On Allegra Spender’s tax reform ambitions
Mark Fetterplace writes: “Spender is frustrated at how wedge politics gets in the way of serious tax reform.” Well, so are the Greens, of which I am one. It’s disappointing that you just quote Dutton’s ridiculous comment about the Greens — “[they] are at least out there and open about the lunacy of their own positions” — and then let Spender distance herself with, “I don’t look very much like a communist.”
The Greens are no communists — I’m a former business owner myself. We are the main party pushing for more equality and reform of taxation. There is no lunacy in our policies, and all the measures you are trying to coax Spender towards are Greens policies. Perhaps you could chase up Dutton and Spender and ask what they see as lunacy and communism in the Greens’ policies?
PJ writes: “Driving productivity” — it is inherently contradictory for wealthy people sitting on their stash and not paying taxes to tell us we need to work harder (to increase productivity) to get ahead.
Proposing “tax settings that favour home ownership” — people in wealthy seats know home ownership is the best way to keep Australians engaged with their community and enjoying a fulfilling life. Yet they won’t give up anything for this to be achieved.
Annalise Lampe writes: Allegra sounds nice and is probably very nice. But her electorate arguably contains the wealthiest people in the country — wealth built on sitting on tax-advantaged assets and rent-seeking, rather than earning through hard work. They are not interested in paying more tax on capital gains or losing the ability to reduce tax on earnings through massive negative gearing deductions. So it’s just talk, talk, talk.
Anything can be put “on the table”. If it stays there nothing will be achieved, except the rich continuing into their richness. Spender has to commit to some serious policies that reduce inequality and get her electorate’s voters to pay more tax for her to be regarded as serious.
Elisa M writes: I don’t have much time for the likes of Ms Spender. She’s a Liberal. Not a loony Liberal, but a Liberal. Self-interest is what guides her and her rich constituents. The bigger picture doesn’t come into it. They ignore anything and anyone outside their own privileged circle, not recognising that ensuring the wellbeing of those outside said circle would benefit them as well. They’re not able to recognise that because for them, benefit = $. Common good is quite a foreign concept to such people.
On the Queensland cop culture that raised Peter Dutton
Violet writes: Thank you Andrew for your timely writing. For over 30 years the Liberal-National party ruled (not governed) Queensland and any questioning or dissent was quashed. While the Fitzgerald Inquiry did change things, as we all know, one government inquiry will not change entrenched culture and corruption overnight.
Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s refrain of “don’t you worry about that” in answer to any and all questions about government actions, policies or inaction still looms large. Dutton’s recent comments, reported by the ABC, are extremely concerning given recent events in the US: “Australia is a sovereign nation, and as prime minister I’ll act in our country’s best interests, and I’ll make decisions that I think are in the best interests of all Australians.”
Dutton is a product of his time in the Queensland police force and would have been mentored by senior Liberals during his time as a member of the Young Liberals in the late 1980s. As a result, his record in Parliament for the past 23 years as an MP and minister is not surprising to any who lived through Queensland’s political history.
David Arthur writes: There’s one thing from pre-Fitzgerald policing that Dutton’s carried over to politics, and that’s “the verbal”. He gets up on his hind legs, takes a deep breath, and in slow, measured terms spouts bullshit.
Peter Adams writes: As an ex-Queenslander (gone now for 40 years) I found Andrew Stafford’s insights both disturbing and compelling in equal measure. During visits back and forth over these past decades, I’ve noticed the appearance of Brisbane change dramatically while its political and social sub-structure stubbornly marks time.
While it may be unfashionable to mention the now-cancelled Guy Rundle, he provided an observation on Queensland that shook me to my core when I first read it… and resonates like a giant bell every time I see or hear Peter Dutton nowadays:
“Queensland, in the southern mind, represents not merely massacres, death, and killing on a vast scale, but also the slavery of blackbirding, anti-Asian pogroms, and then the whole Joh era — with its pro-apartheid politics, good ol’ boy corruption, and then Pauline. It’s a place that seems to have an easygoing relationship with brutality.”
[Editor’s note: This is the full article from May 2022, if anyone wants to revisit.]
Paul Holland writes: Perhaps the most telling part of the reveals from the Fitzgerald Inquiry was the depth of the deception, disinformation and misinformation exercised by both politicians and police. It was fertile ground for training in the art of dissembling by politicians or police.
A cursory study of the behaviour of Dutton would indicate he graduated with honours. A prime example would be the sudden switching of sides over the Voice referendum, and the series of disinformation and misinformation that followed.
On the RBA rate cut conjecture
Andrew Bonnell writes: If the RBA does not cut rates next month, there are three possible explanations:
1. Monetary sadism: they have a deep-seated fear that somewhere out there, there may be workers who are not completely miserable and who can be ground deeper into the dust;
2. They are determined to bring the Coalition back to power (not that different from 1);
3. I can’t actually think of a third possible reason.
Eleonora Symonds writes: Not all voters are keen on rate cuts! There are those (like my husband and I) who do not have superannuation and rely on interest from savings as their only income to survive.
It seems that the only voters to exist are borrowers (mortgage payers). Australia has become a society of prolific borrowers, but that doesn’t make for a healthy economy and neither do very low interest rates. The Labor government is using trimmed mean inflation to justify bringing rates down. It is blatantly obvious that they are using statistics to get back into office.
My husband and I will definitely not be voting Labor at the next election. We are very unhappy with the situation.
