Abbott - Australia Unsettled, page-150

LesPaul, it's high time Australians DID debate issues such as our Constitution and the rightful place of Aborigines in that document. The ongoing discrimination against Aborigines embedded in what is an archaic and fraudulent document is a continuing disgrace and indictment of 'Australia'.

As for your rose-coloured glasses of foreign investment in Australia, do you seriously believe overseas investors received nothing in return? With the likes of Ford, GMH and Toyota leaving our shores while declaring massive paper losses as they write down asset values and avoid tax; what is the lasting legacy left by them?

The main reason Australia continued to grow throughout the worst global financial crisis in 80 years wasn't foreign investment since the GFC was a capital strike. Au contraire, it was the decision by most of Australia's small business people to do their best to pull together and to maintain their workforces and the support provided to them by government that delivered growth despite the GFC.

As for our near-term future, with the USA economy showing increasing signs of recovery under President Obama's policies, its concerning that in Australia retail spending has slumped along with consumer confidence. All due to an illegitimate and rotten budget full of broken promises that transfers what little wealth low income earners, the poor and the vulnerable have to the already wealthy and ever-so-greedy.