The first three months of 2011 have seen Australians in an almost constant state of disruption as we’ve been bombarded with natural disasters and the stories of loss and hardship that have followed them. Events like the floods that affected so many areas along the East coast, Tropical Cyclone Yasi and the bushfires in Western Australia grab national attention, and are generally followed by a familiar refrain from those affected “This community will stick together”.

It’s not just mouthing platitudes, we’ve seen all through Brisbane and other flood affected areas the way that people whose homes were not damaged, and even many of those whose were, have volunteered to help their neighbours or travelled to other suburbs to contribute to the cleanup, while once again those of us further afield put our hand in our pocket to give something to those in need.

But why do we need a disaster of massive proportions as a catalyst for people to start looking after one another? Why is it that we’ll pat ourselves on the back and proclaim the wonder of “Australian spirit” only to completely abandon these ideals in every other facet of our lives? Australia’s greatest achievements have so often been built through collective action and altruism, and yet today we turn our backs on these ideals, while simultaneously complaining about the decline in community.

This contradictory mindset seems to be on display most prominently in the way that we demand that governments meet all of our perceived needs, while complaining bitterly about the largesse provided to people who aren’t like us. Whether the differences are based on race, geography, or socio-economic status, people seem to be unwilling to concede the value of anything that doesn’t directly benefit them. While it might be easy to lay the blame for this at the feet of John Howard and his middle class welfare and the downward envy that he was able to masterfully deploy, it doesn’t excuse the fact that we gleefully bought into it in exchange for a baby bonus, private health insurance rebates and the Family Tax Benefit.

To make matters worse, fewer and fewer people are taking an active part in our democracy, leaving a narrower set of ideas to compete and the influence of extremes to become overstated. Participation, or even just taking the effort to be better informed means that you can’t help but be confronted with the issues that are beyond your personal experience, while isolating yourself from other people’s problems just entrenches ignorance and prejudice.

In the workplace too, Australians are abandoning collective action, most obviously demonstrated by the decline in union membership across the nation. Despite their many failings, unions still represent the most effective way to improve conditions in the workplace and protect workers rights. In white collar industries especially there seems to be a disdain for unions, as though the rights that it took so long for unions to win would have come naturally to people who spend all day in an office instead of a factory floor, and that to join a union is to break across some workplace caste. Yet these same workers who eschew collective action with their co-workers are quite often the same ones who are working punishing hours for little or no additional reward, acting against their own best interests. The net result is that, as well as individuals being worse off, they are also losing time that they could be spending with their families or engaged in their communities, making each institution poorer by their absence.

The volunteer sector has probably suffered the most, as we have turned our backs on the type of collective effort that built so much of our communities’ character over the years. Organisations like Apex, Lions, the CWA, Rotary, Scouts and so many other local clubs and associations are withering away as people declare that they are too busy to make a contribution. We all want the amenity that comes from an active local community, and we benefit from the past efforts of thousands of volunteers without even realising it. Many of the programs that we take for granted today began as grassroots efforts where people within a community could see an immediate need, where will these ideas germinate in future?

Even our volunteering has become disposable and individualised. Instead of joining a service club or a local committee on an ongoing basis, we wait for events like Clean Up Australia Day where we can show up without any prior effort, and once we’re done forget about it for another year. As great as these types of events are, they do not end up building the community in the same way as a group of local people can, and they don’t provide the opportunity for people to develop bonds beyond their existing work or social circles.

The mythology of the Australian spirit is one of a fair go and looking after your mates. These are simple ideals we like to trot out every now and again, although many of us seem to have forgotten how powerful they can be in practice. It is not necessarily the institutions of old that need to be preserved so much as the vision and ideals that drove them. If you can’t find a political party, a union or a service club you want to join, then form a new one, or better still, invent something new to replace it. But do not forget the potential that can be unleashed when we attempt to build something better for our communities alongside other people who share our passion.

It shouldn’t take a disaster to remind us that we achieve more together than we do alone, that we have the capability to create amazing things when we work collectively, or that we are at our strongest when we take the time to look after those who are the most vulnerable amongst us. Imagine how much you could achieve before Brisbane floods again if you began working on something today.

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