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But the 21st century is new territory. News spreads quickly, people are better informed about government injustice and rise quickly to protest… as in the case of the Hockey budget. In this climate I very much doubt that Hockey can do a Howard.
In relation to Tim Nicholl’s budget (another disaster), Townsville and North Queensland should not accept “the crumbs of the Strong Choices package”. It strikes me that Queenslanders are in the mood to rid our State of this cruel and uncaring government. As has been shown in recent by-elections, the days of the Newman government are well and truly numbered.
The reasons why progressive people oppose LNP policies are not “the politics of envy” but more that clear thinking persons can see the conservatives (LNP) favour the few at the cost of the many.
Perhaps I am alone in Australia in my beliefs that wealth should be more evenly spread across the nation and families should get a much fairer deal than they currently do. I believe that we should stop subsidising those who can well afford to pay – whether that’s through more tax or fewer benefits. The unfairness needs to stop and the ‘fair go’ needs to return to Australian society, in my humble opinion.
The increasing hostility being shown by the Abbott government toward the unemployed youth is disgraceful. While asking jobseekers to apply for 40 jobs per month seems reasonable to some, I doubt they have considered time it takes to prepare individual resumes for each job, the cost of stationary and postage, transport to and from interviews, (especially for those who live in rural or regional Australia), barriers such as illness or medical disabilities, all without the meagre support of unemployment benefits.
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This is simply just another manoeuvre in the “war against the poor” from another increasingly “ultra-conservative” LNP government. The Australian population continually shows its resentment and opposition to these ultra-right wing policies in the polls (Newspoll, Galaxy, and Reachtel to name a few recent ones). LNP governments are deeply unpopular with most unlikely to be re-elected. With a Qld State election only 8 months away, many are expecting a “manufactured crisis” to arise in order to save the Newman government’s bacon, because from recent by-elections show the Qld LNP’s goose is cooked.
Ordinary Australians do not understand attacks the helpless, while allowing huge corporations to hide billions of dollars every year in tax havens. Add to this Joe Hockey telling Australians one thing and telling New Zealanders the opposite –when in Australia the Treasurer thinks our economy is in the grips of a “budget emergency,” however while in New Zealand there “no crisis at all in the Australian economy”.
Hockey also said to a NSW LNP meeting that “no great achievements can be made without sacrifice” – I’m well aware of the sacrifices we are all expected to make, but where are the great achievements? I have never witnessed a more rag-tag bunch of hillbillies trying to both govern and to pull the wool over the average Australian’s eyes.