The Abbott Government

drsmith said:

What was it that Julia Gillard said about a carbon tax under a government she led ?

What was it that Kevin Rudd said about the greatest moral challenge of our time ?

What was it both of them said about leadership ambition ?

While it's a shortcoming of our political process, all governments break commitments to some extent, some worse than others. The decisions this government has made need to be considered in that context.

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banco said:

You are always a reliable shil for the coalition.

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drsmith said:

What was it that Julia Gillard said about a carbon tax under a government she led ?

What was it that Kevin Rudd said about the greatest moral challenge of our time ?

What was it both of them said about leadership ambition ?

While it's a shortcoming of our political process, all governments break commitments to some extent, some worse than others. The decisions this government has made need to be considered in that context.

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overhang said:

I find anyone quite hypocritical that vented their anger at Gillard for breaking an election promise and now won't hold Abbott to the same accountability. For those that were outraged by the lie then it shouldn't matter if you agree with the policy or not. Take Andrew Bolt for example who was very outspoken against the carbon tax lie, many times he criticised Gillard for the lie but you won't see him give Abbott any condemnation for breaking the promise not to cut the ABC as he agrees with the decision to cut the ABC. That's fine he is entitled to agree with that policy but when he condemns Gillard for breaking a promise he is holding double standards as he will not condemn Abbott for the same thing. It wouldn't be hypocritical if he attacked Gillards policy based just on the policy alone and not the broken promise and then praised Abbotts ABC broken promise.

As someone who has judged both on their broken promises quite negatively I find this quite frustrating to see all these double standards occurring from those with their predisposition. We are now seeing the right take the exact same path the left did and are making excuses for the lie (Hockey didn't rule out the cuts, they're not cuts but efficiency dividends).

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drsmith said:

What was it that Julia Gillard said about a carbon tax under a government she led ?

What was it that Kevin Rudd said about the greatest moral challenge of our time ?

What was it both of them said about leadership ambition ?

While it's a shortcoming of our political process, all governments break commitments to some extent, some worse than others. The decisions this government has made need to be considered in that context.

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sydboy007 said:

The situation has definitely changed. The free fall in iron ore has surprised me, but it wasn't totally unexpected. Certainlyt he Govt was up there with WA in fairyland forecasts on what I/O pricing was going to be like.

What I think most people are having trouble digesting is the bald two faced morally corrupt way the Govt is handling it.

All the promises being broken and they're arguing they're not actually breaking them. For a Govt that spent years in opposition going on about integrity they've got none. Absolutely none.

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overhang said:

I find anyone quite hypocritical that vented their anger at Gillard for breaking an election promise and now won't hold Abbott to the same accountability. For those that were outraged by the lie then it shouldn't matter if you agree with the policy or not.

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sydboy007 said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently don't we have a Government providing more debt, more deficits, more borrowings and more heartache? A year in Govt and the budget seems to be in free fall. Revenue's plunging, spending increasing at unsustainable rates. Hockey has said there wont be large cuts in the budget when the MYEFO is released, so exactly what are they doing so differently to Labor? Have they realised that an economy with increasing unemployment, falling participation rate, lower economic activity, while suffering an income shock due to the fall in the ToT that has a long ways to go yet is a bit harder to manage than they pretended while in opposition?

We have the war on youth with a uni tax that would likely see those studying nursing and education no longer able to afford to do so. There's no acknowledgement of this looming issue. The 6 month wait for those under 30 during a time of historically high youth unemployment, while at the same time throwing money at employers to employ those aged over 50. How is it fair to provide far more support for the over 50s long term unemployed than those under 30?

Possibly the Govt needs to recognise the fact that the electorate didn't give them a mandate to do as they please, that they need to negotiate in good faith, that worth while tax reform is hard. They should know how easy it is to scare people about change since they were so very effective at it when in opposition.

They've give up $8B in carbon tax revenue and seemingly had no plan on how to make up that shortfall, let alone a plan to plug the leaking tax system from the world leading tax expenditures we have (we beat Italy and Greece on that score).

Ho about some action commensurate with the rhetoric they used pre election?

