THE only time people in the cities remember that rural Australia is even a thing is when something horrible happens - if there’s a particularly terrible and tragic car crash, perhaps some sort of macabre murder, or the odd Ice bust.
Otherwise, they really don’t seem to care.
Every start of the winter, city papers will roll out a page two story about how the lack of rain means a grim harvest.
Then by the end of winter there’s always a picture of a farmer grinning from behind an armload of Canola flowers, or a father-son pair posing next to their bountiful wheat crop.
Other than that, the major centers of political and economic power in Australia really don’t much care for country towns.
And in many ways, country towns seem happy with that arrangement.
You don’t live far from quality cell reception if you want to be part of the mad hustle that comprises city life.
Staying rural means a commitment to moving slower, being more considered in every decision, and reacting at a more measure pace (It also means never being able to get good enough bandwidth to really Netflix and chill, but sacrifices have to be made).
Which is great when you’re watching politicians and mining magnates debase themselves on TV and realize that those people really don’t represent your life in anyway.
The problem is, they are making decisions that do.
See, when Australia had its most recent coup (at this point, we’ve got the kind of coup numbers that should only happen in an African nation that has a machete on its flag), once the dust settled the new PM had to look to the Nationals for support.
It’s all coalition building, shoring up the base type stuff, that really only makes sense once you realize politics is about not having any real commitments to belief or ideology.
And the first thing those two groups--the new Liberal leadership, and the Nationals--negotiated was an agreement on no gay marriages.
One party that purports to represent mostly rural interests, and the other that claims to represent mostly conservative values.
Which is all great, except when you live in a rural town, it’s not gay marriages that everyone is worried about.
Maybe on a discussion-over-coffee-level, but not beyond that.
What’s really talked about more, is the fact that the number of fatal car crashes increases every year.
Or that domestic abuse numbers are so high right now, that I’m yet to meet someone without several anecdotes about being exposed to it too often.
But none of the major or minor parties are discussing how more money can be spent on urgently needed road safety measures.
That a speed camera near Clackline once every few weeks isn’t stopping people from driving into trees at fatal speeds.
Or that there’s barely any resources available for women in abusive relationships.
That the only regularly available mental-health services in town are limited to detention centers and prisons.
Those are issues that might actually help country towns.
But no one ever hears people in those towns complain about them.
Which is why, it might be time to start speaking louder.
