I found Abbott’s budget reply encouraging and although I don’t agree with everything, I do recognize the potential of having adults in command of the treasury benches again.
I agree with sticking to the ALP’s cuts – let them carry the can after all they engineered the circumstances that created the ‘budget emergency’.
Some cutting quotes from Abbott’s reply;
The Treasurer spent much of his speech complaining that he was the victim of a sudden collapse in government revenue.
In fact, revenue is up 6 per cent this year and will be up 7 per cent next year.
Next year, revenue will be up $80 billion on six years ago
We have a $20 billion deficit now rather than the $20 billion surplus then not because revenue is down but because spending is up: by $120 billion.
This fact needs to be drummed into the public’s minds, repeated time and time again until they get the message. The ALP have created the problem by spending way to much over revenue.
This will gain votes;
The Coalition has already announced that we will rescind the increase to the humanitarian migration intake because – until the boats are stopped, and we will stop them – it’s the people smugglers who are choosing who comes to Australia.
The fact that the ALP Left, their media outlets – the ABC and SBS, the Greens and the Human Rights industry think the boat people are deserving of legal and social security entitlements doesn’t sit well with the remaining 70% of the population. They are sick and tried of the open borders and boat people arriving without papers demanding and getting full citizenship rights.
They will also note that the costs of the boat people settlement has directly impacted on the budget deficit.
Billions of dollars lost as Australia marches to the people smuggler’s drum.
The dreaded Carbon Tax;
We will abolish the carbon tax – because that’s the quickest way to reduce power prices and take the pressure off cost of living and job security.
Let me repeat: We will abolish the carbon tax – because it’s a kind of reverse tariff that hurts local businesses but not our overseas competitors.
This alone would win the election. Seriously, if anyone thinks the general population are happy to pay more for utilities and goods and watch our competitive commercial edge being blown to appease the Left Wing mantra of AGW they aren’t reading enough or talking to enough people.
Abbott has been quiet on IR and rightly so. Let’s not give the ALP/ACTU any cause to ramp up their “Work Choices” campaign but wait until after the election to start to redress the insanity that has been legislated as Gillard pays her dues to the Unions.
How can anyone believe that paying a kid 400 plus dollars a day to serve coffee is viable just because it’s a Sunday. How can anyone think that small business can absorb these sort of labour coats? They can’t and increasingly they close on Sundays when tourists and locals look for an outing.
How can anyone believe, outside the MUA, that paying galley hands on ships something like $300,000 for six months work won’t impact on business decisions to go ahead and develop mining. Why should international companies invest in Australia with our astronomical labour costs and Green tape hindrances to development.
They have paused and will hold until long after the ACTU/ALP power base passes into the dustbin of history.
Board rooms around the world sit on hold while they wait for adults to take back power. This has slowed down investment; this has impacted on revenue.
I like;
It will be part of a foreign policy that’s focussed on Jakarta, not Geneva.
We’ve also announced that we’d scrap Labor’s green loans scheme for projects that the banks won’t touch.
As far as the Coalition is concerned, the next election won’t be an auction.
Talking to people all around the country, the last thing you want is more “historic” announcements or so-called “revolutions” that never justify the hype.
and Gonski is gon-ski;
On the other hand, the key to better schools, at least as much as more money, is better teachers, better teaching, higher academic standards, more community engagement, and more principal autonomy.
A good start to the campaign.
120 days and counting.