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The Forum > Article Comments > John Lang-like Shorten is betraying the workers > Comments

John Lang-like Shorten is betraying the workers : Comments

By Gary Johns, published 29/12/2016

Labor has reverted to the dark days of Jack Lang. Early in 1931, in the depths of the Depression, Lang, the Labor premier of NSW, wanted to default on government borrowings.

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If "half the budget is a result over the past decade to households aged oved 65", the the Turnbull government will start doing something about that in a couple of days time with vicious cuts to age pensions. And, boo hoo, younger households will pay only $200 per year over a normal working life in interest. $10,000 "over their lives" sounds worse for those wanting it to sound that way, but it is still a piddling amount. And of course " workers carry the weight of those on pensions". Has it not always been so? Did not today's age pensioners do the same for their forebears? And it is hard to believe that Gary has just realised that Labor - and all other politicians - are not interested in workers: just their bloated selves.

How about Gary Johns, pampered public servants and politicians go without something to help with the budget? And, what about non-Australian "refugees" bludging on us and, while we are at it, Aborigines getting sitdown money and benefits not available to other Australians. Too, foreign "aid" to despotic overseas governments could be given the chop. The costly connection to the corrupt United Nations could also be dispensed with.
Posted by ttbn, Thursday, 29 December 2016 10:08:28 AM
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Those who call for budget repair are betraying the workers!

Unlike in Keating's time, when Australia had plenty of foreign currency debt from before the dollar was floated, Australia's debt is now in Australian dollars. The government owns the Reserve Bank, so has unlimited credit in Australian dollars. Creditors have a 100% chance of getting their money back on time, and if any credit ratings agency's incompetent enough to suggest otherwise, the government should sue them for libel.

Rather than aiming to be debt free at some point in the future, the government should use fiscal policy the way monetary policy is currently used: loosened to promote economic growth, and tightened when inflation needs to be reined in.
Posted by Aidan, Thursday, 29 December 2016 11:00:09 AM
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Gary understands that our tax system is irrevocably broken, that no amount of tinkering at the margins is ever going to address the destiny of demography!

As fewer and fewer taxpayers try to carry more and more welfare recipients, all while trying to make good for myriad tax avoidance by the parasite class! And up there in plain view as we try to keep negative gearing, capital gain subsidies etc/etc. And then propose a lift in the GST rate to offset the cost of these arrangements!

Given Shorten has stood four square against all that, not him betraying those who create all our wealth!

Arguably, the only solution is eternally resisted, real root and branch tax reform!

Tax reform that treats all income equally, regardless of privilege or status, is an absolute must, if we are ever to restore equity and fairness!

Something the unproductive parasitical class will resist with their last breath! Even though such arrangement, would completely negate all tax compliance costs, thereby saving an averaged 7% currently reportedly ripped from the average bottom line!

Meaning an 18% stand alone expenditure tax as the only tax needed ever, would in real terms, impact on the current business bottom line as 11%!

Workers infinitely better off, given this simple effective measure entirely eliminates bracket creep, all while improving household incomes by as much as 20%? And address the poverty line and incentive to save, by simply limiting the tax take to expenditure only!

Even so, lots of (charity) perks and lurks would disappear, along with no longer viable business and or business practise.

Farmers bound to scream blue murder! Until some rationality is restored to foreign ownership, our energy and water policies, which if intelligent, would create new endlessly sustainable wealth creation opportunities, as well as virtually drought proof the joint!

Look, our dairy industries, all but destroyed, by diabolically dumb demagogues, while our clean green image transferred to recipient foreign competitor!

We are but one nation and "pork" policies that disadvantages one sector to the slight and temporary advantage of another, ultimately, disadvantages us all!
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Thursday, 29 December 2016 11:19:09 AM
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Any avoidable tax measure will be avoided! So we need something the biggest tax avoiders struggle to avoid and if the cost of paying your share is far less than the myriad costs of avoidance! So who in their right mind is going to opt for more costly avoidance!

Those who advocate for a continued GST? Invariably understand, it transfers tax liability from the better off to the disadvantaged!

And to his eternal shame, was introduced as alleged tax reform by a former fiscally incompetent, (quote unquote) PM!

Rather than raise the rate this abomination, merely masquerading as REAL tax reform, it should be abolished along with every other costly to administer revenue negative tax measure! In favour of an intentionally unavoidable, stand alone, single expenditure tax!

Which could be collected fee free, via the banking system, as part of the conditions of a banking licence?

We've invented myriad tax measures/structures, many of which cost the budget bottom line money, but are retained as part of the various fiefdoms that they create or enable?

We don't need empire building bureaucrats, nor their perceived predilection for costly, ineffective, triplicated centralization and correlation!

We need them gone along with their massive drain on shrinking finite taxpayer funds.

A referendum would probably be required to demobilize often corrupt, crisis riddled, incompetent, money burning state governments; [who'd fight tooth and nail for their survival,] and hand their roles to a combination of directly funded health and education autonomy, local councils and the Federal Government!

And without reducing social amenity or service one iota!

In the first instance we'd reduce the imposition on the budget bottom line by at least 70 billions per. And in the second instance, reduce it by as much as a currently routinely wasted 30%?

