''It seems the last effective Treasurer was Tim Costello, imo.
Paid off debt and brought about a surplus.
Wisely, he was put in charge of the Future Fund which has been acknowledged since by both sides due to him being left alone.''
that's it? that's all you have got?
you think that because he paid off debt and had a surplus - that makes him a good treasurer?
those years were disaster years -------- why?
because that's precisely when Australia should have been investing in it's future - but, it did not -------- all it did - complements of Howard architecture was to do exactly and precisely what you said -
it looked after the bottom line with nary a thought to the future --------------- take note - John Howard now says that they were WRONG
listen to him, he says it was WRONG. He said in 2022 that the times were changing and that they didn't realise it and that they thought that if they just watched the spending then they would be ok ---------
wrong
didn't work - we now are getting the bill - dreadfully educated populace and the real nation building things -------- GONE - exactly because of what you think was 'good' money management.
it was a massive fail that Oz cannot now come back from
then you go on to say that the future fund was a beautiful thing complements of Costello ----------- my god. Do you know why they set it up?
they sold off Aussies own property to Aussies - that's what they did - and why? --------- so that they would guarantee their own superannuation schemes and the scheme of public servants ------------------- nothing else - self preservation.
Now, do you think that it might have been in their own personal interest to make it work? or not?
geesus, it might be opinion about Chalmers -- but, lets not lose sight of history -------- we are in deep doo doo as a nation because of people like Howard and Costello ------------ they rode on the back of the world - protected themselves and as far as the nation goes - threw it to the dogs -
they only thing we wait for now is for John Howard to say 'I was wrong' - because atm, he's brought himself to say 'we were wrong' ------ so, he's got a way to go yet
