http://www.revenuereview.com.au/qld-govt-borrowings.html http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/at-a-glance/index.shtml I wonder how they expect us to pay for it?... They're cutting back on costs...but at some point they're going to have to raise more revenue. To me, that means more fines, levies and tax. This will be our own Austerity Package...might be time to emmigrate :/
They'll probably go along with what Barry O'Farrell has done in NSW which includes heavier fines, public sector cut backs and redunancies, wage freezes for public sector, workers comp slashed, various welfare reform. As you said it's an austerity package. Western Australia is looking better by the day
NSW has had higher taxes and levies on everything for years - well before O'Farrell. Maybe QLD has had it too good for too long?
Yeah, I saw the Fire Fighters went on strike. We've still got to pay for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. And other crazy things keep popping up. The former premier had signed off on a +$6 million ski-jump for snow ski athletes to practise on...in tropical Queensland. There's probably 10 athletes in the country that would use it....and they're all in Victoria!?!? She was totally out of her gourd! the crazy thing was no one said...no that's a really stupid idea, we're not going to allow you to do this!?
On the first point about the Debt inherited by Howard. The fair point would be to first subtract the debt inherited by the Hawke-Keating Government from.... wait for it..... the Government that Howard was treasurer of. Then we'd have to allow for inflation, you know the inflation of the 80's. Also we'd have to allow for the population at the time etc etc. Apples with Apples is what I'm saying On the second "time to emmigrate" point. Firstly, there's only one m in emigrate (thanks Safari auto spell check). Secondly, emigrating is shed loads easier as a renter
If I were the NSW government every firefighter would be sacked with a lifetime ban from holding a public service job. The Army would step in until the Fire service could be restructured. It'd be a chance to merge the Ambulance and Fire Service like they do in some US jurisdictions. In QLD the QLD Firies fought tooth and nail to ensure that they didn't carry defibrillators.
Soz I missed this part when I went on that last rant I wrote an actual letter to the Labor Party that they'd never ever get my vote ever again because of this. Not because it was a sheer waste of $6 million but because it was indicative of deep routed problems where totally farcical idea's aren't challenged. To be fair though, I cast spoiled ballots in the recent State and Local elections. I'm undecided if I'll vote for the Senate but I definitely won't be voting for anyone in the lower house.
I think I counted them!!! Were you the one that drew wee-wee's and pee-pee's all over your ballot papers?
It's an option under the "Edit" menu. If I remember right, it was an extension on Firefox. It's well worth installing as it underlines spelling errors in red and you just right click it and it shows the correct spelling and other words that are similar.
The debt inherited by Hawke and Keating in 1983 from Fraser and Howard was about half what Keating left for Howard in 1996. Basically, they each managed to rack up about an equal amount of debt. Fraser inherited no debt from Whitlam when the Fraser government took office in 1975.
Nope - I won't draw offensive pictures nor will I write abusive messages. Firstly, what'd that achieve? Secondly, Scrutineers (sp.) don't deserve my venom that's reserved for politicians, senior public servants and for those that try and run my life. I drew a picture of a stick figure falling off his push bike with a speech bubble saying "help me", on the other ballot I wrote "I don't like any of them so here's a picture of my favourite Dinosaur" and I drew a crappy picture of a dinosaur with a speech bubble saying "roar" My intention is to get better at drawing before the Federal election
Yup, and inflation was at what? 18% ? So apples with apples please or I'll cry that I can't buy a house at $40k like my parents could have bought in Brisbane in 1987
Now lets talk about unfunded super funds by all states...Qld used to be the only state that had saved and invested super funds from all its states public servants that includes Police, nurses, doctors, teachers and Ambulance workers. All the other states had spent their public servants contributions and so they have been technically insolvent for many years. Our good old premier Joe set up the Qld Development Investment Corporation into which super contributions were placed to invest in Business and commercial investments.. The last time I heard anything about this fund it was doing quite well. Even had invested in other states developments. Qld Rail was a prime example. Qld might not be as bad off as you think it is. With that I am going off now to see if I can google up some latest figure on th QDIC. Might be interesting! Regards Errol 43
That's including the official inflation figures from the RBA. Its about as apples-to-apples as I can get it (although there are a couple of other ways to calculate it, like GDP in AUD or GDP in USD equivalent at the time or in USD 2000 constant values, but the AUD was pegged until late 1983 so that buggers up the numbers from the Fraser/Howard years). I think the lesson is that the Liberals weren't really the economic geniuses people seem to think they were.
I have a theory that in the "good" times people vote for Liberals/Tory/American equivalent because it's all about holding onto whatever they can. But in the "bad" times it's about sharing the wealth. Nothing concrete to offer there. Just a gut feeling
Wow...until now I never knew that!! I'd always assumed that Whitlam put the country into a massive debt surrounding the Kemlani loans affair.
I remember you couldn't buy a newspaper or get petrol on a sunday afternoon back then... the bloody place shut up at 12 o'clock like a country town
Seriously have none of you got the point in a usury based system debt HAS to increase. http://www.tradingstocks.net/html/banks_create_money.html The only question is WHO takes on the debt and governments are the logical organisation to absorb it
