Australian Federal Election
-
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="578270" data-time="1462767175">
<div>
<p>Secondly, the Liberal Party is a right of centre party. In other words it contains large numbers of conservatives. If Turnbull plans to turn it into some version of the Greens then nobody can be surprised if the party tells him to go fark himself. If he doesn't like it then he joined the wrong party.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>I don't expect them to change into the Greens - I expect a party with a mandate of jobs and growth to look at the emerging reality that fossil fuels don't have much of a future in terms of growth, and low-carbon energy does.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fully expect a transition period has to happen, because it would be an economic disaster to do otherwise.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578275" data-time="1462767978">
<div>
<p>I absolutely believe that such material is appropriate in schools and should be taxpayer funded!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Some of this curriculum was in primary schools though, and I'm not sure I am comfortable with that. High schools, fine, but I think primary school kids are too young to be able to engage with those ideas properly.</p> -
<p>"And the program is absolutely aimed correctly at schools where such acceptance needs to start, with children before they are brainwashed and influenced by their parents biases, ignorance and prejudice."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wow. Just wow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for those horrible school chaplains, I can only relay my experience from the chaplains at my kids' schools where they are extremely helping and popular. No religious preaching or "agenda", just helping out and supporting those who need it. My wife is not religious at all and even she is a huge supporter of them and what they do. But, I'm sure its only a matter of time before they start brainwashing the kids.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="578277" data-time="1462768048">
<div>
<p>I don't expect them to change into the Greens - I expect a party with a mandate of jobs and growth to look at the emerging reality that fossil fuels don't have much of a future in terms of growth, and low-carbon energy does.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fully expect a transition period has to happen, because it would be an economic disaster to do otherwise.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm sorry but that is just wishful thinking on your part. I'm not saying I don't want it to be true, but I live in the real world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm not trying to offend you, just telling you that fossil fuels will still be the main energy source long after you're in the ground. The only economic disaster will be the one caused if that transition is forced too quickly. Power shortages and enormous hikes in the electricity prices would be a disaster for the economy. As too would be replacing mining with.... what do you intend replacing that with?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578281" data-time="1462769026">
<div>
<p>Well then RS, where do you think most children pick up their views on such things as "gays", racisim, etc?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Children are sponges who pick up on our concious and unconcious biases and prejudices and yes, hate!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Yes, it's a terrible thing all these parents filling their kids' heads with hateful anti-gay/trans and racist thoughts. It's an epidemic and only Safe Schools and gay role play can stop it.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="578261" data-time="1462766103">
<div>
<p>That's a fairly monochrome view IMHO - lot of political nuance to cover in Turnbull's tread-lightly approach. As barbarian says above: Mal came in and couldn't walk his talk because the party wouldn't stand for it, so he had to find a balance while he campaigns to get the office on his own merits. Will anything change after that? I'd say its line ball at best, depending on how the rest of the election goes.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>The other thing that is very relevant here is what happened the first time Turnbull had the leadership. He made a 'captain's call' on Climate Change, and it cost him his job.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So this time he is clearly erring on the side of pleasing his party, which has led him to temper his views on a lot of issues, rightly or wrongly.</p> -
<p>Okay RS, so clearly you can't answer or address the question rationally so you resort to some pathetic line... shows the strengh of your reasoning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And yes, unless you pull your head out of the sand and see that there is in reality a very significant problem out there in schools and in the broader community where teens and adults in the LGBT community are being bullied, attacked and oustrasized for simply being different from the "accepted" norm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And if you are happy to just wave away all those LGBT teen suicides due to the lack of community acceptance, bullying, etc, then you are one very sad delusional person.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that is very clearly the goal of the Safe Schools program, to teach our children to have a knowledge and understanding of and to respect and accept the LGBT community. By educating our children early, we can in time overcome the bias and prejudice in the broader community.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If this doesn't happen,then the bullying, attacks and suicides will continue!