KCP - Catholic Diocese of Broome

An old man dressed in tattered trousers, a torn shirt and battered sandshoes walks down the footpath carrying two plastic bags that hold all his earthly possessions. He passes by a boutique coffee shop where the cappuccino set sit pondering over their menus deciding over which quiche or croissant to order. A few of the engrossed patrons steal a glance at the passing man who steals an envious glance back again. On the kerb is parked a bevy of classy four wheel drives while a young twenty-something carefully parks his celebrity sports car in a tight space.
The scene could be in Potts Point, South Bank, Fremantle or Broome. In fact, it is to be found in all of those places and others almost on a daily basis. This is the ongoing contrast between rich and poor, the winners and the losers, the consumers and the excluded. The sad thing about the consumers is that many of them will look at the old man and blame him for his dire circumstances. And the myth of the level-playing field endures despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.
The facts about poverty in Australia today are frightening. To say that the prosperity generated by two decades of economic growth has not been shared equitably is a gross understatement. The theory of trickle-down economics persists although by any standard of fairness it ought to have been buried and forgotten long ago.
The royalty of modern Australia are the big-time investment class who develop capital for the accumulation of even greater wealth and power. They are ably assisted by governments at every level who are anxious to help by using scarce public capital in support of burgeoning private capital. Even at the local level, Councils, in accord with the vested interests of their membership, are all too often careful to put a good face on commercial and wealthy areas while the homes of the poor are left unnoticed. The prejudicial expenditure of public funds on the needs of the rich and the province of developers is part of the inequality that damages the fabric of our society as it continues to deliver negative social dividends. Such polarizing returns marginalize more and more people, isolate the poorer fixed income groups from mainstream activity and accentuate a class-structured society based purely on wealth and influence. Such is the sad reality today of a society in denial of its egalitarian origins and increasingly dominated by the captains of investment portfolios.
While the gift of democracy continues to be an essential treasure shared by this nation, what is obvious is that in a materialist, capitalist age democracy is no guarantee of equality of opportunity or the prospect of justice. Such an accomplishment can come only with the realization of distributive justice and a generosity of heart. That necessary virtues and principles are missing from all levels of present day governments should not discourage the belief that the pillars of the Christian ethos are still paramount to a peace-filled community and may yet prevail. In a Christ centred faith, hope springs eternal.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the Bishop of Broome.