Each week we plan to provide a 'Best of' here on the blog. This first installment is the week that was... according to Shaun
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Australia was well managed through the GFC by the Rudd government who helped insulate over 1 million homes, keeping residents warmer in winter and cooler in summer as well as lowering their electricity bill. It was also the Rudd government who built long overdue school infrastructure to keep Australia working, making us one of only two nations to avoid recession.
The Abbott government has taken the exact opposite approach in the aftermath of the GFC, introducing austerity. Not only did the austerity measures break election promises, they have introduced greater unfairness. Why else would the population still be up in arms this long after the announcement of the federal budget?
There is plenty of punishment for being poor, a student, chronically ill or a pensioner struggling to survive below the poverty line, a slight sting for well paid workers, and absolutely nothing asked of the wealthiest in our nation, despite Treasurer Hockey specifically saying “everyone” had to contribute to the heavy lifting.
Most now realize that this is a “class war” being run by the LNP.
The reaction to this ultra-right wing budget has been magnificent. I have felt proud watching Australians everywhere marching peacefully and protesting against this wretched piece of legislation. What is most encouraging is that the protest is not confined to ALP people, but seems to encompass a cross-section of our society.
Australian’s are an egalitarian people who have respect for each other and for mateship; we have no time for this dreadful politics of division, for the sake of conservative ideology. Clearly we will not tolerate politicians who not only lie, but then lie about lying.
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The crux of the stories were that for those pensioners over 50, $100 of their meagre $290 payment immediately disappears on health and transport costs, leaving $190 per week on which to survive. This makes Fresh healthy food too expensive, assuming its preparation isn’t beyond those with illness or disability. The Queensland LNP government is soon increasing the cost of electricity by 13.6% which pensioners now have to pay without concession; the federal LNP government has made a trip to the Doctor more expensive with their reintroduced petrol tax, and the new GP Tax and Prescription Tax. City council rates will also rise when pensioners lose their concession, adding over $600 per annum to costs that pensioners don’t have the money to manage.
The past 10 months has seen big companies such as Holden winding up and local companies such as Pacific Coast Engineering going to the wall, and there is continuing negativity from the Abbott government about the economy. They seem oblivious to the fact that it is their policies which are sending us spiralling down into an LNP created abyss.
The LNP philosophy is now beginning to damage both our economy and the fabric of our nation. Embracing the USA model is a mistake. We surely don’t want their dysfunctional society or their $16 trillion of debt.
In Queensland our LNP government continue their “war on the poor” by doubling the size of the previous government’s mistake of asset sales. Reportedly Queenslanders had their say during the Strong Choices propaganda campaign and opted for a tax hike for the rich in Queensland in preference to asset sales.
The LNP responded by doing as they were always going to do and sell off $33.6 billion of the publics’ assets to reduce debt without hurting the rich in our State.
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North Queensland LNP Senator Ian Macdonald’s recent suggestion that the GST should be extended to food is made from a privileged position in society.
If Senator Macdonald is “fair dinkum” he should volunteer to live for a month on nothing more than the basic wage and show us all how it is done. He could even add an extra 10% to his grocery bill over this period in order to demonstrate how easily the ordinary Aussie family on the basic wage actually has it, at least until the LNP abolish the basic wage in favour of a lower wage via their WorkChoices Mk2.
Confidence is the goal from Sam Cox, current State LNP member for the seat of Thuringowa, was an amusing read on the 4th of June it clearly demonstrated that the member has in fact lost touch with his electorate. He blames everyone except the government he is a part of. He suggests that the proposed new stadium for Townsville might be a silver to lift our confidence.
Townsville received two sets of traffic lights while Brisbane received a billion dollars toward a $5 billion integrated transport terminal, and the member wonders why confidence in Townsville is down. I think most Townsville people could tell the member why confidence is down.
Public transport in the form of light rail would go a long way to decease peak hour traffic snarls and motorists frayed tempers travelling to and from work.
Cuts of $80 billion at the federal level has not assisted health and education, yet still they refuse to call on their wealthy friends to make a fair contribution to the society that those people make so much profit from. Sadly they could not find a mere $50 million to continue concessions for Queensland’s pensioners.