Independent Australia has reported on the unconscionable Robodebt fiasco from the outset and its toll continues to mount, despite the recent class action.
Porter, Tudge, Robert and Morrison’s shameless Robodebt record
Tag: LNP Economic Management
A survey by ANU shows workers born overseas and older Australians bore the brunt of cuts to hours compared with other groups
Australian workers lost $47bn in wages during first eight months of Covid recession, study says | Australia news | The Guardian
The PM wants to repeal laws my government introduced to protect Australians – and the banks are popping champagne corks
Under the cover of Covid, Morrison wants to scrap my government’s protections against predatory lending | Banking | The Guardian
And let’s put the $1.5 billion in perspective. Just last month $1.9 billion was announced for a 10-year plan to invest in technologies to lower emissions, while far more is to be given away in futile tax cuts to the already-well off.
Manufacturing Announceables: malaise needs more than a bag of goodies – Michael West
New analysis reveals the government intends to cut billions of dollars from university research, while re announcing funds from elsewhere in the budget The government’s proposed changes to higher education funding will cut $2 billion a year from university research budgets, according to new analysis prepared by the sector’s peak body.
National Times | Facebook
I haven’t met a person who lived or lives on the streets and has not said that it is the hardest, scariest, worst of living.
Australia’s homeless — third highest rate and street homeless deaths increasing
The promise to change irresponsible lending practices force the LNP to draw up a bill to put the reins on payday lending so that people aren’t simply caught up in the debt trap the LNP in their wisdom are cancelling that bill. Australians already carry am inordinate amount of personal debt an the government are about to increase that. Yes the talk about the abstract but divide peoples lives.
Customers will be promised faster access to loans under simpler rules that aim to free up credit and lift the economy by ending confusion over lending obligations for banks and finance companies.
Simpler lending rules for home loans and credit to free up the economy
And with the money we save we could afford to give even greater tax cuts to those having a go. Yes, it’s all in how you frame it. Apparently it’s fine to suggest that we can’t afford any economic slowdown just to keep old people alive. After all, they’ve had a pretty good innings so they can just shut up and accept that Covid-19 will kill a few of them. Yes, that seems to be an acceptable way to treat the elderly if you’re a politician or an economist or someone who has a media gig… But if you should suggest touching their franking credits, you’re some sort of monster!
The Economy Above All – Even Life Itself! – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Leadership: The LNP is practiced in not giving answers when asked quite the opposite can be said of Dan Andrews.
That made no sense to me. During the course of a 23-year career in DFAT, which involved briefing ministers and ministerial advisers, I cannot recall the provision of such simple and straightforward information not being provided under the circumstances prevailing in this matter. I went back:
China policy: Our trading relationship is being ruined by the Right wing
Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd warn the Coalition government will destroy the superannuation system if it bows to pressure to dump legislated increases in employer contributions.
Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd warn government seeking to destroy superannuation
Morrison is sitting pretty – at least until the next election – with a more than adequate income, a roof over his family’s heads, ability to take a holiday and enjoy life for brief spells, so he appears to be one of two things: the first is – someone totally lacking in empathy and compassion – which is bad enough – while the second is – an out and out sadist, getting pleasure from other people’s pain!
via Mr Morrison – are you a sadist? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
This is a fair assumption, too, considering for 100 years every new generation of Australians has moved out of their parents’ house with a good wage and started the climb up an ever-growing job ladder.
LNP use Neoliberal Logic (ODT)
via Liberal strategy to lower greenhouse gas emissions is to use more fossil fuels
Australia is right behind America walking in Trump’s shadow, (ODT)
via Millions in US face financial ruin as emergency jobless benefits end
Surely history speaks loudly to not repeat the mistakes of the past (ODT)
Reaganomics and Thatcherism were characterised by huge transfers of income and wealth from the poor to the rich, writes Roger Beale. Even such august institutions as the Productivity Commission argue that there’s little to be gained by going down the road of labour market flexibility.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has suggested we look to the Reagan and Thatcher legacies for inspiration to climb out of the Covid-19 recession – i.e. supply side economice. In lay terms, this means bringing forward tax cuts, increasing workplace flexibility and reducing green tape.
via Are Thatcherism and Reaganomics your best answer, Josh? – Michael West
No LNP Transperancy. Another Morrison On the Water Matter
A landmark review into Australia’s national environment laws has called for a major overhaul, including establishing an “independent cop” to oversee them.
