Since you mentioned my name in your post, I will give you a quick and short answer: wait for the coming Budget and read the budget papers on the treasurer's comments on projected revenue. Perhaps there can then be some meaningful discussions.
Budget deficit has its place as a government fiscal tool. Budget surplus has its place too as a government fiscal tool. In my mind, it depends much on the economic circumstance we find ourselves in. Further more, different political persuasions can and do influence how a government uses the economic tools it has available to it. No one party, and I do mean no one party, has the exclusive economic wisdom, when in reality any party in government receives advices from the same government departments.
I don't post that much in the Politics Forum these days for the simple reason that I get tired of reading posts from some who seem to think that nothing a Labor government does is right, or good enough. Of course they are entitled to express their views but it does not interest me to respond to them unless it is something very outrageous.
Just my thoughts on this cold autumn night in Sydney. In my younger days, autumn and winter were my favorite seasons, loved the heavy fog and mist in that part of Melbourne where I was living then. A cold beer on a cold night was great then :-)