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And quite frankly, to say there is no religious preaching or agenda from the Schools Chaplancy program shows a very clear bias already. Just look at the orgaizations which supply the most number of chaplains to this program (and make the most money from it!).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And there are plenty of examples, which I have personally witnessed in my son's school, where the chaplans have overstepped their mark and parents have had to write to the school to complain. I have done this on 3 seperate occasions over the past few years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To put it simply, a secular non-religious (excluding all religions) councelling program in all schools would be fantastic and I would absolutely support this as you will find this sort of program in schools all over the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But it is certainly my view that religion, any and all religions, should have absolutely no part in public schools.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If parents want a dose of religious indoctrination with their childrens education, then send your kids to private schools that support whatever mythology floats your boat!</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="578283" data-time="1462769273">
<div>
<p>I'm sorry but that is just wishful thinking on your part. I'm not saying I don't want it to be true, but I live in the real world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm not trying to offend you, just telling you that fossil fuels will still be the main energy source long after you're in the ground. The only economic disaster will be the one caused if that transition is forced too quickly. Power shortages and enormous hikes in the electricity prices would be a disaster for the economy. As too would be replacing mining with.... what do you intend replacing that with?</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Bit of a silly question - you can't replace <strong>all</strong> mining. We still need minerals to build stuff, including wind farms, solar panels, solar thermal tech, electric vehicles etc. Might even be some nuclear in there, though its effectively startup cost to get nuclear going, which is high.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I don't refute for a moment your conservative view on the energy market - its not an easy transition, and at some point needs to become economically feasible to do so. Once people see profit, they'll invest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>More investment = better R&D = better technology. The panels on my roof are about 10% efficient. They're already working on 22% efficient and higher. Those costs will come down as time goes on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Good transition is the key, to ensure that people aren't left behind in poor positions, without the skills or education to pivot into new technologies. Same goes for the subsidies that support mining. They can't just be stripped, but modified over time in order to ensure that they're being spent efficiently and giving the nation some return, while being wound down comparatively.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578291" data-time="1462771129">
<div>
<p>Okay RS, so clearly you can't answer or address the question rationally so you resort to some pathetic line... shows the strengh of your reasoning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And yes, unless you pull your head out of the sand and see that there is in reality a very significant problem out there in schools and in the broader community where teens and adults in the LGBT community are being bullied, attacked and oustrasized for simply being different from the "accepted" norm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And if you are happy to just wave away all those LGBT teen suicides due to the lack of community acceptance, bullying, etc, then you are one very sad delusional person.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that is very clearly the goal of the Safe Schools program, to teach our children to have a knowledge and understanding of and to respect and accept the LGBT community. By educating our children early, we can in time overcome the bias and prejudice in the broader community.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If this doesn't happen,then the bullying, attacks and suicides will continue!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And quite frankly, to say there is no religious preaching or agenda from the Schools Chaplancy program shows a very clear bias already. Just look at the orgaizations which supply the most number of chaplains to this program (and make the most money from it!).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And there are plenty of examples, which I have personally witnessed in my son's school, where the chaplans have overstepped their mark and parents have had to write to the school to complain. I have done this on 3 seperate occasions over the past few years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To put it simply, a secular non-religious (excluding all religions) councelling program in all schools would be fantastic and I would absolutely support this as you will find this sort of program in schools all over the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But it is certainly my view that religion, any and all religions, should have absolutely no part in public schools.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If parents want a dose of religious indoctrination with their childrens education, then send your kids to private schools that support whatever mythology floats your boat!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Right Ronin. The suicides won't stop until kids participate in gay role play games and imagine they have no genitals. Get a grip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As mentioned I full support ant-bullying programmes. They are vitally important. But Safe Schools contains aspects that are not appropriate for school children and have no place in schools. Is that so hard for you to fathom?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've told you my experience of the chaplain programme. I'm sorry to hear you've had problems. What were they specifically? Was one of them seen carrying a bible?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578265" data-time="1462766726">