Key points:
- The 124-page interim report comes 20 years after the laws were first implemented by the Howard government
- The report’s author has called for a “strong, independent cop” on the environment beat
- The Federal Government has accepted some recommendations, but rejected the report’s call for an independent regulator
“The foundation of the report was that there is too much focus on process and not enough focus on outcomes and that should be changed entirely,” Graeme Samuel, the review’s independent author, said.
He concluded that Australia’s environment was getting worse under the laws designed to protect it.
Crisis has proved renewable energy is now a safer investment, and accelerated the shift
The reality was that the insulation program covered 1.2 million homes which had, by 2015, produced savings of approximately 20,000 gigawatt-hours (72,000 TJ) of electricity and 25 petajoules (6.9×109 kWh) of natural gas. But this was of little interest to the Coalition partners.
Their interest focussed on the tragic loss of life of four workers, accidentally electrocuted, while they were installing the batts. It was this tragedy that the Opposition and the media sought to magnify, purely to discredit the government and gain political advantage.
Notwithstanding the benefits to the economy, particularly in the area of employment, the ongoing reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and being able to avoid a recession, the political outcry from the Opposition and the media, over the four deaths and anecdotal evidence of rorting, was unrelenting.
The Rudd government subsequently suffered a drop in popularity and a perceived mis-management of the economy.
Since then, under intense media attack, the Labor party has been cast as responsible for all ongoing budget deficits (aka, the debt and deficit disaster), while the Liberal/National Coalition has enjoyed the confidence of the media and a deceived public, in matters of financial management, despite the reverse being the reality.
As they say in politics, that’s politics.
Now, however, it seems some comeuppance is on the horizon.
via Is Morrison’s Pink-Batts Moment Coming? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Cutting government services to pay off government debt post the current pandemic is not a necessity but rather a political and ideological choice. History has shown that if we focus on full employment and the real economy, the budget will take care of itself. Economist Warwick Smith reports.
via History shows future generations don’t need to suffer from government debt – Michael West
Not laughing now (ODT)
Under the Coalition’s “responsible budget management”, net debt has increased from $161,253 million at 31 August 2013, a week before the election, to $424,164 million at the end of February this year.
Still stuck in slogan land, Coalition language is changing.
We have gone from a “targeted, modest and scalable” response to “targeted, measured and scalable” and now Frydenberg is calling for “quick, strong and co-ordinated action” from the G20 countries.
The self-satisfied smirks, the ridiculing of the idea of well-being, and the draconian persecution of the unemployed have disappeared.
After more than a decade of their bullshit, all of a sudden, “we are all in this together”.
Australia’s economic growth improves, but hold the champagne. Economic headwinds? Not really. Economy stronger than the OECD, Europe, Canada and the UK? Errr … no. Strong jobs growth? Sorry, no. Alan Austin runs his ruler over the latest quarterly accounts.
via Australia’s economic growth improves, but hold the champagne – Michael West
When Politics gets in the way of rationality (ODT)
via Carbon pricing: it’s a proven way to reduce emissions but everyone’s too scared to mention it
What we don’t need is to waste hundreds of billions on obsolete weapons of mass destruction, billions on consultants and government advertising, and politicians who think attending sporting matches is more important than their day job.
We don’t need a surplus. We need someone who has a clue about how to invest in this country rather than their own political future.
via MYEFO will be interesting – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The Foreign Investment Review Board has already waved through the Healthscope acquisition and is presently deliberating on the Aveo deal. Yet the question must be asked; as Brookfield pays so little tax in Australia, what is the national interest in allowing this tax haven operator to buy billions of dollars buying key infrastructure when it merely siphons the profits offshore?
via House of Cards: is Brookfield the next Babcock & Brown? – Michael West
RELEASE of the second-quarter GDP figures showed the Australian economy facing its lowest annual growth since the global financial crisis, calls from RBA & general public for the Morrison Govt to engage some sort of stimulus program exp independentaustralia.net/politics/polit
1:47 PM · Sep 20, 2019Twitter Web AppIN A RECENT SURVEY conducted by the Australian Financial Review, every single economist who participated had the same message for the Morrison Government: the Reserve Bank should not have to rescue the economy on its own.
However, despite the mounting evidence of domestic economic slowdown and the growing risk of a potential global recession, the Morrison Government continues to reject calls for a stimulus. Instead, the Government insists that its tax cuts and “superior economic management” will kickstart the economy and that everything will be fine.
Despite the GFC and ongoing ominous signs of financial doom, economists are eager to return to “business as usual”.
Source: GFC and spiralling debt: Isn’t it time economists learnt from their mistakes?
