Why is Australia so
blasé with its World Heritage-listed areas? When other countries
cherish their places that have been listed by the UNESO World
Heritage Committee, and are proud of them because of their
significance, their unique, international importance, Australia
appears happy to continue using these special places as though they
were just another thing to flog to tourists after the sheep shearing
exhibition, and water slide experience. These World Heritage wonders
are merely places to be used as ‘tourist attractions’ to make
money. They are even locations that are eyed off by miners for their
‘hidden riches.’ Governments tell us that tourism is one of
Australia's big ‘income generators’ stimulated by such
‘character’ promotions as: “Chuck another shrimp on the
barbie,” and should be encouraged. The politicians are proud of the
outcome when the hordes arrive. It is a circumstance that has nothing
to do with World Heritage values: just money and ever-increasing
numbers. World Heritage qualities and what the listing means are hardly ever mentioned.
Australia has made
its money out of mining and tourism – off 'the sheep's back' was
the initial statement when wool was sold to the world and disrupted
the overseas markets with cheap imports, something like we are
experiencing today. One should include ‘out of the ground’ too,
for if it was not gold, it was silver, lead, and zinc; uranium; coal;
timber; iron ore; etc. - now water, gas and lithium; anything that
can be extracted, gleaned, that has some value: tourism does the
same, taking in whatever it can.
In short, Australia
was made from primary industries, not innovation. In one sense,
tourism is a primary industry as it uses natural places to make money
in the same way as raw materials are sourced for income, never by
value-adding; just by being there, using the area, and destroying all
the qualities a place has for immediate profit. It is always just
simple, easy, lazy extraction; with tourism, it is a matter of just
going there, ‘extracting’ the ‘interest,’ and trampling
everything for entertainment. Both positions arise out of the
primary, single step of easy use and destruction for gain.
“Let’s go on the
zip wire!”
“Yippee!!”
“Wow!”
“D’ya see tha
trees?”
“Na.”
In this sense,
Australia lacks creative and careful enterprise. The country seems
happy with the status quo of things simple and basic: the least
effort, the most profit, the better.
“Just rip it out
and flog it.”
Little wonder that
the term 'brain drain' was developed to describe the exodus from
Australia of those interested in theories, reality, research, and
ideas; in futures. Australia couldn't care less about working hard at
outcomes or supporting these – persevering, preserving, maintaining
– in spite of ‘friendly-rough-tough-country guy’ image it likes to
promote, the ‘casual-hard-working-honest’ bushie. This is legend,
a fantasy like a fairy-tale; an act; a fable; a fabricated game to
bemuse:
“Where’s that
shrimp mate?”
"She's a
shrimp, dude!"
Australia does not
like rigour or commitment to a cause. Consider the whistle-blower.
The ‘dobber’ is despised in this country in spite of the classic 'Aissie qualities,' the concern,
the rigour, the simple, open honesty, that cause such folk to raise matters
to try to right obvious wrongs. This individual is disliked, called a
rat, a sneak, a snitcher, a squealer, a tipster,
a turncoat, a weasel: anything
derogatory. It is the classic ‘couldn't-care-less’
Aussie eulogised in the 'she'll-be-right, mate' attitude - “No
worries” - that is highlighted in tourist brochures as the great
ideal of this country; never the whistle-blower.
“Whistle-blowers
are just disruptive shit; spoilers.”
‘Mateship’ is
declared the core of Australian culture, whatever this might be
beyond drinking colleagues, chats, collusion and concealment.
Tourism - see:
http://springbrooklocale.blogspot.com/2012/06/who-or-what-is-tourist.html
- in principle lacks rigour, and true substance. It has its own
ambitions in spite of anything else; even World Heritage qualities
and all they stand for mean nothing but profit. This is the unique
problem Australia has to deal with. It is the concern that many
raise: the lack of concern for World Heritage rigour.# The worry is
that the response is that given to the whistle-blower.
“Ya bludging
dobber. Ya liar! World bloody what?"
Dead rats are likely
to appear in letterboxes. Things ‘green’ are mocked with claims
of false, fake, fabricated concerns for the ‘non-existent,
so-called endangered cliché yellow-backed, spotted frog.’
“Huh! Juz crap. Ya try'n ta stop me makin a buck!"
It is a stance that
belittles reality, science, and potential disasters; ignores them
completely; things like climate change and coal.