<p>I do agree with your overall assessment of the current Australian climate and economy - the whole "debt and deficit disaster" was such a beat up when in reality we are still sitting here with "AAA" ratings and an economy most of the world can only look at with envy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> I don't understand this line of argument. Should we only address the development of a structural deficit in our Federal finances when we're like Greece?<br>
</p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578275" data-time="1462767978">
<p>I absolutely believe that such material is appropriate in schools and should be taxpayer funded!<br>
<br>
This program teaches younger children to start thinking that there are perfectly acceptable sexual orientations other than "Hetero" and that some people may be born genetically one gender but associate with another!</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Good, they can cover this in biology.<br>
</p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p>And if you are worried about public funding, just look at the whole "school chaplains" program with uses more than $100M annually which specifically excludes secular trained counselors and instead pushes a single religious agenda!</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p> Agreed. Should be removed immediately.<br>
</p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="578277" data-time="1462768048">
<p>I don't expect them to change into the Greens - I expect a party with a mandate of jobs and growth to look at the emerging reality that fossil fuels don't have much of a future in terms of growth, and low-carbon energy does.</p>
</blockquote>
<br><p>The myth perpetuated endlessly by the Greens is that the alternative will adequately replace the fossil fuel industry. It won't and it can't. It's nothing like as labour intensive. Besides the Greens don't really care about the environment, not these days they don't. They're made up of inner city Williss who have never spent a minute out of range of a barista, immature socialists and like any political party; the self interested. Bored doctors and lawyers housewives looking to fill up their time with a cause. Bourgeois middle class liberals fighting against the very privilege that permits them the time and effort to complain about big companies, etc. In fact that's their real issue with fossil fuel companies - the idiotic belief that they'll be replaced by small deserving individuals with their own fucking windmill, blissfully ignorant that it's the major corporation with the gigantic chemistry sets and distribution networks and market capitalisation that will benefit. They're economic vandals unqualified and uninformed. Little more needs to be said about these societal shitstains than the example of the dickheads who whippersnippered a genetically modified wheat crop being grown as part of a CSIRO trial, or a MP who erroneously associated natural methane leakage with fracking, or dumping a central tenet of your party's policy in equality by securing your own political future above a vote on same sex marriage.<br><br>
A difference in how to achieve the same end goal is something you can have endless animated discussions about. But the Greens are enormous hypocrites and that makes them detestable fluffybunnys in my eyes.<br>
</p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="578287" data-time="1462769731">
<p>The other thing that is very relevant here is what happened the first time Turnbull had the leadership. He made a 'captain's call' on Climate Change, and it cost him his job.</p>
</blockquote>
<br><p>No, that would be the Godwin Grech incident.<br><br><br>
As to the corporate tax rate - it is worth bearing in mind how high Australia's tax rate is in comparison to our major trading partners and OECD average. The EU is about 22%, OECD is about 25% and we're 30%. If you want to address profit shifting , of course it's not a panacea but it is a good place to start. It also assist as in incentive to investment. Particularly when looking at an economy experiencing deflation.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="578307" data-time="1462773432">
<div>
<p>No, that would be the Godwin Grech incident.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>While the Gretch incident contributed to Turnbull's poor polling numbers, it was the issue of the ETS that forced the leadership spill. More info here: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill,_2009 '>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill,_2009 </a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="578300" data-time="1462772340">
<div>