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overhang said:

I find anyone quite hypocritical that vented their anger at Gillard for breaking an election promise and now won't hold Abbott to the same accountability. For those that were outraged by the lie then it shouldn't matter if you agree with the policy or not. Take Andrew Bolt for example who was very outspoken against the carbon tax lie, many times he criticised Gillard for the lie but you won't see him give Abbott any condemnation for breaking the promise not to cut the ABC as he agrees with the decision to cut the ABC. That's fine he is entitled to agree with that policy but when he condemns Gillard for breaking a promise he is holding double standards as he will not condemn Abbott for the same thing. It wouldn't be hypocritical if he attacked Gillards policy based just on the policy alone and not the broken promise and then praised Abbotts ABC broken promise.

As someone who has judged both on their broken promises quite negatively I find this quite frustrating to see all these double standards occurring from those with their predisposition. We are now seeing the right take the exact same path the left did and are making excuses for the lie (Hockey didn't rule out the cuts, they're not cuts but efficiency dividends).

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IFocus said:

How do you cut $250mil from the ABC and claim its not a cut?

Still the expanded spending rate of this Government while claiming their determination to reign in the debt sorta looks a lot like an Italian government.

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sptrawler said:

O.K, so when can we move on and start and repair the economy.

When will everyone pick up their bottom lips, and get on with reducing spending and increasing taxes.

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drsmith said:

It's your choice as to whether you offer a reply of substance or engage in name calling.

There's also the option of saying nothing at all.

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sptrawler said:

So now you have got that off your chest, for the 1,000 time, what next?

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overhang said:

Maybe that should have been considered before making the promise....

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sydboy007 said:

, but so far nothing this Govt has done makes me think they have any ticker for some meaningful reforms.

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sptrawler said:

Can't wait to get the Labor boys back in charge of the till.

Yep, let's get the boots into the miners. Like that would be working out well now.lol

Next year the carbon tax was going on fuel and transport, yeh, just when we need it.

Absolute morons.lol

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If the previous Labor governments delivered growth in real government spending during its first five years in office at the same pace the Howard government had in the years from 2000-01, government spending would be almost 6% (or around $20 billion) greater in 2012-13 than was the case.

In terms of the facts, the average annual growth in real government spending in five years from 2000-01 under Howard was 4.3%; for Labor in the five years since 2007-08, the average annual increase has been 3.4%, a huge difference given that annual spending is over $360 billion.

Those five years of excessive government spending during the Howard government have not been cherry-picked to make a point. If we look at the final eight years of the Howard government, the average annual increase was 4.0%; for Labor taking the numbers into the three years of the forward estimates to get an eight year comparison, the average annual rise is 3.2%.

The extraordinary facts about government spending take into account the unprecedented fiscal stimulus measures from the Labor government that accompanied the global financial crisis. Indeed, in 2008-09, real government spending rose by a massively strong 12.7% as the government worked to sustain the economy and preserve jobs. That spending boost has now been unwound.

In simple terms, the facts show that in the five years from 2000-01, the Howard government increased real government spending by around 23%. In the five years from 2007-08, when Labor has controlled the budget purse strings, growth in real government spending has been a tick over 17%, including the 12.7% increase in 2008-09 when the GFC was bearing down on the Australian economy, threatening a recession.

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Never once did the Howard government deliver a cut in real spending in any of its 12 budgets. Nor did the Fraser government, for that matter, ever deliver a cut in real spending in its seven budgets. Twenty Coalition budgets and never a fall in real government outlays. This is staggering when put against the perceptions and rhetoric that so often do the rounds.

For the Labor party, which unquestionably spent up big as the GFC hit, there have been two years in the current period of government where real government spending has fallen, in 2010-11 and this year, 2012-13. Indeed the cut in government spending this year is the largest cut ever recorded. It is worth noting at this point that there were three years in the Hawke/Keating era where there were cuts in real government spending, so over the last 40 years, the Coalition have never once cut spending while the Labor Party has delivered real cuts in five of its budgets.

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sptrawler said:

Well that is obvious, but don't you think things need to be fixed.

Even after Gillard broke a promise, she went on to implement it, then she was judged.

The difference this time is nothing is getting done, the problems are worsening, and everyone is standing around poking their tonques out.

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sydboy007 said:

Well, it's a year since the "adults" got into power with a claimed plan.

I'm still waiting for them to actually produce some decent policy.

Their economic management is running about as well as their promise to roll out a nation wide FTTN by the end of 2016.

When do you think they'll announce a fair way forward to repairing the budget? With the pension, super off the table it makes it hard to fix things. Negative gearing seems to be a bridge too far.

You keep saying we've got to wait for the tax white paper. I hope you're right, but so far nothing this Govt has done makes me think they have any ticker for some meaningful reforms.

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