My comments on the budget - a reply to an article that praised its merits.
You say that this is Costello’s 10th and most important budget and I would certainly agree with that statement however I vary when it comes to evaluating its effectiveness. Simply put I see the budget as little more than another ambivalent piece of political pragmatism by the government; instead of embarking on generational change we continue down John Howard’s steady as she goes path.
I for one am hoping that this is part of Howard’s last stand until next Jan when hopefully a new leader can stand up to the plate (forgive the baseball analogy – I guess I have been out of Aus too long). John Howard will go down in the history books as one of Australia’s best prime ministers but I put it to you that if Keating had somehow managed to sneak in again in 96, Australia would have enjoyed the same levels of prosperity and he too would have been remembered more fondly.
Sure we can slap ourselves on the back and say job well done Howard, but credit where credit is due, Hawke and Keating introduced the changes that Fraser and Howard were too small to effect, and they carried Australia into the 21st century. They fixed the rudders and Howard simply steered Australia through and alas here we are again watching Howard let another chance at generation change slip by. Don’t get me wrong I admire John Howard and would consider him a role model in facing adversity and getting up back but starry eyes don’t get disguise the economic and political realities that Australia faces.
Tax rates have dropped but not enough at the higher levels to affect real change, the people you want to keep in Australia know that they can get away with lower taxes elsewhere; the incentives to stay don’t exist. Giving an average Australia worker an extra $6 a week is on the other hand also pretty meaningless. I have family in your electorate – ask them what its like to go shopping and see the prices constantly increase to a point where an extra $6 a week will have been eaten up multiple times by next budget.
This budget does very little in the way of long term economic restructuring and instead throws a few band aids on several areas; selling Telstra to top up an under funded superannuation a classic case. Having money in the bank is great but when we use it more wisely we become far richer. Insofar as the restructuring of welfare goes, the budget doesn’t go far enough; at present our welfare bill is feeding an army 2.6 million Australians, many of whom need incentives to work. Here’s an idea, instead of paying a 45 year old guy $500 a week to fill in a form once a fortnight, give an employer who needs an apprentice an incentive to hire him. Sure apprentice wages are low in the first 2 years, help top them up, $150 wage, $350 government payment – to reduce as his/her income increases.
Australians’ are still living in a paradise compared to their neighbors but it takes hard work to maintain it. One gets the feeling that the next three years will be extremely colorful on the Australian political landscape with an almost certain leadership change / challenge along with a very uncertain world economy. I hope John Howard’s successor has the political will and courage to help shape Australia’s future by fully utilizing the great opportunity that the last election gave.
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Now as for Beazley - the guy is a friggen moron - more of a populist than Howard with double his body size and five times his charisma but a fifth of his tikka. Whilst I hope the Libs will change and drive Australia forward - you kind of know that Beazley would never be a reforming in the spirit of Hawke, Keating. I think Latham would have been interesting but luckily we didnt get that experience - possibly would have been Australia's first PM to have a mental breakdown
[This message has been edited by Joseph27 (edited 12-05-2005).]
