Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows two different views of materialism and the desire for greater affluence. Cartoonist Michael Leunig suggests that one of the greatest human problems is recognising when enough is enough. The clip cuts to John Howard, then a member of the Australian Liberal Party opposition, who believes that a certain amount of dissatisfaction with material circumstance motivates the individual to strive for more, and that this creates progress.

Educational value points

• The clip presents two differing views of people’s desire for more. Leunig describes this desire as the result of insecurity or anxiety and says that a person can only achieve a balanced and calm perspective when they recognise that they have ‘enough’. Howard puts forward a position that recognises a certain amount of dissatisfaction as a valid motivation for self-improvement and progress.

• The clip suggests that Howard links economic growth with social progress. As prime minister, Howard presided over a sustained period of economic growth. Between 1996 and 2005, economic growth averaged 3.5 per cent per annum, Gross Domestic Product per person rose by more than 23 per cent, wages increased and unemployment fell from more than 8 per cent to about 5 per cent. However, between 1996 and 2003 household debt also rose dramatically, prompting the Treasury to observe that consumption growth is ahead of income growth. Another major change is that most employment is now casual or part time.

• Consumption is described in the clip as a positive economic motivator. An Australia Institute report released in 2005 revealed that, while most Australians are now about three times better off economically than in the 1950s and consumption has risen accordingly, nearly two-thirds of Australians say they cannot afford to buy everything they need. Forty-six per cent of people in the wealthiest households (with incomes above $70,000 a year) felt they were struggling financially, leading the report’s author, Dr Clive Hamilton, to conclude that people’s aspirations increase as their earnings increase.

• The clip features Australian politician John Winston Howard as he appeared in 1991. At the time, Howard was a member of the Opposition front bench in Federal Parliament. He had previously served as Treasurer in 1977–83 under Malcolm Fraser and as Leader of the Opposition in 1985–89. In 1995 Howard regained the leadership of the Opposition and in 1996 he became Prime Minister. He has been a member of the Liberal Party since joining the Young Liberal Movement at the University of Sydney and represented the north-western Sydney seat of Bennelong from 1974 to 2007.

• The clip features Michael Leunig, a regular cartoonist for Fairfax newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. More than 20 books of Leunig’s cartoons have been produced to date, he has received two honorary doctorates and has been declared a 'National Living Treasure’ by the National Trust of Australia. Leunig is considered an outspoken social observer and political humorist. His most famous creations include 'Mr Curly’, a duck, 'Vasco Pyjama’ and 'Little Man’.

• Leunig seems to be associating feelings of insecurity and anxiety with the desire for material possessions. The 2003 World Values Survey conducted by an international network of social scientists found that, once people have adequate shelter, sustenance and security, increased wealth and material possessions do not bring greater happiness. Happiness or 'subjective wellbeing’ is associated with high levels of self-esteem, a sense of autonomy and a connectedness to others. Psychologist Tim Kasser argues that materialism is used to fill a gap when these elements are lacking in an individual’s life.

• The clip raises questions about work–life balance. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that Australians are increasingly spending longer at work, an increase that may be associated with the pursuit of correspondingly higher standards of living. Longer work hours leave less time for leisure, family or other relationships, all of which have been shown to promote wellbeing.

• Though not specifically referred to in the clip, material possessions and economic growth are often taken as yardsticks with which to measure the concept of progress. The belief that economic growth, based on increased incomes and consumption, is the best way to improve social wellbeing has underpinned economic policies pursued by successive Australian governments since the 1980s. Some commentators have questioned economic growth as the only measure of social progress, arguing that it should also be assessed on criteria such as work–life balance, people’s subjective wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

This clip starts approximately 11 minutes into the documentary.

Michael Leunig is interviewed in an office setting with pottery and books on a bookshelf behind him. There is crescendo synthesiser music in the background.

Michael Leunig, cartoonist It seems to be one of the greatest human problems is – how do we bring ourselves into balance and calm and steady ourselves and say, ‘No, I’ve had enough’ and rise up from the table and say that is enough. And what is it that makes us get this little insecurity, this anxiety, and say, ‘No, I’m going to have more.’?

John Howard is interviewed in an official office with an abacus and identically bound books on a shelf behind him. The music continues.

John Howard, member of the Liberal Party opposition But of itself, a certain level of dissatisfaction is part and parcel of striving to improve yourself. It’s a question of how strong your level of dissatisfaction is and a question of how fair it is of some people to continue to be unsatisfied. But I don’t take fright at the fact that people are always wanting to improve themselves. That’s how you get progress.