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A Great Big Failure

Oh boy, Scott Morrison. If you thought your post MYEFO press conference was convincing, you are in trouble. You sounded like you were reading from a script prepared by a committee.

You probably were.

I didn’t count the number of times you mentioned ‘jobs and growth’ but it was enough to demonstrate you were struggling to assure yourself that what you were saying was convincing.

Scott Morrison’s analogy of a family on their way to their favourite holiday destination was hilarious. “Are we there yet?” How would you know? You have no idea where you are going.

He has announced revenue write-downs of nearly $34 billion dollars on a budget prepared just 6 months ago. That budget was based on utterly unrealistic assumptions which Morrison’s predecessor was told on budget night.

What that suggests is, the May budget was a flimsy construct to produce a pre-determined bottom line that was never attainable.

I doubt we will be hearing any more about Labor’s debt and deficit disaster lest the voters begin comparing it with the one now building under the management of the so-called “adults”.

Funny how what goes around comes around.

bowenOpposition Treasury spokesperson, Chris Bowen has every right to brand Morrison as WTH (Worse than Hockey) and his management, “a great big failure”. The government’s plan for a return to surplus has now been put back another year. Who do they think they are kidding?

Morrison acknowledges the steep fall in revenues as a result of weaker commodity prices and low wage growth. Does he still say we don’t have a revenue problem?

Does he still refuse to look at tax expenditures like superannuation concessions, negative gearing, mining subsidies and the like? That would be a good first step to strengthening our nation’s finances.

But no, they are more focussed on cracking down on welfare fraud to save a few hundred million when they could be saving billions abolishing corporate subsidies.

It is patently clear where their loyalties lie and it is not to the Australian people. It is to their corporate masters who keep them funded.

hocWhen they came to office in September 2013, Government gross debt was $284 billion. Today it is a shade under $400 billion representing a 70% increase in just two years. What would they have said about that if they were in opposition today?

It now remains for Labor, who have presented a number of their policies to improve the bottom line, mostly by concentrating on tax expenditures, to press home the government’s failure to demonstrate any measure of economic credibility.

With an election due in less than 12 months, the outcome should be decided on who has the most convincing case for economic management, not on personalities.

That is Labor’s challenge.

63 comments

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  1. John Lord

    Exactly.

  2. Glenn K

    they’re going down, just like the Conservatives in Canada went down – regardless of how much the MSM support them (just like Canada). I am assuming Australians are on equal footing with Canadians in their ability to read through bullshit. Please, my fellow Aussies, don’t prove me wrong. Otherwise I may have to move back to Canada…….and I don’t like the cold….. 🙂

  3. lawrencewinder

    Talentless, unimaginative heartless and venal. How could this ruling rabble be any worse….?

  4. Rossleigh

    In terms of analogies, the Liberals’ approach seems more like someone who won’t use their credit card to fill the car with petrol to go to work. It sounds good when you say that I don’t have anything on my credit card, but it’s rather shortsighted when you lose your job because you don’t have enough petrol to go work.
    The simple fact is that they don’t seem to have a plan beyond trying to look after the pennies and hoping that by scraping together enough for a cup of coffee, then the billions of dollars shortfall in the Budget will just fix itself.

  5. diannaart

    Jobs and growth, growth and jobs; which comes first? Surely need growth before more jobs created?… I don’t know how to create jobs, but I do know a thing or two about requirements for growth. For example, growing a plant; one requires a stable foundation, consistent supply of food and water, protection from elements which may be deleterious and, of course, time.

    I don’t think Morrison mentioned any of the above, maybe I missed it…

  6. stephentardrew

    Labor should be screaming from the hilltops. Point is they have no hope of turning things around before the election so now is the time to strike and strike hard. Consistency of message is what counts and it has to be done for a reasonable period of time to get through to the not so pliable voters. Who the hell is handling Labors election strategy because they seem to be asleep at the wheel.

  7. flyboy48

    About time they downplayed the deficit, created some cash (applying some economics 101 for a sovereign, fiat currency issuing country, like Australia is) invested directly in sustainable jobs (renewable energy for starters) and, miracle of miracles, they would probably find we have a fully employed growing economy … instead of lecturing us with bible type parodies to distract us …

  8. paul walter

    Sado economics 101.. always kick down those least able to afford the consequences of other’s mismanagement..God knows what his conception of Xtianity must be, much more like Caiaphas or something out of Dickens, miserable creature he is.

