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March 29, 2024, 09:20:23 pm

Author Topic: Budget 2019  (Read 2502 times)  Share 

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vox nihili

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Budget 2019
« on: April 02, 2019, 08:56:23 pm »
+9
Thread for discussing this year's budget.

As yet I haven't really had a chance to have a proper look at it. For the most part, as expected, it seems to be a bit of a piss of no one kind of budget. WIth an election coming up, handouts and tax cuts predominate. There's also been an enormous spend on infrastructure, which probably borrows from the Victorian playbook if anything.

The government is making a lot of the fact that the budget is in surplus again. This is untrue. It's projected to be in surplus next year; they've actually delivered a deficit. We ought to be very sceptical about this, as Joe Hockey and Wayne Swan both promised surpluses that never eventuated. It also misses the point that under this government we've amassed Australia's highest level of debt in history, sitting at about half a trillion dollarydoos.

What are your initial thoughts?
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jamonwindeyer

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2019, 09:05:10 pm »
+1
What are your initial thoughts?

That this is exactly what we should have expected heading into the election! Unfortunately I think they will probably do a good job "flashing it around" and people will buy into it...

On the plus side, this budget does apparently allocate $200 million for a third crossing of the Hawkesbury River, something my area desperately needs!!

Joseph41

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2019, 03:15:50 pm »
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I find it easier to work when I have inane chatter around me. I just listened to every budget speech in full from the last five years.

What have I taken from this budget so far? Literally nothing haha.

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vox nihili

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2019, 05:23:27 pm »
0
I find it easier to work when I have inane chatter around me. I just listened to every budget speech in full from the last five years.

What have I taken from this budget so far? Literally nothing haha.

This sounds like literally the worst thing anyone could do. Voluntary waterboarding.

That this is exactly what we should have expected heading into the election! Unfortunately I think they will probably do a good job "flashing it around" and people will buy into it...

On the plus side, this budget does apparently allocate $200 million for a third crossing of the Hawkesbury River, something my area desperately needs!!

Very true that this is a very election-focused budget. The pork barrels have been well and truly rolled out.

Do you think that money will shift votes in your region?
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jamonwindeyer

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2019, 10:27:47 pm »
0
Do you think that money will shift votes in your region?

It was a big deal when my seat went to Labor in the last election, we're generally an easy Liberal seat. Then this video surfaced, Labor hired big advertisement screens to play the video outside a bunch of our voting centres, and the seat went to Labor.

In that context, yes, I do think that money will be enough to swing it back in this election. I hope not. Beyond supporting Labor on a party basis, I really like Susan (our current member), and she's fought hard to get funding for the same project for a long time - It's been a huge issue for our area for years, and ultimately, I believe we're getting it either way. But yeah, unfortunately I do think it will make a difference and I won't be surprised to see the seat go back to blue :)

turinturambar

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2019, 10:31:49 pm »
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I couldn't be bothered reading too much about it, since in my eyes the Coalition lost most of their legitimacy in government after last year's leadership coup etc. left them as a minority government quite different from the one elected (not that I voted Liberal in the last election...).  I assume that if they don't get back into government very little in this budget is worth the paper it's written on, and even if they do they probably reserve the right to delay certain provisions or just not follow through (like any other election promises).
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vox nihili

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2019, 11:12:53 pm »
+2
It was a big deal when my seat went to Labor in the last election, we're generally an easy Liberal seat. Then this video surfaced, Labor hired big advertisement screens to play the video outside a bunch of our voting centres, and the seat went to Labor.

In that context, yes, I do think that money will be enough to swing it back in this election. I hope not. Beyond supporting Labor on a party basis, I really like Susan (our current member), and she's fought hard to get funding for the same project for a long time - It's been a huge issue for our area for years, and ultimately, I believe we're getting it either way. But yeah, unfortunately I do think it will make a difference and I won't be surprised to see the seat go back to blue :)

If it's the seat I'm thinking of, it only very recently became a strong Liberal seat. Weird swing last election, but it's gone back and forth between Lib and labor for all its history. Even had a Labor PM there!

It's a real pity that these sorts of projects can be enough to swing a seat. Shows how effective pork barelling is. Also shows how useful it is to have a seat that's marginal. In the current climate, living in a safe seat is really corrosive to your chances of actually securing good government infrastructure funding. That's certainly the case down here in Geelong, where Corangamite is super marginal and occupied by a minister, so huge amounts of money flowing our way atm.

I couldn't be bothered reading too much about it, since in my eyes the Coalition lost most of their legitimacy in government after last year's leadership coup etc. left them as a minority government quite different from the one elected (not that I voted Liberal in the last election...).  I assume that if they don't get back into government very little in this budget is worth the paper it's written on, and even if they do they probably reserve the right to delay certain provisions or just not follow through (like any other election promises).

It doesn't look like it's having the traction in the non-News ltd media (although News controls about 70% of the readership so that probably means less than I think it does).
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jamonwindeyer

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2019, 11:36:19 pm »
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If it's the seat I'm thinking of, it only very recently became a strong Liberal seat. Weird swing last election, but it's gone back and forth between Lib and labor for all its history. Even had a Labor PM there!

You've taught me something new, it's been Liberal as long as I can remember (or as long as I've paid attention)!

Wait, that's only like 10 years. Shit ;)

vox nihili

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Re: Budget 2019
« Reply #8 on: April 05, 2019, 12:03:27 pm »
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You've taught me something new, it's been Liberal as long as I can remember (or as long as I've paid attention)!

Wait, that's only like 10 years. Shit ;)

Which has just led to the horrifying realisation that the 2010 election was nearly ten years ago holy shit
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