Where are the big issues in the political discourse in Australia?

The Weekend Australian has run a story today of the Opposition Leader's declaration that if he won government he would be even tougher on asylum-seekers, ensuring that the Navy sent back all possible boats seeking to arrive, and informing the Indonesian Government that Australia would no longer accept boats sources from Indonesian ports.

While I am not surprised by such a report, I can't help wondering how it is that the Australian public have given the political policy-makers the idea that there is sufficient political traction on this relatively insignificant issue for the likes of Tony Abbott to keep on going for it.

What about the other really significant issues facing Australia nationally?

1. Ensuring that the benefits of the resources boom we are caught up in devolve down to the least Australians in better infrastructure, especially in the regions.
2. Clarifying our role in global affairs.
3. Really addressing the blame game in our health system by going even further than recent moves and having either States or Commonwealth in complete control of it.

I could go on.

Where is the policy substance? I just don't see it, and have no basis of hope that it will appear soon.