  9. keerti

    How many more months of completely incompetant,economic fiddling can australia survive!?

  10. Michael Lacey

    That is Labor’s challenge!

  11. Wally

    From figures I have seen quoted by others 2015 debt would surpass 2014 making it the highest ever, see what the adults can do.

    Australia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 33.88 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product in 2014. Government Debt to GDP in Australia averaged 21.20 percent from 1989 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 33.88 percent in 2014 and a record low of 9.70 percent in 2007. Government Debt to GDP in Australia is reported by the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM).
    http://www.tradingeconomics.com/australia/government-debt-to-gdp

  12. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    We are all fortune tellers coz Morrison’s MYEFO report is exactly as we expected. Kick the poor and vulnerable on welfare first and let the greedy, thieving, rich individuals and corporates get away with severe tax evasion and tax concessions that they don’t deserve.

    Add this latest travesty of justice enacted by Snotty Morrisscum to the list of all his ugly deeds and never let him forget it even when he seeks our friendship in the afterlife of politics.

  13. kerri

    Spot on John Kelly!
    And again I say, Morrison is up to his neck in stuff he has absolutely no idea about!
    Recession here we come!

  14. PopsieJ

    What I found upsetting and a sad reflection on our present govt was the almost flippant tone of Morrison and Conam when they presented a terrible budget that penalised pensioners, health, Centrelink etc. I hope they still think its funny when Labor win the next election

  15. mars08

    Ooookay? I don’t really understand…. is there or isn’t there a “deby and deficit disaster”…? It’s quite confusing.

    When Abbott was leader of the opposition, he relentlessly howled about there being an emergency. But Labor supporters claimed it was no big deal. Nothing to panic about. Even now ALP faithful say it was all hype… Australia was in good shape.

    But, according to this article, the Coalition government is trashing our economy and destroying Australia’s future.

    So, is our economic outlook perilous or not? Because it seems silly to want to blame the government for something the ALP faithful said wasn’t really a problem…

  16. paul walter

    I’ll wager things wouldn’t be half as bad if Hockey and that nutter Abbott hadn’t exacerbated them.

  17. John Kelly

    It’s the hypocrisy Mars 08. Prior to the election there was a debt and deficit, budget entitlement, emergency and we were all doomed. Now, things are much much worse but it’s all okay. So should you worry? Well, yes and no. Should you feel cheated…certainly yes. Should you march in protest…only if you think you need the exercise. BUT, should you try and see the lighter side of it all…..well yes. That’s what keeps us all sane.

  18. Wally

    John Kelly

    “That’s what keeps us all sane.”

    Sanity is overrated, being a nutter didn’t hold back Tony Abbott or Joe Hockey.

  19. mars08

    @John Kelly… yes, I see the Coalition’s hypocrisy. It’s blatant. And they are utterly shameless…

    But, there’s also hypocrisy in wanting to slam this government, when ALP supporters insisted there was no emergency under a Labor government.

    All this argument does is give new strength to the fantasy that ANY deficit is totally unacceptable. And that gives the media pundits and Coalition spin meisters something to pitch at the masses.

    It would be much better if this overdramatised “issue” could be debunked and disarmed forever.

  20. Wally

    mars08

    Labors debt was primarily due to the stimulus package that kept the economy buoyant, the adults have increased debt, destroyed the economy, destroyed consumer confidence and screwed every one of us except for themselves and the rich. I understand how/why you consider criticism of the LNP governments debt by Labor supporters to be contradictory but there is no valid reason other than poor fiscal management to explain the increase in debt under the Liberals. Plenty of merit for the criticism looking at the broader picture.

  21. mars08

    @Wally…. I am aware of the things you point out. And I know that the Howard years were squandered in terms of revenue, bribes to Howard’s mythical battlers and assets sold off for one-off income hits. But I’m not sure these points were ever effectively put to the voters or even firmly pressed by the ALP.

    My point is that the focus on the balance sheet is a mugs game. It’s theatre that both sides play… and the Liberals still… somehow… make many people believe that they are the better, more disciplined money managers.

    I’d rather the deficit game be exposed as the pointless farce it is…

  22. Another Rob

    Hockey/Corman to Morrison/Corman – Same old same old !!!! Another go at restoring the 2014 budget. Attack the poor, the aged, the pensioners, those on welfare and the sick – make them pay for our rich IPA mates. Turnbull is trapped by having Morrison be one of his supporters to dump the failure of the Mad Monk. Who really expected Morrison to be any different from Hockey? They come from the same ideologically driven IPA school. The MYEFO shows again that the Liberals are all lies and self interest.

