Scott Morrison has said he wants to hear from anyone with ideas on how to cut government spending.
Here’s a few.
The OECD said its 34 members plus six of the biggest emerging economies – China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa – were spending up to $200bn a year supporting the consumption and production of coal, oil and gas.
That’s twice as much as was needed to meet the climate-finance objectives set by the international community at climate change summits, which have set a target of mobilising $100bn a year by 2020.
In the 2015–16 Budget, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to growing the Defence budget to two per cent of GDP within a decade.
The Government will provide Defence with $31.9 billion in 2015–16 and $132.6 billion over the Forward Estimates.
That does not include defence materiel whose 2014-15 Budget Estimate was $12.6bn. Why do we need strike force capability? I would have thought a car industry would be a better investment than at attack force.
We have just signed a $665 million contract for a new “telecommunications provider to the battlefield that will increase flexibility and interoperability in the field, giving commanders increased capability to share information and increased responsiveness. “
Meanwhile the rest of us endure copper broadband and mobile blackspots.
Politicians’ entitlements
At about half a billion dollars a year, this is one area that can surely come up with some savings and, considering recent scandals, would be well received by a cynical public.
It should not cost half a million to fit out an office. Use telecommunications more rather than flying hither and yon for a chat and a photo. Build an accommodation wing at Parliament House and save on comcars at the same time. Family reunions should be paid for by the family. Catch commercial flights rather than summoning private jets. And stop wasting so much money on spin doctors.
The hundreds of billions shelled out for these things do nothing to improve productivity so let’s get genuine about looking at the benefit for what we spend.
Pollution and bombs or hospitals and schools?
