When it comes to important policy choices, the major parties are pretty much the same. As a result, Australia is being mismanaged into a gradual decline.
If you were in any doubt that we have a choice between the Uniparty and the Uniparty to govern the country, this should seal the deal.
An audit has revealed that the Morrison Coalition govt spent $20.8 billion on ‘consultants’ in 2021-22.
That’s the equivalent of 54,000 full time staff spent ‘consulting’.
If you’re like me you are probably asking what did we get for that money?
The answer is not much. Just more debt, more useless reports and some likely job placements for retiring politicians. Watch that space is my advice.
Predictably, Labor is using this information to claim there are ‘holes’ in the public sector that need to be permanently filled; no doubt with more partisan public servants who will dutifully join the PSU and work against any future allegedly right- of-centre government.
I can’t use the term conservative any more because the Liberal/National party aren’t conservative.
The previous government embraced almost every one of the Left’s causes.
They gave more money to the ABC, ran up the national debt, trampled on civil liberties, didn’t defend free speech, traduced property rights, lied about ‘the science’ and were generally hopeless.
The current Labor mob are possibly worse, but not by much.
In fact, as suggested on this program recently, they’ll probably deliver a budget surplus next week. The first one in 15 years. That’s one up on than their predecessors.
It’ll be done on the back of new taxes and mining windfalls. Nothing at all to do with good management. Just a dose of luck.
The real problem will come in the forward years when we’ll likely slip into deficit again, further running up the national credit card debt.
Opposition treasurer Angus Taylor said a ‘drovers dog’ could deliver a surplus this year. He might be right but it’s worth noting that a decade of coalition government couldn’t manage it.
Taylor was also right in pointing out the real test is the budget going forward.
That’s a more challenging proposition and the right thing to do is cut spending rather than raise taxes.
Labor have suggested they’ll do the wrong thing; raising taxes, lifting welfare and higher immigration.
It’s a policy cocktail almost guaranteed to generate underperformance per capita.
The headline figures might look ok but individually we’ll be going backwards..
The biggest problem we face is that, based on their track record, I’m not sure the Coalition would do much better.
Australia is being mismanaged but it’s true that democratic countries ultimately get the government they deserve.
That begs the question, given how many in this country insist government do something for them, do we really deserve any better than what we’ve got?
