Didn't the ALP candidate practically get down on his knees whilst grovelling to the CFMEU after the election? Sure that helped the ALP's image.
The Greens will never be a viable alternative - too many loonies and too left wing. Look at Sarah HY and Milne. Makes Bob Brown look reasonable.
Me thinks once this budget comes out, the shits gonna hit the fan. Whilst I'm starting to think this current government is as useless as the last, its only saving grace is that it looks like everyone will have to share the budget pain, not just the select few.
This government is useless because they are hamstrung by the ALP and the greens in the senate, why the coalition isn't making this front page news everywhere is beyond me. It is hard to run any sort of government when you have a hostile senate, come July 1 it will simply be no better.
As much as it pains me to say it, we need a double dissolution to give one party or another majority power in the senate, maybe then we will see governance one way or another. Whether in my favour or against.
Your comment regarding this government being as useless as the last makes me wonder what a government would have to do to be considered effective. I reckon the Coalition is trying to rectify matters but is being thwarted by the Opposition and Greens, and hamstrung by its own policies. Its saving grace at present is the results being achieved with asylum seekers but elsewhere, it seems to hit brick walls at every turn.
I think Abbott has painted himself into a corner with his pre-election undertakings not to increase the GST, not to touch pensions, to introduce the PPL and various other policies, and now is faced with massive increases in deficits for years to come. As time goes by, the capacity to lay the blame on the previous government diminishes and he will be forced to accept increasing responsibility for the financial position. Hockey is placed in an unenviable position because I believe he would love to dump the PPL and examine the GST with a view to either increasing the level, or broadening the base, but Tony has kyboshed both.
Who'd be a Federal Treasurer right now?
Calaber, I think pre-election promises can be changed by any incoming government when they have not been in power and have no access to treasury. They really need to allow full access to treasury come election time for oppositions to see exactly where the books are at. The position the ALP has left us in spending all the cash and borrowing large is much worse than we are being told, it is why only blips are dropping out about the upcoming budget, it will hit hard and I hope it does. Drop middle class welfare, sell off the NBN to a private owner and let them deal with ongoing interest cost of borrowings, have all people who took their $900 handouts pay it back at tax time, drop all this green subsidy madness and let the markets decide if these items are worth buying. Drop income tax for a first job below 250k PA and raise GST, dump all forms of PPL including the public service entitlements, slash the public service involved in government, look at fixing the disability issue where over 800k people are claiming the benefit. Start forcing people to work for their dole, no turn up, no payment, even give a bonus to those who do a full weeks work...so much to do out there, clean roadways, riversides, parks, repaint things etc. STart making people want to work and not just bludge. The list goes on and on and on. Will anything change? I doubt it, no government has the balls to remove the benefits of entitlement.
Yes, actually
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If there is a debt crisis, it belongs to everyone. Within reasonable constraints of course..........
This is exactly why the income tax system is stupid, with a GST and no income tax, EVERY person pays their fair share through what they earn. Assuming two people spend all income they receive, a person on 40,000 will pay their 4k a year, someone on 100k, 10k and someone on 1 million 100k. GST would be applicable ON ALL items, no exceptions. The benefit is, people will be spending more as they have more, the economy would turn. That 100k person now as an extra $523 week to spend, the 40k person has an extra $100 per week. I know myself, we would certainly spend more, people would pay down debt and possibly we may see small business thrive once again.
Again though, which government has the balls to do this? In 2006 my sister in law was involved in a paper for the Howard government where GST was looked at as a sole revenue stream, they had GST set at 17.6% to create some 9 billion more in tax receipts. They had most of the ATO abolished as there was no longer any need for income tax returns. There were provisions made to business to provide workers with tools etc, offsets for workers who decided to be a contractor and act as a sole trader. I wish I could get the report, made so much sense.
Anyway, that was my once in a blue moon post, out of here again for a few weeks