According to record low polls for the government, we, the people, have told the Abbott government it will be obliterated at the next election for aiming for a budget that spends only as much as it earns....
A modest Medicare co-payment with carve-outs for the needy and the young? No thanks.
A sustainable university funding model? No thanks.
A fairer pension system to better fund those in need as the ageing population grows? No thanks.
Reining in disability payments so those in genuine need are better cared for? No thanks.
Fewer middle-class perks — think baby bonuses, family benefits, childcare rebates — so money can be better directed to the poorest? No thanks…
And if voters continue to rebuff these efforts, what then? ... [Labor leader Bill] Shorten will be handsomely rewarded for being irresponsible about budget reform, let alone the economy....
Reform comes down to us. It always does. As economist Chris Richardson said last week, it’s time we looked in the mirror. Try it. If you find yourself looking at Shorten or maybe Sarah Hanson-Young, that explains why reform has become so difficult in this country. If we really are saying we’re happy for our children to foot the bill for our selfishness, we, the people, truly get the government we deserve.