<p>Right Ronin. The suicides won't stop until kids participate in gay role play games and imagine they have no genitals. Get a grip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As mentioned I full support ant-bullying programmes. They are vitally important. <strong>But Safe Schools contains aspects that are not appropriate for school children and have no place in schools. Is that so hard for you to fathom?</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've told you my experience of the chaplain programme. I'm sorry to hear you've had problems. What were they specifically? Was one of them seen carrying a bible?</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>That is your opinion RS, and your opinion like all others including my own are like assholes, everyone has one and but yours clearly demonstrates a sheltered view and bias that must be discounted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've backed up my reasoning with a clear rational to address a real problem in this world and your response is based on hysteria and are ill-informed about the the programs contents. No doubt you have been reading all the material about safe schools put out by the Christian community. Most of which was subsequently shown to be unsubstanciated!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And I certainly have no issue with children being asked to role play as this is a very good tool for learning. Role play is a very good method for teaching how to understand others by "walking a mile" in their shoes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'd say you are the one with a problem if you can't accept that children can be taught these things in a way that promotes learning, respect, understanding and acceptance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And I challange you to point out just where in the specific Safe School material where it addresses "imagining they have no genitals" in the way you are portraying it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the washout of this hysteria, it has been proven that the great majority of the "objectionable" material was from websites that were several links away from the primary Safe Schools site and material.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But then, I don't think you to be capable of lifting your eyes from the Christian hysteria that surrounded and then died away when proven to be an unsubstantiated over-reaction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And as to your attempted smirk - no they weren't just carrying a bible - there have been real issues with the chaplan program to which I and other parents have objected to including the religious teachings in a public school under the guise of counselling or encouraging kids to get themselves and their parents to attend Church "X"... no doubt in the hope that they can add more to the collection plates.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>RS, you do understand that in Australia in the 21st Century, children in the public school system are a diverse group that represent many of the worlds religions and also include (OMG say it isn't so..) athiests and agnostics. And that those children from other religions or who have no religion may not wish to be or feel comfortable with a christian chaplan as their counsellor!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm sorry but the world does not belong to just good ole' christianity.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="578308" data-time="1462773646"><p>While the Gretch incident contributed to Turnbull's poor polling numbers, it was the issue of the ETS that forced the leadership spill. More info here: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill,_2009'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill,_2009 </a></p></blockquote><br>Ultimately yes, but if his polling hadn't been destroyed by Utegate, he would have been able to carry the party room through with the ETS. It mortally wounded him and set Australia back a decade.
-
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="578317" data-time="1462774902">
<div>
<p>That is your opinion RS, and your opinion like all others including my own are like assholes, everyone has one and but yours clearly demonstrates a sheltered view and bias that must be discounted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've backed up my reasoning with a clear rational to address a real problem in this world and your response is based on hysteria and are ill-informed about the the programs contents. No doubt you have been reading all the material about safe schools put out by the Christian community. Most of which was subsequently shown to be unsubstanciated!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And I certainly have no issue with children being asked to role play as this is a very good tool for learning. Role play is a very good method for teaching how to understand others by "walking a mile" in their shoes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'd say you are the one with a problem if you can't accept that children can be taught these things in a way that promotes learning, respect, understanding and acceptance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And I challange you to point out just where in the specific Safe School material where it addresses "imagining they have no genitals" in the way you are portraying it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the washout of this hysteria, it has been proven that the great majority of the "objectionable" material was from websites that were several links away from the primary Safe Schools site and material.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But then, I don't think you to be capable of lifting your eyes from the Christian hysteria that surrounded and then died away when proven to be an unsubstantiated over-reaction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And as to your attempted smirk - no they weren't just carrying a bible - there have been real issues with the chaplan program to which I and other parents have objected to including the religious teachings in a public school under the guise of counselling or encouraging kids to get themselves and their parents to attend Church "X"... no doubt in the hope that they can add more to the collection plates.