Welcome to this week’s editorial, Hopefully by 8pm tonight all the 18 year olds and Gen Zed peers in the country have registered to vote. Now is their time to vote about mounting university debts, a lack of job security, an unaffordable housing market and a planet going to hell in a handbasket. Gen Z’s and Millennial’s are waving good bye to the dream of owning their own home due to the rising wealth of baby boomers who are now on their third and forth investment property divesting their funds from cannibalistic super funds and the prospect of losing franking credits. Those over 55 now hold more than 60% of all wealth. While employment figures might look good they actually reflect gross underemployment and the casualisation of the work force which makes getting a loan for a home nearly impossible. The environmental damage we now endure was caused under the watch of baby boomers bought about by growth at any cost and bugger the consequences. The problem the Gen Z’s and Millennials have around the environment is that the majority of politicians that are opposed to action on climate change are baby boomers, and the millennial generation are just waking up to the fact that they will bear the cost of indecision or decision based on investments and returns. Gen Z’s and Millennials rise to support same-sex marriage, climate change action and increasing refugee intake however it is predominantly old male baby boomer politicians who hold the cards in politics and make policies to appease their baby boomer lobbyists and backers.
Australians aged 20 to 39 number 6.5m while Baby Boomers number 4.8m. If Gen z’s and Millennials were to actually look up from their devices and engage in politics at a Local, State or Federal level and vote for what concerns them; being the environment, affordable education, improved health, a living wage, affordable housing, improved transport, better employment prospects and renewable energies they could have it all. And all they have to do is vote. With an informed vote. Currently there are 16,911,613 Australians eligible to vote with 587,790 missing from the electoral roles. Will the old guard continue to rule or will the Millennials, the Generation Zed’s along with the Generation Xers come out and vote for what they want rather than rollover and take what they are given? Is your Millennial or Gen Zeder registered to vote? No? Cut off is 8pm tonight—after that they have no right to moan about who is in charge. As Monty Python wanted to say “every little vote is precious” until next… lei
