A LESSON BRADDON CAN LEARN FROM THE CEO ASSASSINATION
By Adam Martin; Independent Candidate For Braddon
In the quiet streets of Tasmania’s northwest, it’s not hard to hear the stories of ordinary folks trying to make ends meet. From farmers to small business owners, retirees, and young families, the challenges they face paint a picture that feels far too familiar. Rising costs of living, housing stress, and difficulty accessing healthcare have left many in Braddon wondering: where is the “fair go” Australia once promised?
It’s this feeling of frustration that echoes far beyond Tasmania. Across the Pacific in the United States, a shocking story captured global attention recently: the assassination of a healthcare CEO. It wasn’t the act itself that shocked commentators but the reaction—a nation divided on nearly everything suddenly seemed united in either understanding or outright approval of the event. While violence is never the answer, this incident holds a mirror up to societies like ours, forcing us to ask: what happens when systems fail the people they’re meant to serve?
THE BROKEN FENCES OF SOCIETY
Let’s break it down. Every society functions within agreed-upon rules—laws that act as fences to ensure fairness and accountability. But what happens when those fences fail? Frustration builds when corporations, super wealthy, political leaders, or senior public servants climb over the fences without consequence. People begin to feel powerless, trapped inside systems that seem rigged against them. Over time, this disillusionment can lead to dangerous rationalisations: “If nothing else works, why not break the fence?”
Here in Braddon, we may not have the same healthcare crisis as the United States, but our own systems are showing cracks. Just ask anyone who’s had to wait many months for specialist care or struggled to pay out-of-pocket expenses for critical medical care. Medicare, once the backbone of Australian healthcare, is under strain. Bulk-billing clinics are vanishing, and private health insurance feels more like a necessary burden than a safety net.
It’s not just healthcare. Housing—one of the most basic human needs—has become a near-impossible dream for many younger Tasmanians. Back in the 1990s, a young apprentice could dream of buying a modest home for $86,000. Fast forward to today, a similar home—if you can find it—might cost over $500,000. Wages haven’t kept pace. Families are renting for decades, unable to save a deposit, while property investors snap up homes as assets rather than family shelter.
If that doesn’t sound like a broken fence, what does?
ETHICAL FADING: A SOCIETY’S SLOW DECLINE
In America, commentators have pointed to “ethical fading”—the gradual erosion of moral responsibility—as a key driver behind public disillusionment. Corporations rationalise exploitative practices with excuses like “It’s just business,” while individuals caught in these systems feel forced to accept the unacceptable.
We’re not immune to this in Australia. Consider the mining companies that promise jobs and prosperity while leaving environmental scars and displacing communities. Or the politicians who campaign on accountability but fall short once elected, sidelining the very people who voted for them.
Here in Braddon, the stakes are high. When local industries close down or farmers are squeezed out by corporate interests, ethical fading isn’t just a theory; it’s a lived reality. We see it in the fight against wind turbine farms built without proper community consultation, disrupting farmland and endangering native wildlife. Renewable energy is vital, but so is doing it right—with respect for the land and the people who call it home.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
The U.S. healthcare CEO’s assassination serves as a cautionary tale, not just for America but for any society grappling with inequality and systemic failure. It’s a stark reminder that frustration, left unchecked, can boil over in ways none of us want to imagine. But it also highlights a deeper truth: people aren’t angry without reason.
In Braddon, that frustration might look different. It’s the single mum in Devonport choosing between groceries and school supplies. It’s the elderly couple in Ulverstone who can’t afford heating in winter. It’s the young tradie in Smithton watching house prices climb further out of reach. These aren’t isolated stories; they’re part of a broader pattern that demands action.
A FAIR GO FOR BRADDON
So, what can we do? First, we need leaders willing to confront these issues head-on. That means holding corporations accountable for unethical practices and ensuring government policies prioritise people over profits. It also means engaging directly with communities to understand their needs, rather than imposing top-down solutions.
Take housing, for example. We need to explore innovative approaches like community land trusts or family co-housing models that keep homes affordable for local residents. We also need to challenge policies that allow investors to hoard properties while families go homeless.
On healthcare, restoring our healthcare system should be a national priority. That means better funding for bulk-billing clinics and ensuring regional areas like Braddon have access to quality medical care. It’s not just about money; it’s about fairness.
And let’s not forget about local industries. From farming to manufacturing, we have opportunities to create sustainable, community-driven growth, but that requires investment in training and infrastructure, as well as policies that protect small businesses from being overshadowed by big corporations and government overreach.
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
One of the most striking lessons from the U.S. story is how collective frustration brought people together across divides. Here in Braddon, we have a unique sense of community—one that could be our greatest strength in tackling these challenges. By supporting each other, speaking up, and staying engaged, we can push for the changes we need.
That might mean attending a town hall meeting to voice concerns about local developments or joining a grassroots group advocating for housing reform. It might mean writing to your MP or volunteering with a local charity. Every small action adds up.
THE ROAD AHEAD
It’s easy to feel disheartened when the problems seem so big. But history shows us that change often starts in small places, with ordinary people refusing to accept the status quo. Braddon can lead the way in showing what’s possible when a community comes together to demand better. The question isn’t just why systems fail, but how we rebuild them. For Braddon, that means reclaiming the spirit of a “fair go”—not just as a slogan but as a reality we create together. Because at the end of the day, we all deserve fences that keep us safe, not fences that keep us out.
Nailed it….