I am writing this column on the centenary of Remembrance Day. On this day, we remember all those who served in time of war, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve the liberties which too often we take for granted. Due process, the rule of law, and the ability to participate in free and fair elections are just some of those hard won and hard preserved liberties.
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I wonder often what those Australians who fought and died in past conflicts might think of our country today. A country which is great in many ways but also sadly a country which has in other ways failed to reach its full potential. A country which seems to have lost its sense of purpose and appears to be struggling to find its identity. A country riven with political divisions emanating from the naive assumption that things will go on as always no matter how inept, self-indulgent and out of touch politicians and bureaucrats may have become. The most obvious lesson which we should have learnt from a century of conflict is that such assumptions are foolhardy. Some, often those in positions of power, do not appear to have learnt that lesson.
So, as we look to the century ahead, let us hope that those who have the privilege to hold political office look to the lessons of the past in order to plan for the future. That they set aside petty personal differences and work towards the greater good of the nation. That they focus on what they can build together rather than opposing simply to create a point of difference. That they do not waste the sacrifice of those whom we remember on Remembrance Day.