My logical perspective

Let me state right up front, I VOTE LABOR EVERY ELECTION.  I do it because I have a social conscience.  I’ve never seen the LNP having a social conscience despite now having a Catholic PM.  They always govern for the big end of town and leave the poor and hard done by to fend for themselves.  They expect charities to look after the poor.  They remove safety nets and safe guards. Why should they bother looking after those who cannot look after themselves?

I wrote on my Facebook page a week or ago about what I think of the Abbott led government and its achievements in its first 100 days, which falls on 19 December.  How many of you out there voted LNP and think they are doing a good job after 100 days?  No matter how hard I try to be open minded, I think they have done a terrible job.

For a government so keen on pressing its credentials of being a government of action, of infrastructure and that would do what it said it would do, it has certainly failed on many fronts.

I, personally, feel humiliated in front of my non-Australian friends, with the latest tough guy stunt of not lowering the flag in remembrance of Mandela.  This government has managed to offended almost every friend we have in the region.  Abbott should have quickly apologised to Indonesia about spying to limit the damage but no, he played the tough guy, hung out a week or two during which time Indonesia became so incensed they dropped cooperation with Australia on multiple fronts.  Then Bishop commented on something that is none of our business and in the process offended one of our biggest trading partners, China.  Unbelievable.

The government is unlikely to carry out its loudest promise, to remove he carbon tax before the Christmas break.  The ALP, Greens and several Independents will see to it that the Bill is discussed more than a tad longer.  All non-government parties are unhappy with the proposed Direct Action solution which will pay the big end of town to reduce their carbon footprint rather than a cap and trade system which the ALP government wanted to implement but were denied by the LNP and Greens.  The world is moving in an emissions trading scheme direction.  The USA (in a majority of states) and China both have emission trading schemes in place.  Direct Action is handouts for big business and a waste of time and money.  There is no evidence it will work.  I note that the effect of the carbon tax has been misrepresented by the Government by stating it only created a reduction of 0.1% of emissions without divulging the full story.  They neglected to advise that the companies covered by the carbon tax actually reduced emissions by 12.75% in the first year while those not covered by it increased their carbon emissions giving a total saving of 0.1%.  Simply put, the carbon tax needs to be widened, not rescinded.  An emissions trading scheme is a logical progression.

Then the Government quietly removed $500m of funding from the car industry and dropped Holden as the official Commonwealth car supplier for BMWs.  When the car industry questioned this, the government yelled at them to tell Australia their plans for the future.  The government is driving the car industry out.  Do they realise the implications?  By Hockey’s reaction in parliamentary question time on Wednesday, I think not.  An ALP front bencher estimated job losses would be 50,000.  Hockey looked shocked and asked where that figure came from.  Does he and his cohorts understand that the car manufacturers of GMH, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi are not the only ones who will suffer?  There is a large industry supporting the car manufacturers, the reason Toyota feels staying will now be far more difficult.  Does the Government understand the collateral damage to makers of spare parts that will be smashed by this?  Those who make engines, car seats, dash boards, speedos, wheel rims, etc. that are assembled at the manufacturing plants to make Holdens?  The true cost will be 10x more than just the loss of jobs at the car manufacturing plants.  What about the welfare payments for those put out of work?

So no help for Qantas either, heh?  If we are to maintain the Australian ownership laws, which I think we should, then why not contribute to the recovery but make the contribution with strings attached?  1. Joyce must go.  2. Jetstar Asia must be sold off.  3. A large portion of maintenance must be done in Australia, but as a trade-off, Qantas can implement the maintenance strategy that goes with the new aircraft rather than the unions making them use the old plane maintenance schedule.  The government needs to help.  Qantas is a flying advertisement for Australia.  It encourages tourism.  We need that advertising campaign regularly to attract tourists to spend money here.

Against Malcolm Turnbull’s better judgement, I’m sure, the coalition government plans to remove the quality NBN the ALP planned of Fibre To The Premise (FTTP) which this country needs.  A high speed internet will enable Australians to build non-primary industries for the future and engage in the world market.  Despite every intellectual (and a large portion of the population) saying they want it and Australia needs it and anything less would be useless, these stubborn mules of politicians plan to put in a cheap version with a download speed of up to 25MB/s (which a report today by NBN says cannot be achieved).  To explain how inadequate 25MB/s is, the next generation of TV – 4K TV which is 4x the definition of HDTV – needs 25MB to run a program from the internet so you will need to turn off all your other devices accessing the internet (iPads, work computers, digital radios, extra TVs, etc.) so your kids can watch Nickelodeon!  The coalition version of the NBN is Fibre To The Node (FTTN), a box in the street like the old electricity box you still see some of, which requires direct power to it and has a relatively high maintenance schedule.  It will cost more in the long term to maintain.  And to add to this, the ALP version was free if connected as it goes past a house (still need to pay an ISP for access but the wiring was free).  The Coalition version is up to $5000 payable by the home owner that wants it….or they can use the current copper cables that will last maybe another 5-10 years and might get 6MB/s as mine does.  Basic Economics 101 says dollars spent today to build something costs less than putting it off and spending on it tomorrow. Do it now!  Make Australia a leading technology country.  Open Australian businesses to the internet to sell goods and services overseas on the world market, build industries to build the country’s wealth. 

The education row last week was an eye opener.  This is governing for the wealthy.  Christopher Pyne is trying to wreck the agreed education funding (all be it rescinded after an outcry) by removing funding and gearing the funding test to benefit private schools with public schools getting less.  What’s fair in that?  No wonder the outrage from parents and state governments alike.

Add to that the government request that low paid child care workers give back their pay rise.  Seriously?  You could save almost as much if politicians gave back their last pay rise and reduced their privileges for travel and other expenses that have been seen to have been abused by both sides of the house for some time.  How unbelievable.  And the consession put in place t oreduce misuse was laughable.  Self-regulated.  Useless!  Instead, let’s pay 6 months maternity leave to highly paid women to have children but those who will then care for the children should give back their meagre pay rise?

Generally, they have played party politics.  Both sides do but they’ve done it vindictively, rescinded laws and funding on the basis that they just plain hate anything the ALP achieved regardless of its actual worth, plan on rescinding legislation that goes a long way to saving the planet from ruin for those who come after us (including our own children) and a fair income source to help the budget, have gone back on numerous promises including spending time with Aboriginal communities in the first week/month.

Do I need to go on? Do any of you feel lucky?  Or like you did the right thing?  Unlikely.