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>RS, you do understand that in Australia in the 21st Century, children in the public school system are a diverse group that represent many of the worlds religions and also include (OMG say it isn't so..) athiests and agnostics. And that those children from other religions or who have no religion may not wish to be or feel comfortable with a christian chaplan as their counsellor!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm sorry but the world does not belong to just good ole' christianity.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>You seem to have me confused with some kind of religious fanatic. I'm nothing of the sort. I don't go to church and hate bible thumping politicians almost as much as the Marxist ones (almost). TBH I'm completely agnostic about the chaplain programme, but from what I've seen I think they do a good job at my sons' school and therefore cannot criticise them. But if they started on the whole heaven-hell fire and brimstone thing then I would definitely have another view. In other words I've had a open mind about it. I'm not sure I can say the same for you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have no idea what Safe Schools propaganda was floating around Christian communities since I have no contact with any such community. But I am capable of reading and researching without the help of the so-called Christian community.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, for the umpteenth farking time. I fully, 100%, support anti-bullying programmes which I consider vital at schools. I fully support any programme that teaches kids to be more tolerant and respectful. But there are aspects of the SS programme that I do not consider appropriate for children and that are completely unnecessary for teaching kids tolerance and understanding. You do not have to be some kind of Christian nutter to have that view. But someone as open-minded as you already knew that right?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="578319" data-time="1462775257">
<div>
<p>Ultimately yes, but if his polling hadn't been destroyed by Utegate, he would have been able to carry the party room through with the ETS. It mortally wounded him and set Australia back a decade.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Well semantics aside, the fact was he got burnt by his party room when he was seen to ignore their wishes. This was one of the problems that dogged him throughout his leadership, and it still clearly affects him now.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="578307" data-time="1462773432">
<div>
<p>The myth perpetuated endlessly by the Greens is that the alternative will adequately replace the fossil fuel industry. It won't and it can't. It's nothing like as labour intensive. Besides the Greens don't really care about the environment, not these days they don't. They're made up of inner city Williss who have never spent a minute out of range of a barista, immature socialists and like any political party; the self interested. Bored doctors and lawyers housewives looking to fill up their time with a cause. Bourgeois middle class liberals fighting against the very privilege that permits them the time and effort to complain about big companies, etc. In fact that's their real issue with fossil fuel companies - the idiotic belief that they'll be replaced by small deserving individuals with their own fucking windmill, blissfully ignorant that it's the major corporation with the gigantic chemistry sets and distribution networks and market capitalisation that will benefit. </p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>The Greens are economically immature, without a doubt, though I think they've improved a little under the current bloke. They still try to scream themselves a platform too often, but probably feel its justified given the lobby money they're going up against.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whether renewable energy can replace fossil fuel jobs 1:1 is probably irrelevant if fossil fuels aren't profitable. More automation is inevitable in mining and other heavy industry, and people will lose jobs regardless. </p> -
Don't want to make this a renewables discussion (I have a blog for that), but this article covers a few of the main points about transition:<br><br><a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/may/09/solar-power-batteries-the-energy-transition-could-be-profound-and-theres-a-lot-to-lose-for-those-who-cant-keep-up">http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/may/09/solar-power-batteries-the-energy-transition-could-be-profound-and-theres-a-lot-to-lose-for-those-who-cant-keep-up</a>
-
The ETS issue will go down in history as one of the more bizarre ones because at the time there were some in Labor that were actually hoping it wouldn't go anywhere as well because it would be something to hang Rudd over. Rudd was already on the nose internally at that point. Couldn't deliver an ETS even with a 'friendly' opposition leader, some would say in the background. <br><br>
Meanwhile it was something completely different for the Coalition. <br><br>
One day I'll write a book about all the corridor meetings I saw up on the Hill between certain pollies from different sides. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="578307" data-time="1462773432">
<div>
<p><strong> I don't understand this line of argument. Should we only address the development of a structural deficit in our Federal finances when we're like Greece?</strong><br>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Good, they can cover this in biology.<br>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Agreed. Should be removed immediately.<br>
</p>
