Mind The Formica

The rural city I come from is unlike other in country Victoria. It comes with its fair share of socio-economic problems and it is these problems that usually overshadow any of the towns redeeming qualities. It is also remote and feels more South Australian than Victorian. During my years in high school Mildura was named the teenage pregnancy capital of Victoria. –Albeit by Today Tonight. (It was later confirmed by reliable sources though.) Finally our city, which has a bit of an inferiority complex was on the map, but for the wrong reasons. Like any other conservative rural city, our leaders pretended everything was fine and chose to be in denial about this issue.

This apathy shown by the community’s leaders is something that has always really incensed me. Adopting the ‘she’ll be right mate’ strategy to local leadership and politics has led to securing Mildura’s title as not only the teenage pregnancy capital, but the state leaders in a range of other unfortunate social problems. We became the obesity capital, a region of high unemployment, high levels of domestic violence and the lowest levels of educational attainment in the state, just to name a few.

An unwillingness from our local politicians to show any backbone and ‘name’ our problems and fight for state and federal funding for services to address the issues, along with funding for improved infrastructure such as the return of passenger rail and quality health services says quite a lot about these people who claim to represent the Mildura constituency. It suggests that they simply don’t care about the community and / or that we should aim low. It also exacerbates a problem the town has had for years; retaining young educated and visionary people. I grew up with some very smart people who have gone on to work in high profile arts careers, journalism, influential political jobs and other successful careers, but unfortunately not many of these careers have allowed these people to return to Mildura.

The brutal truth is, young people who are smart and driven enough to seek further education and meaningful careers are not the ones who opt to stay in or return to Mildura, thus increasing the gap in terms of Social Problems. I simply don’t think this is fair or in way good enough. I think Universities who claim to be invested in rural communities need to take some responsibility for this issue too, but that’s another story!

I am now four years into a Social Work degree and have been reflecting on my educational journey to this point. I have realised that my passion is politics and without even knowing it, my upbringing in a town which many describe as “shit” (to put it bluntly) has actually been the catalyst for both my choice to start a Social Work degree and my interest in politics. Two things both underpinned - for me at least- by Social Justice and Human Rights. Values I may not have possessed if I grew up in Toorak.

In terms of social working and politicking there are always disadvantaged and marginalised groups in any town or city who need representation and advocacy. However, what excites me about being involved with politics in the Mildura and Mallee electorates is strangely what I don’t like about Mildura. Due to the abovementioned ineffective leadership, mainly at the hands of Member for Mallee John Forrest who has held the safest Federal seat for almost 20 years and also our state MP Peter Crisp, Mildura and the Mallee are now so far behind the eight ball that it in an obscure way it presents itself like a blank canvas for someone like me who possesses the passion and values that I do and wants to advocate for change.

We can visit places like Mildura (or Dubbo, Swan Hill, Wodonga, Kangaroo Flat et al) and screw up our noses at the ‘bogans’, but to me this is equally as offensive as judging Aboriginal people, gay and lesbian people, people with disabilities or migrant communities as we are assuming that these people are on an equitable playing field to people who live in Kooyong, Potts Point or Carlton, which is really not the case. (This is not to say that I have not been guilty of said judgement in the past)

To me, marginalised groups, whether they are marginalised on the basis of sexuality, race or geographic location, such is the case of Mildura; don’t find themselves in this position for no reason. They have all been let down by those who purport to represent them yet these people are concurrently expected to excel even though not been given the tools and infrastructure to do so. For example, if you grow up in a region where education is not embraced let alone widely offered, the incentive to achieve is often going to be minimal if not non-existent. It becomes the dominant discourse. Things like teenage pregnancy become normalised.

I am at a point where I feel that with the support of other like minded people such as my local ALP comrades we are in a place where we can reclaim regions like the Mallee and empower the community to move away from the conservative apathetic political platform which has historically done the city no favours. Not just for low and middle class white Australians who chose or have to live there, but for the growing refugee population, the emerging and non-represented gay community and also for our incredibly disempowered and large Indigenous community.

My latest video speaks volumes of my want for Mildura to reject being a safe seat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7jYccOBm5Y

Mind The Formica

Saturday 16 June 2012

The 2nd and 3rd installments of the Baillieu Trilogy Stop Motion Films

Thursday 17 May 2012

Politicking in Mildura and my latest stop motion "Ted Baillieu goes to Mildura"

Sunday 13 May 2012

Ichy the cat makes his debut

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Thursday 26 April 2012

Thursday 19 April 2012