party that would do it with the least drama. Since winning the election, Abbott has planned the launch of Operation Sovereign Borders, which turns back any vessels carrying asylum seekers. He will also abolish the carbon tax Gillard introduced: he doesn’t believe climate change is scientifically proven. Australia is extremely wealthy and one of the only ‘developed’ countries to survive the recession, but Abbott will cut the nation’s foreign aid by 4.5 billion Australian dollars.

It’s a sad and angry shame to see Australia recede into the socially backwards reputation it was just starting to shed. It’s long been known as a state that fails to respect or recognise the rights of both Aboriginals and new immigrants, with an irony paralleled only by white America’s treatment of Native Americans and newer immigrants.

The abhorrent practice of ‘Abo hunting’ continued well in to the latter half of the 20th century, as did the removal of ‘half-caste’ or lighter-skinned Aboriginal children to be raised in white communities, in an attempt to ‘dilute’ the Aboriginal bloodline.

Ancient history, 20-somethings voters might think, but in May 2012, UN visitors to Australia declared the “reality for indigenous peoples one of unacceptable conditions, that requires urgent action by governments across the globe”. The truth is that Australia is a deeply racist nation, only recently aware that its treatment of its indigenous population is globally deemed unacceptable.

Under Julia Gillard, socially progressive Australians were piecing together scraps of hope. Despite the sexism she faced from the Australian media, public, and opposition led by Tony Abbott, Gillard spoke up for white women and introduced policies that moved them towards better and stronger representation.

However, she did very little to improve the lot of indigenous Aboriginals, and took a disappointing stance against allowing ‘boat people’ into Australia. Still, a few steps forward, some thought. With the election of Tony Abbott, the Australian government takes a giant leap back.