A Gillard Government - What does that mean for the poor?
Posted by John
15 July, 2010
By John Beckett, National Coordinator, Micah Challenge Australia Last night at dinner I was talking to some good friends about poverty and Micah Challenge's recent Voices for Justice conference in Canberra. The conversation turned to the demise of Kevin Rudd and the rise of Julia Gillard, PM. And the question came, as it has a number of times in the last few weeks, 'What does the leadership change mean for Micah Challenge? Does it mean you are back to square one?' In many ways I was sad to watch the demise of Kevin Rudd. I see him as an idealist who won the hearts of a nation with those ideals, but fell victim to a political system that doesn't often reward idealism. More than that, I am sad (and a little frustrated) that we have lost a great advocate for the poor, and for Australia's responsibility to the poor. But what about the square one question? Have the unpredictable seismic shifts of Australian politics thrown a spanner in the works of the anti-poverty movement? Julia Gillard is an unknown quantity on most international issues. Her focus has been on… read more
