Certainly, a newspaper that supports the fair go could not, in all conscience, back any measure that led to social exclusion. We struggle, however, to understand why it needs the attention of a minister since social inclusion, in so far as we understand the bureaucratic term, is surely something every minister should aim for.
We mean no disrespect to the social inclusion board, whose members have been trying diligently to formulate a social inclusion agenda upon which the minister might act. But when most Australians, going about their daily business, struggle to understand what the job entails, perhaps it is time to drop the idea. Or write a mission statement.
There are plenty of more useful tasks the minister, Mark Butler, might be assigned to improve our quality of life. A minister for sunny Christmases might win votes in Sydney's western suburbs after Tuesday's sodden barbecues.
And after the chaos of the Boxing Day sales, there is surely a case to appoint a minister for parking spots. Charles Dickens described the work of the Office of Circumlocution in Little Dorrit; perhaps we need a minister for that. And Monty Python fans will remember the Ministry for Silly Walks. How's your goose step, Mr Butler?
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