    Lets have another cigar boys.

  23. Ella

    Another Rob……How right you are!

    This government reminds me of the song in South Pacific…..”talkin ‘talkin happy talk” with no substance……false optimism…and a lack of empathy for those who are struggling.

    Perhaps it is about time we all realised that this Government does NOT have Social Justice in its DNA and voted accordingly in the next election.

  24. diannaart

    I have never considered South Pacific’s “Happy Talks” irony value at all – although I have always found Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” deeply sarcastic…

    Sorry, what were we talking about?

    Government hypocrisy on how they spend our tax dollars – stuff like side A always stripping money from the most vulnerable (because a helpless population is easier to govern), side B trying to repair damage to community (because we still need workers), both sides loving big corporations…?

  25. Zathras

    Behind the employment figures lies a vast number of under-employed that have disappeared off the employment statistics but migrated onto the welfare handout line.

    Further punishing those people (who vote) may be a bad move, no matter how it’s spun in the media.

  26. Wayne Turner

    “It is patently clear where their loyalties lie and it is not to the Australian people. It is to their corporate masters who keep them funded.” – Hence why the gullible ignorant masses need to stop voting for the Libs. But alas I won’t be holding my breath. The masses are idiot asses. A true blight on our so called democracy. We really are a mediaocracy.

  27. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    No truer words EVER spoken, Zathras.

    Also, don’t forget the un-employed and under-employed mature age people, who actually want meaningful employment opportunities that match their intellects, credentials, qualifiications and experience.

    Many of this category have been delegated to the menial and dumbarse jobs disguised as voluntary work. (Sorry to altruistic volunteers who do such work out of the kindness of their hearts and NOT under any duress.)

  28. Möbius Ecko

    I am getting so pissed off at the hypocrisy of dyed in the wool Liberal supporters. A work colleague just told me he saw a piece on ABC News last night on Morrison and MYEFO saying how good it was that Morrison was being so up front about the deficit and the way ahead. He’s now happy that there’s a Treasurer being open about the economic problems and not sweeping them under the carpet.

    I pointed out to him that when Labor was in power spending through the GFC, detailing the economic problems ahead, he canned them at every turn for waste and ruining the country by spiralling us into debt future generations will be burdened with.

    I pointed out to him when Hockey was going on about a budget emergency and a deficit disaster he was reiterating how Labor had left such a deficit mess and Hockey was right in slashing and burning to fix it, even though I pointed out the errors in Hockey’s supposed facts.

    Now after years of going on about how bad deficits are, he’s saying they’re OK as long as there’s a long term plan to get us back to surplus like Morrison has intimated he will do.

    Took a bit of self constraint not to lash out about his hypocrisy but I just ended up nodding my head, not in agreement, but at his double standard and willingness to throw away a long expressed belief of deficits being bad, but only because it’s a Liberal Treasurer racking up the deficit.

  29. Roswell

    What wonderful powers of constraint you have, Mobius. Personally, I can’t tolerate or handle idiots like that.

  30. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    Well done Mobius,

    for trying to inform your ignorant work colleague about the blatant disregard for truth and economic effectiveness that the LNP practises.

    It takes guts to confront people you know with their ignorance and their foolishness for accepting substandards from the LNP that adversely affect THEM too and not just the enlightened ones like ourselves.

    When it hits them in their pockets or their kids’, they might wake up.

  31. Möbius Ecko

    It’s unbelievable Roswell how the whole tenet and subjunctive mood by the Liberals and MSM on things the previous Labor government were constantly lambasted over is now subdued along with the agitprop being wheeled out by Turnbull and Morrison.

  32. Wally

    Möbius Ecko

    “as long as there’s a long term plan to get us back to surplus like Morrison has intimated he will do”

    Next time he is irritating you suggest that Swan had a long term plan to deliver a surplus and it would have been delivered by now if the Liberal government had not come to power and trashed the economy.

    Will probably fall on deaf ears – plan B – send him to have a holiday with Neil of Sydney they could revel in each other bullshit.

  33. Möbius Ecko

    Remember Wally Swan also fell into the trap of promising a surplus in a time frame that could never have been achieved, and was rightly slammed for it, including as often as possible by NoS. NoS over many years also constantly hammered Labor debt but then refused to address this Liberal debt.

