Three decades ago, Australia was a well-knit country, but we are currently becoming increasingly tribal with split allegiances in many quarters of our national endeavours.

Evidence of this major social change has been provided by the emergence of various new groups of people in all walks of life determined to create close networks aimed at controlling aspects of finance, commerce, industry, politics, public opinion, religion and even gender differences.

In former days, people were just people in Australia and the only unfortunate divide was the colour of one’s skin.

Now, however, we see certain companies creating unofficial cartels to raise their profits beyond legitimate levels, and politically energised people attempting to divide the country through vociferous groups of un-Australian methods of protest.

We also now have literally scores of social groups with each one trying to outdo the other, irrespective of the methods of persuasion being used.

What, we may ask, has happened to the former slogan of “We are all Australians together and nothing shall divide us?”

Instead, we are currently and sadly witnessing the growth of separation which does no country any good in the long run. History shows that this can only amount to the creation of an age of eventual tribal anarchy.

Since the end of the Covid pandemic two years ago, certain business networks in the food industry have worked hard to relieve the majority of ordinary Australians of too high a proportion of their earnings and wealth by use of various pricing ‘tricks of the trade.’

This is now hopefully being overseen and dealt with by our Federal A.C.C.C. corruption agency. But it is only one sector of business being brought to heel.

There are countless other instances where un-Australian business practices are being implemented against our old theme of “fairness for all.”

A recent example is to be found in the Aged Care industry. Some providers of services to the elderly and infirm are gouging both Government and private monies from their clients’ budgets without any show of conscience.

In the case of the Home Care Package scheme, for instance, a Level 4 client can be legally charged $81 an hour for a home cleaning service and up to an additional $71 per hour as portion of an annual $18,616 management fee, totalling an amazing $152 an hour for a basic domestic and maybe shopping and personal showering service.

We also know of various cases where sick seniors have had to be transported by car at great cost to their budget. One such person was one day taken 100-odd kilometres to Lismore Base Hospital and then returned home to Yamba the following day for a total sum owing of $1,350.

As part of a bigger inter-State group, at least one Clarence Valley firm of professionals has decided in recent months to charge its unsuspecting clients an additional fee for the use of its premises for each 10-minute appointment.

Even Clarence Valley Council is not immune from raising additional finance for, among other things, simple dollars and cents entries on its computerised books.

One example of this is an additional $25 charge for crediting its water department with monies sent by mistake to the rates section. And, on top of that, the Council stipulated to the ratepayer concerned that the $25 ‘fine’ could only be paid in person at either its Grafton or Maclean offices and not by any other means. The Council also did not offer the ratepayer concerned any online or Eftpos facility.

I also have knowledge of how some tradesmen and materials suppliers in New South Wales manipulate their work quotations on how much more they think their customers can now pay.

In one housing complex recently, two separate homes had to have identical repair jobs undertaken. When both jobs were completed, the more affluent owner had to pay 300 per cent more than the other owner.

Another example of this was a wide disparity in price by one materials supplier of identical major home fittings between two clients and costing well over $4,000. When the disparity was discovered, the company concerned merely passed it off by saying the lower price was a “quotation error” in spite of the fact that both quotations provided identical measurements.

There is also considerable evidence to prove that “mates” in the same industry ‘tribal groups’ — and even in government departments — skew our former competitive system to suit each other.

Far too many corporations in Australian currently have tribal ways and means to dodge paying fair taxes. This results in Mr and Mrs Average having to pay more for such things as government services, Medicare fees, fuel, childrens’ education, pharmaceuticals and State-run transport, among other essentials.

There is no doubt about it. Someone, somewhere has to make us “fair dinkum” again.