Has Jacqui Lambie sold her support for the government’s tax cuts for too small a price? Readers seemed to think so. Many agreed with Guy Rundle yesterday that the deal amounted to selling out Tasmania, though some pointed out that the same scrutiny should be applied to the entire crossbench. Elsewhere, readers took some time out to reckon with the idea of a Boris Johnson prime ministership.
On Jacqui Lambie’s tax support
Peter Frank writes: Criticism of Jacqui Lambie is justified but personally think Guy has slammed the wrong cross-bencher. Why let that pompous pair of Centre Alliance hacks off the hook? They posture as serious, balanced centrists yet unblushingly approve a patently unfair (and economically irresponsible) $158 billion tax cut package — for some piddling gas price reductions!
Ian Hunt writes: I don’t think it matters. What the opposition should stress is that more than tax cuts will be needed to prevent Australia sliding into recession and that, given construction is shovel-ready, the need is to pursue social housing construction and commit the Tasmanian government to increasing social housing rather than just topping up its budget. The very sound point about the long term aim of the government to eliminate the welfare state can be met if a public disillusioned with Coalition mismanagement of the economy puts an ALP government back in, which can then introduce levies to fund public health and public schools.
Stuart Gaunt writes: Jacqui, for all her huff and puff about supporting the battlers, has just put the final nail in the aspiration of working and middle class Australia. Stage three of the Liberal tax cuts represents the fountainhead of the Thatcher/Reganite dream — a flat tax system that ensures high-earners hoover up all the assets and inequality is entrenched for generations. That Tassie public housing better have bunk beds.
On Boris Johnson’s leadership potential
Denise Marcos writes: Boris Johnson would do his country honourable service if he took up wine crate decorating full time. Or even gongoozling – anything to divert his activities from Westminster.
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Re Lambie v Centre Alliance. With the CA, the name’s on the tin. They’ve always said they’ll review and improve legislation, but that they have an eye to the legitimacy of the lower house result. They’ve never pretended to be economic leftists either.
Lambie claims to represent the battlers in a battler region of a battler state. There’d be less people in NW Tas benefiting from the stage 3 cuts than in one block in Potts Point or N Fitzroy. She sold out a state dependent not only on actual transfers, but on the proposition that wealth transfer is just. A big difference.
TFIFY … “there’d be fewer people in NW Tas …”.
As to what’s on the tin, the ALP really should remove “labor” from its name, and “Australia” too, come to think of it.
If the press, and commenters, paid more attention to the party that put forward this legislation AND refused to split it, then perhaps that smirk could be wiped off their faces at least. Who did NOT agree to this rort for the rich? We know this packet will include all the MPs when, God forgive them, this is carried through in 24/25.
As it stands now, the Liberals, with the Nats hanging on their coat tails pretending to be a party, will complete the destruction of Australia as per the wishes of the IPA, BCA and Murdoch ( who would be emperor).
The media have it on them for being propagandists for the worst government in Australia’s history, instead of doing the job expected of them and that is reporting the news on both sides of parliament. Where were the investigative journalists during the past six years of corruption by our pretend government? There are so many things the media have covered up and not done their job, makes one feel that Trump is right about the media here anyway being the “enemy of the people”.