    It’s this blatant hypocrisy that so irks me. Labor in power unceasing doom and gloom from just about every front for as long as you can project into the future. Liberals in power everything oozing positivity and looking rosy forever as long as they remain in power.

    Apart from some pockets in social media nobody picks up on this unconcealed double standard, especially the MSM, who were the noisiest against the previous government.

  34. totaram

    “Labor in power unceasing doom and gloom from just about every front for as long as you can project into the future.”

    A friend of mine put it in context the other day, when it was raining and causing flooding. He said “Bloody Labor (state) Government – they even stuff up the weather”

  35. heatherex

    It seems to be a continuing mantra – to link Centrelink and Fraud. They chase this useless policy every opportunity they get. Surely all the fraudsters have been flushed out by now?

    They are running out of revenue raising options. Might have to consider other options soon. We know they won’t, as they can’t be seen to be raising revenue from their chief backers!

    Not a good time to be in power. Difficult decisions looming.

  36. terry

    worst thing is they are getting paid big dollars to drive us over the cliff , and we stand clapping and cheering ,”go mister smiley”

  37. Wayne Turner

    Sadly the BIGGEST fraud link to do with Centrelink that needs to be fixed is – The whole job network provider system. The providers claiming tax payers money when they don’t even find unemployed people jobs.IE: Small businesses set up to exploit the unemployed and rort taxpayers.

    http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2015/02/23/4183437.htm

  38. Neil of Sydney

    NoS over many years also constantly hammered Labor debt but then refused to address this Liberal debt.

    I will address the question if i am not allowed to comment.

  39. mars08

    @Wayne Tirner… true that…

  40. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    I agree Wayne Turner 50%. The job network provider system is a total effing scam.

    However, I’m not necessarily so outraged against the spirit of promoting opportunities for small businesses which I describe as a handful of people or micro-businesses/sole practices which can legitimately benefit from honest, reasonable and effective government backed StartUP Funding.

    Giving people with good ideas, energy and commitment the realistic and reasonable opportunities to undertake a venture that will employ themselves and in time others with created homegrown employment opportunities is an absolute MUST whether it be the Libs or the Labs who provide the effective circumstances for such opportunities to be realised.

    If however, in either Lib/Lab case, the StartUp funding and supports end up just being for the already well-connected and already quite well-funded who benefit from these StartUp initiatives, you have my blessing to put SHIT on them BOTH.

  41. Roswell

    Somebody mentioned Neil of Sydney, so I had no other choice than to let Neil’s comment in. He deserves the right to respond.

    Perhaps in future it would be wise not to mention him.

  42. Neil of Sydney

    oS over many years also constantly hammered Labor debt but then refused to address this Liberal debt.

    What Liberal debt? In 2007 Federal govt debt was at -3.8% of GDP. Yes that is minus 3.8%. The Australian govt was debt free with money in the bank before Labor trashed the budget.

  43. Wally

    Sorry Roswell I am guilty

  44. Michael Taylor

    Neil, this time it was me who let your comment through, even though it was nothing more than the same old useless crap that you always post.

    Roswell said he was going to give you the chance to answer a question. You failed. Miserably. Goodbye.

  45. Michael Taylor

    Wally, feel free to can the crap out of him. He deserves nothing else.

  46. Roswell

    I should have ignored him but he carried on like he deserved a right of reply. Maybe he actually meant he had a right to be a moron.

  47. mars08

    “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

  48. Bacchus

    He deserves the right to respond.

    True Roswell – the occasional comic interlude can be entertaining 😉

  49. Wayne Turner

    “The job network provider system is a total effing scam.” – Yeap,Jennifer that’s all I was focusing on when I meant dodgy small businesses.

    I agree with the rest that you wrote regarding small businesses.

  50. Ned

    The Coalitions imaginary “Ideas Boom” will quickly turned into a Brain Fart. Besides anymore thinking by the Sheepeople will spell utter disaster for the Coalition when more Australian wake up to the utter mean spirited nonsense this government is up too.

    As for Morrison, To use a Jim Morrison Ditty analogy for Scott Morrison’s holiday car trips with the family..

    The Coalition “Riders on the debt storm.”

    Riders on the debt storm
    Riders on the debt storm
    Into this parliament house we’re born (Born to Rule attitude)
    Into this world we’re throned
    (Lords, Knights and Dames)
    Like a (Abbott) dog without a back bone
    An actor (Hockey) out on loan
    (Treasurer for hire)

    Riders on the debt storm.