If management teaches just one thing, it teaches there' always always, a better way!
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Thursday, 29 December 2016 12:05:09 PM
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Fully funded welfare and pensioners or money wasting state governments? Take your pick! Given it's becoming increasingly obvious we can't fund both ADEQUATELY!

Euthanasia? What? Made compulsory for our oldies or entirely nonessential (roadblocks in the path of essential overdue progress) state legislatures?

I know which ripps more from the finite taxpayer pool! And or who has and continues to contribute more! Wisdom of the years, sage advice? And worth every penny!

State governments on the other hand, most notable for time and money wasting gridlock?
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Thursday, 29 December 2016 12:18:42 PM
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I must take to task the writers derision of Jack Lang, in my opinion Australia's greatest politician who was never Prime Minister (Shorten does not rate in the top 100). I have read all of Lang's books, books and publications about Lang, and spoken with those who lived through the Lang years (Great Depression included).
On the score of "repudiation of interest payments" under the 'Lang Plan'. At that time the NSW budget was larger than the Federal budget, the states held most of the taxation and spending rights. Unemployment was running at around 30%, wages had been servery cut, starvation for many was a reality. The debt incurred was substantially owed to British bond holder (bankers) for loans taken out by the States to finance the WWI war effort to defend the Empire, in reality Britain. In 1930 the Bank of England sent Sir Otto Niemeyer to tell Australia what it must do. Niemeyer's orders to Australia were two fold, one; *even more) severe austerity measures, and two; that at all cost the British bond holders must be paid! Lang had asked for a reduction in interest rates, in line with what had been granted to Canada, and was included in the Premiers Plan for internal interest, Niemeyer called for orthodox conservative economic measures. The alternative Lang Plan was more in line with measures for recovery put forward by the great economists John Maynard Keynes which was the bases of 'The New Deal' implemented by the Roosevelt administration in the US to lift that country out of the Great Depression.
It was certainly interesting times.
Posted by Paul1405, Friday, 30 December 2016 8:40:58 AM
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100% Paul.
I've been an admirer of Jack Lang, the politician, since my teen years and my father knew him well and was an ardent supporter.
Jack's last really public appearance was when he gave a farewell speech from the steps of his old office in Auburn, NSW.
The local police sent two constables to control the expected small crowd, they had to call for more men as the crowd was so big that Auburn Road had to be closed to traffic.

I also knew JT Lang personally, but only as a somewhat distant old man, I went to school with his grandson, Jim, and we used to play tennis on JT's backyard court and he'd often come down to watch but never said much.
Posted by Is Mise, Friday, 30 December 2016 8:37:24 PM
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Hi Is Mise, something else we have in common, my father also knew Jack Lang, and was a great supporter, even through the dark years when he was expelled from the Labor Party.
People today would not understand the tough times many Australians endured during the 'Great Depression'. To give you an example, my mother who attended a country school in the Orange/Wellington district, told me of children begging her for the peel of her orange, children who went to school without shoes or a worm coat in winter. My Grandfather (mothers father) who was a cow cocky and Country Party man through and through, only ever had kinds words to say about Lang.

p/s I think the title of this tread is wrong like the author its somewhat ass about.
Posted by Paul1405, Saturday, 31 December 2016 3:50:07 AM
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The usual neo-liberal tosh from superannuated ex minister Gary Johns. Chasing cheers at The Australian is one thing, writing a decent analytical piece is another. Given his praise of workers, one might have thought his primary concern would be the 1.8 million people who are currently un/underemployed. This is the most pressing economic problem in Australia, which if addressed would resolve the government's budget problems. But the neo-liberal mindset of John's and the government means that they are unable to properly define the problem, let alone propose a workable solution.
Posted by ralph, Saturday, 31 December 2016 12:40:29 PM
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Paul,

There's a chance that your dad and mine knew each other, it wasn't all that big a movement in Sydney.
Posted by Is Mise, Saturday, 31 December 2016 2:45:38 PM
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Is Mise,

The irony of all this is Jack Lang was considered a political moderate within the labour movement, certainly mo firebrand in the mold of an Eddie Ward, who incidentally supported Lang's depression busting policies. Lang spent a lot of time battling the left faction within the Labor Party, and make no mistake the communists were a significant faction within Labor during the 1930's.
By today's standards Jack Lang would be seen to lack the political sophistication necessary for success. There is no doubt in my mine that Lang was a genuine man who only had the interests of the ordinary (suffering) people at heart, it is a pity there are not a few more Lang types in Aussie politics today. Jack Lang will still be remembered long after this what-his-name, Gary Jones is long forgotten.
Posted by Paul1405, Monday, 2 January 2017 6:45:59 AM
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The two major political factions are merely just the two wings of the same bird of prey. We might select the pilot but we sure as christ dont select the fight plan.

What these people will not tell you is that this country can afford comfortable living standards and incomes for all people not in the work force. This is because govt, supposedly being the highest authority in the land, can create money out of thin air just like banks do.

Don't believe me? read this: The Remarkable Model Of The Commonwealth Bank Of Australia by Ellen Brown,

The drivers for moving the welfare system away from individuals and on to corporations is ideological based, it nothing to do with affordability.

Make no mistake, both major factions are deeply committed to the welfare system - for the corporate sector.
Posted by Referundemdrivensocienty, Monday, 2 January 2017 4:22:15 PM
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Posted by Lazarev00091, Tuesday, 17 January 2017 3:36:58 PM
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