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boy in black and white sweater covering his face with his tow hand

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It is important to note that economic and political cycles do not usually coincide. Australia remember what 10 years of the Coalition brought us. There is a considerable lag between policy and outcomes. A decade of the LNP Coalition federal governments saw the acceleration of housing unaffordability in Australia. Now, you might think that inflation driving up the prices of residential property is a good thing and your chance to get rich, but home owners, I have spoken with, see it differently. They invariably say, that sure having your house worth a lot of money can appear to be wealth but if you sell it you just have to go out and buy another one which is equally as expensive. Housing affordability has jumped from 5 times annual income up to 13 times in Australian cities, according to respected economic journalist Alan Kohler.Continue Reading

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Robodebt disgrace: The legacy of the Coalition

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Some call him Lord of the landlords, others the banker’s friend and share market king but Peter Dutton is hoping to buy his 27th property. Whilst many Australians are doing it tough in the wake of high inflation the Leader of the Opposition is thriving. One of the sneaky things that the party of the rich, the LNP Coalition, do is to never set limitations on things. So, when they introduce new laws like the discount on capital gains tax, back in John Howard’s day, they ensure that it does not matter how many houses you own or how rich you are you still get that 50% discount.Continue Reading

ethnic businessman shaking hand of applicant in office

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Western democracies spruik their hopefully meritocratic qualities. The belief that through hard work and talent you can reach the upper echelons of your profession or work place. Careerism: Self-interest’s acceptable public face exists on this basis. Striving for success in any field is encouraged and culturally rewarded. Many bemoan the ever present dangers of nepotism and cronyism within our societies and nations. The elite private schools and old boy’s networks which operate in counter to any ideas of equal opportunity and fairness. Those of us with any pragmatic awareness of how the job market actually works know that it is largely driven by who you know and not what you know. This makes a mockery of any meritocratic ideals believed to be operating within Western democracies.Continue Reading

Robodebt disgrace: The legacy of the Coalition

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Peter Dutton doesn’t give a f*** about First Nations’ Australians, as he is playing politics over the Voice to Parliament. Everything for Dutton and his Liberal Party mates is about getting back in power. They see the Voice as an Anthony Albanese initiative and want to defeat it on this basis. Dutton represents everything that is rotten about the Australian political setup. Peter Dutton is a disgrace. The Voice is not a Labor Party initiative, it is an Indigenous Australia proposal. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is not about politics, it is about recognition and a seat at the table for First Nations people. It is time for the dickheads to get out of the way and let progress happen. Younger Australians are sick of their racist past and would like to see something done about respecting and empowering First Nations Australians.Continue Reading

Scott Morrison at Press Club

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It has cost us, the Australian tax payers, $1.8 billion so far. Robodebt disgrace: The legacy of the Coalition government. The Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme is being handed down today. The findings are being made public post haste. Peter Dutton, the leader of the Opposition, is calling this a political decision. The debacle and disgrace of this Coalition government scheme is like an albatross to hang around the necks of all those involved in its instigation and execution. It was illegal and they all knew that it was both illegal and wrong. It cost innocent and vulnerable people their lives.Continue Reading

banknotes with a portrait of a lady printed

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Recent research published by The Australia Institute confirms that the decade 2009-2019 was the most inequitable, in terms of wealth-growth-share, in Australia’s history. A decade overseen by the Coalition of Liberals and Nationals on the federal stage. A mining boom and surging  property market has rocketed 90% of new wealth growth into the hands of the top 10% of earners and owners in Australia during this period. Australia fast becoming one of the most inequitable nations on earth should not surprise many, as they have supported policies pushing the nation in this direction.Continue Reading

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flag of australia

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If institutional injustice makes you mad this episode had it in spades. Robodebt: What the Royal Commission revealed to us. A government and a bunch of ministers who saw themselves as ‘welfare cops’, with a duty to shake down the most vulnerable among us. Without fear or favour these sheriffs took on pensioners, disabled Australians, and those down on their luck. They applied income averaging to make it look like these people on the bones of their arse were rorting the system. It played well to those who are always looking for someone to blame for their own financial frustrations. Continue Reading