Can we protect Australia from becoming like America?

We are sure most of you have spent much of the last two days immersed in analysis of the U.S. election. What happened? What drew people to Trump? Or was it that they were dissatisfied with the Democrats?

We are not going to add to that analysis. Quite honestly, it’s too depressing! And no one knows the real answer.

Lucy lived in Washington, D.C. for seven years during the first Trump presidency. During that time, she travelled across 36 out of the 50 states. She met people from all political affiliations, all races, all religions, all socio-economic backgrounds. She spent a weekend staying with a family in North Carolina who owned 56 guns and spent holidays with friends who lived in opulence. She spent time listening to everyone’s thoughts on politics and the state of America. 

What she knows for sure is that there is no one answer to why. America is a country of 335 million people. It’s estimated that almost 73 million people voted for Trump. Some voted for him because they are struggling. Some because they wanted change. Some because they wanted to protect their wealth. Some because they actually like him and what he represents - the racism, sexism and all.

What we do know is that Australia is not America. We have structures in place that protect us from becoming a Trumpian nation. First, we have compulsory voting, which creates a more representative democracy. 

We also have a stronger social welfare system - medicare, compulsory superannuation, disability support - which act as a safeguard when we fall on hard times and allows us security in retirement. 

But we also have a choice. We can choose a different path. We can choose politicians who genuinely care about their communities. Who choose collaboration over divisiveness. 

We don’t need to stand by the major parties because that’s the way it has always been. We can choose change. We can fix broken systems. 

If you agree, we hope you join the Better Together Party, or sign-up one more member, today. Because that’s what we fundamentally believe - that we are Better Together.