The recognition of
place and its special qualities is loved only as promotional material
for entertainment and profit. It is seen as a development opportunity
for sky rides, cross-country runs, bicycle races, cabins, cafes, etc
. . . anything diversionary, nothing to do with diversity itself, its
recognition and its celebration. Now World Heritage Springbrook,
perhaps the most bio-diverse region in the world, is seen as a site
for a different entertainment: horror movies. The bush, the region,
is not seen as a place with a unique bio-diversity that has been
World Heritage-listed, an area in which new species are still being
discovered today. No; it is now a dark place of horror. Spooky!
Scary! - see:
http://blankgc.com.au/gold-coast-film-festival-horror-in-the-woods-2019/
When will Australia
and Australians ever learn to truly care for its World Heritage
places; to understand them; to respect them? One can anticipate the
response:
“Who gives a
stuff?”
“Want a beer
mate?”
“She’ll be
right.”
“Yeh!”
“F’n wingers.”
The ‘gender-biased’
statement exposes a carelessly strange attitude that ignores not only
the implications of the wife being beaten up by the drunken husband,
but also the rape of the region; and, on democracy,
things are just as bad: the City of Gold Coast mayor has reportedly
sworn that he will get a cableway built to Springbrook before he
retires, apparently ‘Come hell or high water.’ The fact that such
a proposal has been rejected time and time again by the locals means
nothing: indeed, it might even become the driving force encouraging
the spiteful revenge. Are the silent words:
“We’ll show ya,
ya bastards"?
“I’ll get it
done by calling it transport infrastructure” - can one add “ . .
. or anything”?
Can one also hear
the whisper:
“Bugger World
Heritage”?
Maybe the mayor
needs to talk to Trump about his wall? Is the president his
inspiration? Australia is riddled with an anti-intellectual
embarrassment that makes one cringe. Little wonder that we have the
‘brain drain;’ but, alas, even this will not alter opinions:
“Let the buggers
go if they are so un-Australian.”
Oh, woe is Australia
where ignorance is eulogised.
“We should of.”
“F’n greenies!”
“Where’s that
beer mate? The f’n flood waters are f’n nearly lapping the f’n
floor boards.”
“Ha, Ha, Ha.”
(Inspired by recent
reports on the floods in Townsville, February 2019.)
“World f’n
Heritage eh? Humpf!”
“Can ya buy any
groceries here?”
“No, its a f’n
pub ya fool!”
“Dja see there
buildin’ more cabins their?”
“F’n bewdy! You
know!”
“Eh! The water’s
up to me ankles now.”
“Are they pumpin
it from the ground?”
“Mite as well.”
“They wreckon its
climate change.”
“F’n idiots.
It’s like this every year.”
“An we solve it by
down’n a few cartons! Hey?”
Insanity is
repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.
Maybe one can add
that insanity also involves expecting no results to any action; or
doing nothing when we know otherwise. This is Australia where beer is
king!
“Yaw shout.”
“It’s just World
Heritage. Wad ya worry’n about ya c...?”
“That water’s
still risin.”
“It’ll go; all
the more time to have some piss.”
“Ya carnt work in
the water. Mate, its a holiday!”
To use simple,
straightforward words that might be understood by all: this position
is all really basic, bushie bullshit: BBB.* We must do better, now!
The only threat that Aussies “Oi! Oi! Oi!” might understand is
that income might dry up with the flood waters: the tourists might no
longer come to see death and desolation, be this a reef or an ancient
rainforest; or that we might run out of raw materials to extract;
maybe even beer! That would be a national disaster!
“Aw shit!”
“No beer!”
“The gov’ment
will hav'ta give us sum grants to get sum.”
"Dja see jack fixed his bush up?"
"F'n woody weeds."
Baa-aa!
#
Those who worry
about this circumstance might comment:
“This text is all
a much exaggerated characterisation. It just presents an Aussie
cliché as the everyday. We are better than this.”
“Perhaps, but the
real worry is that even if this scenario is partially true, we have a
serious problem. The momentum of opinion in social media and the
populism of politicians who are keen to be re-elected, means that
such attitudes will not only flourish, but will gain the interest and
support of those in power who are always keen to keep their perks.”
“Yes. Sadly, one
rarely gets a politician who fights for principles.”
“One very simple
approach is that anything that is to happen in a World Heritage place
or region needs to be honestly and openly assessed in the context of
the World Heritage characteristics. This approach can apply to
Chartres Cathedral or the Taj Mahal; and to the Sydney Opera House,
Uluru, or Springbrook. In the case of Springbrook, this is its unique
bio-diversity. It is always difficult to remember that Springbrook
has not been listed for its picturesque qualities, although they are
there.”
“You’re right,
but it is a big ask. People and politicians will have to start
thinking and caring.”
*
