Is Santa even real?

You spent the whole month putting reindeers and neon lights on the roof. The tree is glowing, the cake is baked, and the glasses are ready. Ray Charles sings. It's Christmas. Yes, you've been a good boy all year round. But you still wonder - this year, sometime after midnight, will Santa himself descend down the chimney with that toy you’ve dreamed about for far too long? Will he make it, this time? As you read this, the Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) is in full swing. Granted, it’s a humble event measured by global standards, but nevertheless, the largest and most important event for a hundred or so die-hard Australian businesses who work hard to keep Australian manufacturing going. All dressed up nicely, enthusiastically, and ready to put on display the very best they have to offer. Yet once again, for the fourth time in a row, our Minster for Industry and Science hasn't shown up. "We do what we can,” says the fair organiser. “We call the office, we send an early letter, then a few more emails as we near the event. We provide extra staff, extra security - we beg. Unfortunately, the Minister never shows up.” "Of course, what else would you expect from a Labour minister?" you say. The truth is, neither of his three Liberal predecessors, formerly in power, made it to the AMW fair either. In Australia, ministerial disinterest is above the party line. "Maybe he is overseas, attending some international summit?" you insist. Well not really. As we speak, our Minister for Industry and Science is in Jakarta, spreading multiculturalism and dabbling in foreign politics. Don't get me wrong: multiculturalism is important, and I am all for it, but that is simply not his job, nor his portfolio. His job is to lead us, talk to us, and listen to us. To create and implement policies, to provide funds, to invest heavily and determinedly into Australian manufacturing. But, like Santa, he wasn't there today, on the day it matters. On his Facebook page, Minister Husic has left a message, confusing the Australian Made Week with Australian Manufacturing Week, events which ironically run in parallel, sharing the same acronym. It seems like a feed from a junior staffer who quickly googled AMW... "Australian manufacturing matters. We've got a proud history of manufacturing in this country. This week is Australian Made Week, a timely reminder of why we need to make more things here. The Albanese Government will invest in Australian manufacturing by setting up the National Reconstruction Fund to drive investment in projects that will build prosperity across the country." I wish he hadn’t. Three lines of a cliché rhetoric, failing even to get the name of the event right, promising something on someone else's behalf. Gutless and empty; almost as cynical as that old saying, “In a democracy, people get the politicians they deserve". Are we really that bad, Santa?