    There’s a (Budget) killer on the road
    His brain is squirmin’ like a toad
    Take a long holiday
    Let the Adults in charge now play
    If ya give this man (Abbott) a ride
    Sweet FAMILY (budget) will die
    Budget Killer on the road, yeah

  51. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    Ned, that would sound good to music! Like a Tim Minchin.

  52. Ned

    Good idea Jenn.

    Unlike Keating the Musical, It might be the Musical of the century. It could end with Jim Morrisons, “This is the End” from Apocalypse Now Heart of Darkness where they arrive insane at the end of the River at a civilisation cut off from reality and its Insane God Cult leader Abbott.

  53. mars08

    Ned:

    The Coalitions imaginary “Ideas Boom” will quickly turned into a Brain Fart….

    The Coalition’s ‘Innovation’ jabbering sounds disturbingly like the “leveraged synergy new economy” bullshit spun out around the turn of the century. It was the magic pudding economy. Shares would never drop and interest rates would never rise. Taxes would always fall and the future was brilliant. And any unimpressive business could triple it’s profit simply by sticking a .com after it’s name.

    Of course it was all a con by big business and the governments. But the public really REALLY wanted to believe it.

    Anyone who even whispered a word of caution was driven into the ground.

    What a vulgar time that was.

  54. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    mars08,

    the same .com.au bullshit incentives are happening now by the Lib/Lab flip-flops in the attempt to look 21st century.

    I want the flip-flop floosies on both sides to recognise that beside .com.au initiatives, there are tactile industries that could be given an immediate boost by political will and accessible funding.

    They’re dickheads the lot of them. Whoever starts properly listening first will gain immense ground in the electorate by people who want enhanced chances for actual employment, improved income and those who just want income through developing their worthwhile concepts

    Duh Lib/Lab flip-flops!.

  55. Wally

    Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    “the same .com.au bullshit incentives are happening now”

    Pity we don’t have enough bandwidth to support the next generation of Internet services and by the time we do their will be another generation of bandwidth hungry services we will be denied. Particularly people who live in rural areas.

  56. Ned

    Your totally right Mars08..
    I saw one of their new so called “Ideas Boom” Ads on
    Youtube and its nothing more than re-election fluff to fill in the gapping hole left by the the end of the Mining Boom. Ideas cost nothing, so it provides an excuse for them to spend nothing on public infrastructure.
    They think because ideas are bullet-proof that it will bullet proof the economy, but even the dot.com boom went bust in spectacular fashion. Its good that we have people like John and others like yourself calling them out the Janus faced Hydra in their Silly-Neocon Vally in Canberra. The Stole-lition criminals

    Mr Turnbull may like technology, but his intergenerational class warfare against the young framed as tightening Welfare against cheats shows Turnbull and Cormann as the self serving burnt out Boomer criminals they are.They don’t like young people one bit. unfortunately young people need the dole to become the next silicon valley venture capitalists in Australia, Just ask Clive Palmer. Instead what Mr Turbull represents in his excitement for technology is not young Australians, but Comfortable wealth Baby Boomers like himself who want the latest gadgets from Harvey Norman paid by non means tested aged pensions and to innovate nothing other than their own egos.

  57. Pingback: A Great Big Failure | THE VIEW FROM MY GARDEN

  58. Sen Nearly Ile

    oh stephentardrew if only little billy or torpid tanya had an adviser who could say labor’s debt has been taken to a disastrous level by the libs and we still have to pay japan for the subs, spain/korea for the boats and the septics for the planes with the cost blowouts. Would you please explain mr treasurer?
    For a self funded retiree suss on commonsense wants to take 4 billion from the sick and give 1 billion to hep c please don’t jist give the copperman, robb and morrison free rein.

  59. Jennifer Meyer-Smith

    Hear, hear, Sen Nearly Ile.

    Sadly, silly Billy and torpid Tanya are not listening. They’re vying for political position for the votes of the under-evolved in the community.

    If we want a serious Alternative Government, we need to inspire a partnership or a grand Alliance between the alternative, progressive, inclusive, equitable forces in the political spectrum.

    Ditch Billy, if he won’t wake up and torpid Tanya, if she wants to stay the girl next door, and foster partnerships with any political forces (or forces within forces) that will commit to negotiate and collaborate together with a clear vision of what’s best for the common good of the environment and all Aussies, with special attention to the vulnerable in community wherever they may be.

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