Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Jennifer Rayner, Redback, $22.99.
Described as one of the most important new voices in Australia today, Jennifer’s work is bold and original.
She puts forward a good argument: a country that makes no room for the young is a country that will forfeit a fair future. This must not become Australia.
Since the Great Depression, today’s young Australians are the first generation to be worse off than their parents.
‘As a result we have seen the gap widen between the rich and poor in recent times … We’re beginning to see young and old pull apart in ways that will wear at our common bonds.’
Crucial and conclusive, Generation Less investigates the life prospects of young Australians. It looks at their emotional life, their access to credit, education and fulfilling jobs, and considers whether they will ever be able to buy a house.
We need to decide the kind of future we want for Australia. Are we able to do right by the elderly without making second-class citizens of the young? Do we want it to be a place where young Australians enjoy the same opportunities to build stable, secure lives as their parents and grandparents had?
A wake-up call for young and old alike, Generation Less is a nifty and ground-breaking blueprint for a fairer future.
