Our shared humanity rises above all
Yesterday, across the nation, we voted. Only each one of us knows what we put on that ballot paper in the cardboard confessional that is the voting booth. We have thought about where our core values lie and what aligns most generally with that. We know that whatever the outcome, there will have to be compromise and good will to achieve consensus on plans for the future of our nation.
We hope that our elected representatives care that the common good prevails and that they ensure that fairness, equity, access and justice are the goals for the decision-making that affects us all. And after all the point-scoring and kissed babies and exhausting analysis, we resume our lives today. We will get on with being neighbourly because that's how we live day to day.
That shared humanity is in the greeting of the young Indian barista who sees me most mornings as I bustle in to read the paper. It is the 612 bus driver who waits for the elderly passenger to be seated before driving off. It is the amiable shuffle and chat of those who await the opening of the door at the Balwyn library at 10am and who rush in to read the papers. It is my brother who donates $50 each year to the Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital. It is the quiet gathering of strangers standing next to each other at the local dawn service on Anzac Day. It is the memory of mateship that lives on and grows in meaning.
Such is life in the suburbs and country towns across the nation. We are loving our neighbours in the incidental ebb and flow of our lives. We have our inner circle, but the outer circle also adds joy and colour to our days. Whenever we take part in something, and make an effort to engage with others, we are adding a new richness to our lives, and the lives of others. We become more expansive, kinder, gentler, less judgemental.
This is where I cast my vote.
I have faith in the goodness and decency of people.
I believe in the best of them, the best of us.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders on Tuesday about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda. The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's influence in Asia. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the US, along with Australia and Japan. India and China's decades-old border dispute worsened in 2020 after a deadly clash between their troops in the Ladakh region. The chill in relations affected trade, diplomacy and air travel as both sides deployed tens of thousands of security forces in border areas. Some progress has been made since then. In 2024, India and China agreed to a pact on border patrols and withdrew additional forces along some border areas. Both countries continue to fortify their border by building roads and rail networks. In recent months, the countries have increased official visits and discussed easing some trade restrictions, movement of citizens and visas for businesspeople. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to visit holy sites in Tibet. Both sides are working to restore direct flights. Last week, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three points along their 3500km border. Before his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, and discussed the way forward to bolster the relationship. "The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders," Wang said. The thaw between Beijing and New Delhi began last October when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit of emerging economies in Russia. It was the first time the leaders had spoken in person since 2019. Modi is set to meet Xi when he travels to China in late August - his first visit in seven years - to attend the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a regional grouping formed by China, Russia and others to counter US influence in Asia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet China's top diplomat in a sign of easing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours after a years-long stand-off between the Asian powers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders on Tuesday about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda. The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's influence in Asia. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the US, along with Australia and Japan. India and China's decades-old border dispute worsened in 2020 after a deadly clash between their troops in the Ladakh region. The chill in relations affected trade, diplomacy and air travel as both sides deployed tens of thousands of security forces in border areas. Some progress has been made since then. In 2024, India and China agreed to a pact on border patrols and withdrew additional forces along some border areas. Both countries continue to fortify their border by building roads and rail networks. In recent months, the countries have increased official visits and discussed easing some trade restrictions, movement of citizens and visas for businesspeople. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to visit holy sites in Tibet. Both sides are working to restore direct flights. Last week, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three points along their 3500km border. Before his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, and discussed the way forward to bolster the relationship. "The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders," Wang said. The thaw between Beijing and New Delhi began last October when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit of emerging economies in Russia. It was the first time the leaders had spoken in person since 2019. Modi is set to meet Xi when he travels to China in late August - his first visit in seven years - to attend the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a regional grouping formed by China, Russia and others to counter US influence in Asia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet China's top diplomat in a sign of easing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours after a years-long stand-off between the Asian powers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders on Tuesday about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda. The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's influence in Asia. 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Last week, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three points along their 3500km border. Before his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, and discussed the way forward to bolster the relationship. "The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders," Wang said. The thaw between Beijing and New Delhi began last October when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit of emerging economies in Russia. It was the first time the leaders had spoken in person since 2019. Modi is set to meet Xi when he travels to China in late August - his first visit in seven years - to attend the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a regional grouping formed by China, Russia and others to counter US influence in Asia.
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