Description
Are we truly honouring ANZAC values? Explore how Australia is failing its people—and how we can reclaim justice in their name.
Honouring the Spirit of ANZAC: A Call for Justice at Home
Introduction – More Than a Day of Remembrance
Location: Dawn service, suburban Australia. The air is still. The bugle sounds. Lest We Forget.
Picture this: A retired veteran stands in the cold, hand on heart, remembering fallen mates. Not just their sacrifice, but what they believed they were fighting for—freedom, fairness, mateship, a fair go for all.
Now picture his granddaughter. She’s in her 30s, working two jobs, unable to afford rent, healthcare, or childcare. “Is this the Australia they died for?” she wonders.
This article explores how ANZAC values are not relics of the past but a call to justice in the present.
Lest We Forget: What About the Battles Australians Face Today?
Australia today is a country where many face daily battles:
• Housing crisis: Over 122,000 Australians are homeless (ABS 2021).
• Healthcare inequality: Regional Australians still struggle for access.
• Cost of living: Families can’t keep up with grocery and energy bills.
• Veterans’ welfare: 1 in 3 veterans experience mental health issues, yet support is often underfunded or delayed.
• Indigenous Australians: Life expectancy is still 8 years lower than the national average.
These modern struggles are often sidelined in political discourse. But if ANZACs fought for a better Australia, these are battles that demand attention.
Internal Thought: “How did we let it get this bad?” a nurse quietly asks, reviewing her monthly expenses that don’t add up.
The Meaning of Mateship in a Fractured Society
Mateship wasn’t just camaraderie in the trenches. It was a national ethos: helping each other out, especially in tough times.
Today, mateship is being replaced by:
• Individualism and blame: The poor are blamed for being poor.
• Privatisation: Public assets sold off to corporations.
• Welfare shaming: Support is seen as weakness, not a hand-up.
Real-world example: During COVID, millions relied on JobKeeper. That was modern mateship. But once the crisis faded, support was withdrawn, leaving many vulnerable.
Emotional Response: “We’re told to stand on our own feet, but the ground keeps shifting beneath us,” says a single mum from Logan.
From Gallipoli to Today: Are We Still Building a Fair Australia?
The ANZACs didn’t die for greed. They believed in building a better nation.
But today:
• Education is a debt trap with HECS.
• Healthcare is increasingly privatised.
• Public housing is sold off.
Contrast this with the post-WWII government, which built the Snowy Hydro Scheme, funded public education, and expanded housing.
Historical Reference: After WWII, the Curtin and Chifley governments used Australia’s monetary sovereignty to rebuild with full employment.
Why don’t we do the same today?
Honouring the Fallen by Uplifting the Living
We can live out ANZAC values by:
• Investing in public services: Education, housing, and healthcare for all.
• Supporting veterans properly: With trauma-informed care and full pensions.
• Ending corporate welfare: And redirecting public money to people, not profits.
Australia has dollar sovereignty. We issue our own currency. The government can afford to fund what matters, without needing to cut from elsewhere or raise taxes.
Expert Quote: “A currency-sovereign government faces no financial constraint, only resource constraints.” – Prof. Bill Mitchell
Dialogue: “Don’t tell me we can’t afford to look after our own. We’re not broke—we’re misled,” says a pensioner at an ANZAC Day event in Brisbane.
A Citizens’ Call to Action
Let’s reclaim ANZAC values through action:
• Vote for independents and parties who prioritise people over donors.
• Demand public investment in services, not endless surpluses.
• Challenge narratives that justify suffering in a wealthy nation.
Change won’t come from the top down. It must come from us.
Summary – The Legacy Lives When We Live It
We honour ANZACs not by ceremonies alone, but by carrying their values into action.
ANZAC meant solidarity, sacrifice, and fairness. But neoliberal policies have eroded those principles. We can choose another path—one where public money serves the public good and no one is left behind.
Closing Thought: “If we remember the dead but ignore the living, have we really remembered at all?”
Q&A Section
Q1: Isn’t it unaffordable to expand public services today?
No. As a currency sovereign, Australia can invest in healthcare, education, and housing without financial limits—only real resource limits.
Q2: How does this relate to ANZAC values?
ANZAC values reflect fairness, solidarity, and courage. Leaving veterans, pensioners, or struggling families behind is a betrayal of those ideals.
Q3: What can citizens do?
Share articles, challenge media narratives, support justice-driven candidates, and engage others in these discussions.
Call to Action
If you found this article insightful, explore more on political reform and Australia’s monetary sovereignty at Social Justice Australia:
https://socialjusticeaustralia.com.au
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