The Realism of Democracy

Democracy. In these modern times of civil unrest, democracy is almost like a holy word. A pure, untouchable beacon of hope for developing nations. When the UN brings aid to a country in political distress, their main priority is to introduce democracy over dictatorship. They introduce equality over hierarchy.
For countries like us though – countries with unlimited freedom and power – democracy is no more valued than a magnet on a fridge. Sure, it makes the country as a whole look pretty and appealing, but to some, it serves no more purpose than to make sure things don’t fall apart.
But democracy is much more than that. Democracy is a government for the people, by the people. It’s clichéd – but it’s value is limitless. It brings equality to all parties. Racism and gender bias, two terrible ethical deficiencies in our society have been all but conquered through the use of democracy.
What democracy achieves is purely through the power of the people.

The problem with living in a nation blessed with such freedoms is that it is easily taken for granted. Just as easily, people can believe that those freedoms only apply to them.

I’d like to tell a story.

Clear, uncontaminated water laps the white, pristine sands. The beach is lined by heath land, overflowing with diverse flora and fauna. The air is clear, and the small townships free of any impending urban sprawl. The roads are quiet, a truck being a rare occurrence. It’s understandable that most young families and retiring couples choose to live in the exquisite bay area. Jervis Bay is described by the tourism industry as the ‘Jewel of the South Coast.’

Tomerong is a small village located ten minutes from the tourism centre of Jervis Bay, Huskisson. The majority of accommodation is located in Huskisson, where motels and camping grounds sit on the waterfront. A small, picturesque movie theatre, ice-creameries, playground and swimming pools are all part of the little townships attraction. Follow a straight road framed by bushland, alive with new growth from the 2003 bushfires, and you arrive in Tomerong. There is a town hall, a general store and a small school that educates merely 200 students. There are few properties, and even fewer houses. The bushland becomes scarce and large green paddocks line up against the
road. If you look carefully, from this road – you can see an old, only partially used quarry.

In an area that could easily make the world heritage list in a few decades, it has baffled residents of Jervis Bay that there are plans to turn the old quarry, into a non-putrescible waste dump.
Approximately 25% of this waste would contain asbestos or lead based products.
About 100,000 tonnes of waste is proposed to be dumped in the quarry from all over the South Coast, equating to about 50 trucks heading down a small, untarred road per day for about twenty years.
Waterways have potential to be contaminated, and the bushland around the quarry has immense potential to ignite during the summer months.

Last month I attended a public meeting with members from Shoalhaven City Council, the owners of the quarry and the developers.

The meeting was held in Vincentia High School’s hall, over 300 people attended. None sat idly, after they had heard the information presented. The men presenting the information spoke quietly, husky tones making what they said almost incomprehensible. They used jargon related directly to the tips purposes, most words scientific and complicated. As if they knew what they were doing was wrong, and they didn’t want citizens to pick up on that fact.

The irate crowd fired questions at the panel, most well informed. A minority of the answers from the panel were reasonable. One question in particular stood out though.

“How will this tip benefit anybody living in Jervis Bay?”

To that they had no answer.
Then they told us that the tip was virtually impossible to prevent.

Heading back to the issue of Democracy, I ask this:

The salient point of democracy is equality between the people. For social justice to be achieved in all areas proposed plans are supposed to consider all elements of society. So, in effect – placing a tip in the middle of an area that’s central income is derived from tourism resulting from the areas pristine and untouched reputation – isn’t what the developers are doing, more than a little undemocratic?

To be very well aware of the viewpoints of citizens in Jervis Bay, and to disregard those opinions as if they are nonsense and of less importance than their own views – goes against the entire ideal that democracy provides.

When a decision is being considered that will affect people and an area’s economy, more than just the proposing person’s words should be listened to. In the House of Representatives there are many elected people from various areas and parties.

Yet in Tomerong, this is far from the case.

The issue I am trying to convey here is not only the complete injustice that the township of Tomerong is experiencing, but that individuals in power respect the ideal of democracy – but don’t believe its policies directly apply to them. To those individuals, like money-hungry developers, fuelling their ambition is the priority. Not democracy.

Not only is that ludicrous, but destructive. What future does our nation face when the people who are involved in making decisions for everybody’s wellbeing, disregard the opinions of the public as misinformed nonsense?

Dystopia will only follow.