After a fortnight where most of Anglosphere was preoccupied with the death of a British monarch, life is getting back to normal and to the real things that matter: thereās a Budget coming up soon, and thereās been a hint from the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, of āsubstantial temporary taxesā to repair the national figures and start managing the trillion dollar government left behind by the Coalition.
Already, the media and the Opposition are pushing the idea that Labor is the party of big taxes and spending, and not to be trusted with managing finances. What they ignore is that the three biggest taxing governments in the post-war period are the Howard, Abbott and Morrison governments ā and in the case of the Morrison government, not much of substance to show for all of their spending.
But, itās not the amount of taxes that matters, itās the quality of spending. And thereās not much evidence of quality over the past nine years. Of course, weāll have to see what the Labor government will spend taxpayerās money on in the Budget, but surely it wonāt be as profligate as Morrisonās final term in office.
And how super is Albaneseās renewables superpower? Itās rhetoric that was pushed during the May election campaign, but itās time for this to be matched with action. The Australian Greens have recommended the $1.9 billion the previous government had allocated to a āgas-led recoveryā ā a strange choice for a response to a pandemic ā be re-allocated to renewable energy. And it makes sense: it fits perfectly into the Labor governmentās agenda, and it needs to take this first step if Australia does want to become a renewables superpower. If the Labor government is actually serious about thisā¦
The former Prime Minister ā Tony Abbott ā has been re-appointed to the board of the Australian War Memorial. Is this a lost opportunity for Labor and should they start putting in their āown peopleā? No, it should be the best and the most appropriate people for the position ā itās just that the Coalition always inserts its own conservative people and supporters into high-powered government boards, without any concern whether these are the right people. And it results in $500 million being allocated to a renovation at the War Memorial, without a question about whether this is value for money. Why not spend this money on the veterans of war, rather than an already overblown budget for a memorial that glorifies conflict?
Itās actually mind-boggling to see how many breaches of protocol Scott Morrison seemed to immerse himself in ā a sole-person committee where he could decide whether an official Cabinet meeting had taken place ā or not ā and therefore, he could keep any details of a meeting a secret for 20 years. Itās almost like Alice In Wonderland. Except this was a real Prime Minister. There were 739 āmeetingsā and 665 of these are actually unaccounted for. 665. It might not be so important to find out the details of these unaccountable meetings but it is important that someone of the calibre of Scott Morrison is never allowed anywhere near Parliament again.
And with a return to normal life after the insane and incessant media coverage of the British monarch, we can also start to have normal discussions about Australiaās transition to a republic. But as much as weād like it to happen soon, itās probably not going to be enacted for some time to come. In our estimation: with a benign and invisible King? Perhaps in 2026 or 2027. However, if thereās more scandals to come through (hint: Prince Andrew), perhaps 2024, at the earliest. Thereās still a long road ahead.
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