Despite all the media hype about something of a jobs boom and a sound economy, it happens that this hasn’t materialised into aa better life for most Australians. This isn’t surprising, since the talked about improvements area a mirage. Continue reading The rich are still getting richer at the expense of the rest of us
Australia has been crying out for years for something to be done to put an end to blatant exploitation of workers by greedy employers. One of the biggest abuses had been the rise in the use of labour hire intermediaries to pay lower wages than would otherwise be entitled. There is the use of insecure work and the gig economy. Don’t forget sham subcontracting and the fact that women are still often paid less than men. Continue reading Wage theft is a major problem that must be corrected
The latest survey by the Conversation should be of interest to everyone. It involved contributions from of leading forecasters in 25 Australian universities, thinktanks and financial institutions – among them economic modellers, former Treasury, International Monetary Fund and Reserve Bank officials, and a former member of the Reserve Bank board. Continue reading Recognised experts agree on that the Australian economy is in trouble
Foreign multinationals operating in Australia are being driven mad by debate in the Senate over stronger tax transparency laws that apply to them. It’s not that the discussion in the Senate is about putting an end to the corporate tax avoidance industry. it is about introducing a little more disclosure to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and that the information should be available to the public. Continue reading Multinationals push back against greater tax disclosure
Everyone knew it all along. Now the hard evidence is in. Coles and Woolworths have been price gouging and made big increases to their profit margins by doing this. Some would suggest this is a form of theft.
An analysis by Guardian columnist Jonathan Barrett, gleamed from an examination of five years of the financial accounts of the two supermarket monopolies, revealed the use of the covid pandemic to increase prices. Continue reading Coles and Woolworths have been robbing us
Continue reading Market fundamentalism is an obstacle to social progress
New Parliamentary Budget Office costings on the Stage Three Tax Cuts, which had been requested by the Greens, has revealed that the cost is rising and now sits at $20 billion for the first year (2024), and will increase each financial year to $42 billion in 2033-34. This is a total of $313 billion, and it is likely to end up costing even more.
Any decent and caring human being should be moved to anger and turn their back on anyone who promotes this obscenity.
The numbers speak for themselves. They reveal how much that small group at the top of the income pyramid is taking, and how little everyone else is getting in the face of an ongoing rise in the cost of living. Those in the middle get small shift in the tax margins, and what they gain is a sop that will soon be taken over by inflation. The share of national income will keep on flowing outwards. Those on annual incomes less than $45,000 get nothing. The screws will continue to tighten on government expenditure on services that benefit the majority.
Pocketing the money are those with incomes over $180,000 a year. Most of this will go to a much smaller group of billionaires. The much larger group in the middle-income range will be given a sop through modest marginal tax bracket adjustments. Not big enough to deliver any real change, and this will soon be eaten away by inflation. Those with an income below 45,000 a year will get absolutely nothing.
It’s those down the pyramid who will be paying the cost to line the pockets of those at the top of it, through the taxes they pay, and in the absence of services that could otherwise have been provided with this money.
For example, the money could have been used to lift those living below the poverty line and for the creation of affordable housing to address the rising cost of living crisis. Everyone should be up in arms over this failure.
While there is discontent over it, the lid has till now stopped this form boiling over. This lid is the political bipartisanship pushing it through.
The Coalition parties are supposed to stand up for the wealthy and Labor for working class Australians. It’s not quite like this in the real world. Political life within the framework of the existing political institutions demands those who seek to be the government to seek patronage in terms of dollar donations, entry into networks of power, and a positive media profile. There is always a price to be paid for patronage.
Labor differs with its base in the unions and community sector. It is from here that internal pressure to change direction is coming from and lining up with the rising expectations of Australia.
Working the other way are the realities of the political system and its associated bipartisanship on this question.
Political expediency and the unquestioning ideological hold of neoliberalism provides the rational that insists responsible government is about looking after the wealthiest to keep the economy sound, despite of its ongoing failure in practice. If it had worked, we wouldn’t have the problems that we have. The other part of this ideology is that any other approach is delegitimised. The neoliberal ideology must go.
Last but not least is the ethical question. In a caring society we look after each other. Each contributes according to their own capacity in return for benefits. There is nothing wrong with suggesting that those who are in the best position should contribute a little more. The choice is tied to whether we strive towards to be a caring society or continue on the same path.
As for the claim that moving in the opposite direction will hurt the economy. This is rubbish. Action that will facilitate participation and increase activity, means a far better chance of investment where it’s needed, and more likely to create jobs boost the economy.
Make no mistake, the budget delivered last night by treasurer Jim Chalmers took on the shape of a major public relations exercise. It pretended to deliver to the battler. The gives are marginal and do little to tackle the rising cost of living. Continue reading The budget delivered minor gains and failed on the key issues
On the eve of the federal budget, a great deal is being made of the expected $15 billion surplus, something that hasn’t been seen for 15 years. How can this be when the demands on the government’s responsibilities are rising, along with the gap between this and the revenue coming in? More on this later. Continue reading Will tonight’s budget bring gain or pain?
The cost of Australia’s new military expenditure is much more than most of us think. Attention is on the AUKUS submarine program. It doesn’t stop here though.
But let’s start with the submarines. We were told that they would cost $368 billion. They didn’t tell us that an extra $122 billion have been committed. This means that the expectation of escalating costs has already been factored in. The estimated real cost is up to $490 billion, and this is only the current estimate. The cost could go higher still. Continue reading The military expenditure blowout does not serve Australia’s interests
