We Just Want a 'Fair Go'

I studied economics at school and did quite well but to be honest my understanding of the subject today is about as strong as my understanding of the mating habits of the Andalusian Kwok kwok bird ie zero.

However it doesn’t so much require strong economics knowledge but a sense of equity and the Australian concept of a ‘fair go’ to know that there is something wrong with the Federal Budget and the philosophy behind some of it.

Firstly, it is clear there is a need to tighten spending by the Government and, I think, increase revenue. I think (as do most economists)we are far from in the middle of a ‘budget emergency’ and I am not an advocate for surpluses as a necessity for a healthy, caring and courageous society. My concern is always, and above all else, what sort of country do we want this to be. I believe the social economy, the spiritual health and the community quotient is what ought to be the goal of our citizens and politicians. With care, forward thinking and an acceptance of nothing less than compassion for all I believe this will be a wonderful country for everyone, not the least those who currently find it tough and are likely to find it even tougher if the budget goes through as presented.

I think the Government has actually misread the electorate badly and that is what has fired the discontent and negativity around the measures being planned. Australians by and large can cop a bit of a kick occasionally if they feel they can afford it. What they won’t cop is a kick being given to someone already doing it too hard, the already disadvantaged, our older citizens or those in genuine need on benefits. It goes against our values and the fabric of the country; it is what defines the concept of a ’fair go’. Also we have matured as nation from the days when the ‘dole bludger’ mentality/myth was a popular war cry or dog whistle. Most of us know or have had personal experience of Centrelink and the dole so we know how hard it is to ‘live’ on an allowance that is in fact below the poverty line. I certainly know that fear of going to the letterbox fearing what bill might be in there and deciding if I’ll have my noodles for tea that night or go without just to keep the gas on for another month.

I have a scenario in my head about extending the pension age to 70. Old Bob has worked all his life in manual labor. He is proud of living the way he was raised as the principal breadwinner, feeding his family all his working life and taking sustenance from the fact that the house he lives in, the car he drives, the holidays they go on, the education the kids had, enabling his wife to study and do volunteer work and the lifestyle they could afford all were due to his working for many decades. At 62 his factory goes out of business and he is suddenly unemployed. No redundancy because it turns out his bosses weren’t all that flash at accounting. Bob’s back is pretty buggered and no one wants to really employ a bloke who will only give them 8 years and might have a fair bit of sick leave. So here we have a bloke on benefits for 8 years until he can get the aged pension, slowly deteriorating physically and his self-esteem slipping because he no longer feels of worth or able to do what he thinks is important to the way he sees himself – work and bring in a proper income. Multiply this story by many and we have new burdens on the health system, the welfare system and the psyche of communities. PLUS we add the burden of GP co-payments, higher prescription fees plus benefits not being indexed appropriately.

This is a country where 660,000 people are registered as unemployed, many people working just a few hours a week and others who don’t register at all or just give up don’t figure in that number. It is said that 12½ % of the population currently live below the poverty line. This is what I call an emergency.

I fear the reality of life does not match the concept of the policies of this government; I don’t believe they understand that not all children have parents or family at all, let alone those for whom it is not safe to live with. To then mandate that a person under 30 ‘should’ live with their families while they look for a job or learn something for six months without payment is frankly callous. If you’ve just finished a four or six year Uni course why the heck would you want to then go and ‘learn’ something else? If you have been knocked around a bit because you had problems learning or studying for whatever reason what would that do to your esteem to then be turned away from getting a benefit and penalised for not undertaking some learning? These are the realities not the Pollyanna-esque version of life these Parliamentarians seem to have. And heaven forbid they should get sick from anxiety or stress and have to find the means to pay the $7 Joe-payment.

All of us are also painfully aware that any costs that increase as a result of the budget are not the only increases we have to contend with. In the last few months there has been increases in car registration, public transport fares, utilities, private health insurance, petrol and (disastrously for Melburnians) coffee – and have you seen the cost of lamb recently! Again a reality that the government doesn’t seem to understand when they talk about small imposts and inconvenience and hard to swallow when they trot out a line like ‘we know this will be hard for some people’ not to mention the tiresome, macho (remind me how many women are in cabinet again?)sloganeering of ‘share the load… doing the heavy lifting’ etc. I think we all know about toting the bales already.

Life and lives are complex, nuanced and varied and sensitive legislators and caring administrators need to adapt to that not the other way around.

So here’s the thing. The government has lost the ‘we are not breaking promises’ line so give it up and cop it sweet, you lied, we were fooled and you should be ashamed so please stop treating us like fools. You have now diminished the image of politicians even further than you and the now Opposition did during the minority term. That, Mr Abbot, Mr Pyne, Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd is a shame on you and I don’t know how the mistrust we now have can ever be overcome but on your own heads be it. 

It is hard too to imagine how the pollies can argue the concept of hard times in the economy, pushing the disadvantaged further down, charging a co-payment at the doctors, making tertiary education a product rather than a right (something that is to be available to those who are capable of paying  rather than to all who are capable of studying), raising the pension age etc while paying billions for second rate and unnecessary fighter jets (where’s the threat to the country coming from exactly?)and reducing funds to our world recognised research body, the CSIRO (well suited to undertake the much heralded and guilt driven medical research). On the co-payment I’m a bit confused by the way; we were told it was necessary because, well everyone should pay for medical care and we simply couldn’t afford to go on with Medicare as it was unless there was the co-payment. THEN out comes the budget and we find the bloody money isn’t going to Medicare at all but mostly to this amorphous ‘medical research’ fund…what the? The rebate to doctors will drop apparently and there will be extra administration costs to them for the tax so I suspect it will only be a matter of time before ALL doctors charges rise. I did a calculation that if my GP puts up fees by $7 and combined with the rise in prescriptions I would be out of pocket about $1200 a year.

Now we sit back and rake in the billions from the poor and the middle classes, a few pennies (temporarily) from the well off and the rich while abolishing the carbon charge and the mining tax – does that make sense. Of course if Labour had got the mining tax right we would have been reaping a fortune from the Billion dollars A WEEK the mining companies are procuring from OUR (as in all of us) resources.  Imagine if we’d got (or they’d had the community spirit to offer)ten or twenty billion in revenue from the mining boom each year, and we should have.

In the end, it is indeed the end of the age of entitlement, sadly many of foolishly thought we were entitled to feel safe and cared for or about.

I remember the mantra before the election – the Coalition would stop the boats, scrap the carbon tax and bring the budget back under control.

I never expected they also meant ‘we’ll kill the fair go’.

Pity…at least the economy will be strong.

Got to run, off to Aldi to stock up on instant noodles.