<br><p>The myth perpetuated endlessly by the Greens is that the alternative will adequately replace the fossil fuel industry. It won't and it can't. It's nothing like as labour intensive. Besides the Greens don't really care about the environment, not these days they don't. They're made up of inner city Williss who have never spent a minute out of range of a barista, immature socialists and like any political party; the self interested. Bored doctors and lawyers housewives looking to fill up their time with a cause. Bourgeois middle class liberals fighting against the very privilege that permits them the time and effort to complain about big companies, etc. In fact that's their real issue with fossil fuel companies - the idiotic belief that they'll be replaced by small deserving individuals with their own fucking windmill, blissfully ignorant that it's the major corporation with the gigantic chemistry sets and distribution networks and market capitalisation that will benefit. They're economic vandals unqualified and uninformed. Little more needs to be said about these societal shitstains than the example of the dickheads who whippersnippered a genetically modified wheat crop being grown as part of a CSIRO trial, or a MP who erroneously associated natural methane leakage with fracking, or dumping a central tenet of your party's policy in equality by securing your own political future above a vote on same sex marriage.<br><br>
A difference in how to achieve the same end goal is something you can have endless animated discussions about. But the Greens are enormous hypocrites and that makes them detestable fluffybunnys in my eyes.<br>
</p>
<br><p>No, that would be the Godwin Grech incident.<br><br><br>
As to the corporate tax rate - it is worth bearing in mind how high Australia's tax rate is in comparison to our major trading partners and OECD average. The EU is about 22%, OECD is about 25% and we're 30%. If you want to address profit shifting , of course it's not a panacea but it is a good place to start. It also assist as in incentive to investment. Particularly when looking at an economy experiencing deflation.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>antipodean, to address the bolded point which was a remark addressed to what I wrote. No, I do not think that we need to wait, absolutely not. As I had commented earlier, it is very clear that the Australian economy is not as healthy and robust as it should be and that the issues are with both spending and revenue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My comment, taken in content, was that the Australian economy is still in much better shape than most of the world agreeing with a comment that Barbarian had made.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That whole "debt and deficit disaster" talk was just Abbott and his cronies winding up in preparation for that now infamous 2014 Abbott/Hockey Budget. Which was an extreme example of ideology over good governance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I absolutely believe that Australia must look to improve the budget and deficit position but to do it in a measured and controlled manner. And one that has to be above all fair to all Australians where it can. And one thing that many economists are say is that right now, with the cost of money to governments, borrowing to spend on infrastructure projects to stimulate growth and jobs is actually a smart way to do this.</p>
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<p>This holly grail to which both sides of government have stuck to about deficit is bad and only surplus is good does not actually align with good economic management given the issues with the worlds economy.</p>
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<p>Plus a surplus is a sign that we are being taxed too highly!</p>
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<p>Our biggest problem is that we implemented a GST and did not undertake true tax reform at that time. We have then had subsequent governments live high on the hog on the back of record levels of revenue from the mining boom and demand from China and hand out tax cuts to buy votes (yes I'm looking at you John Howard) without truly investing in the future of Australia.</p>
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<p>That was the time when we should have had major investment in Health, Education, infrastructure, renewable energy and other emerging technologies. Instead we got a lot of wasted opportunities and pork barreling.</p>
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<p>Now that that boom is clearly waning (but not ended) and revenue is drying up, we need to address both issues with the budget, revenue and spending.... and this most recent budget does not do that, in my opinion.</p>
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<p>What is so frustrating to me is that not long ago, both parties strongly agreed that there was a need for tax reform but now we are struggling to get any bipartisan agreement on tax reform with everything being "taken off the table" so quick after being put on the table and then Turnbull's Abbott-esq attacks on the ALP's policy on negative gearing.</p>
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<p>Antipodean, your view on company tax is a reasonable one, however, I think we need to fix the issue of profit shifting and avoidance first, before giving tax breaks to bigger company's. And this is particularly true right now when the Australian market is attractive to most big companies who are happy to do business here even with our higher than OECD average corporate tax rates.</p>
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<p>Especially when those tax breaks will amount to AUD$55 Billion over 10 years. Where will the revenue come from to fill that rather enormous hole?</p>