Setting aside the mechanics and the ramifications for Labor and the Greens later on if they were to block supply in the Senate, they should do it as matter of principle… if they have a significantly better plan to present to the Australian people.

But alas, they don’t.

They so easily could have. If they could just see that one of the biggest factors connected to the budget, and to the demand for government expenditure, is our absurdly high immigration rate, which demands a phenomenal amount of duplication of basic infrastructure and services, and upgrading of existing stuff, and undertook to greatly reduce immigration, at least until the budget is fully back on track, then they would surely have a very good case for blocking Abbott/Hockey’s budget.

But of course they are not going to do this, which essentially means that whatever they might do would be scant little different from the Coalition approach. The only difference would be that their plan would impact less on us now and hence more on us in the future, because the budgetary deficit and spending mismatch would not get addressed.

In the absence of any semblance of a reasonable plan, Labor and the rest of the non-Coalition rabble may as well just let the budget pass. They should push for a few changes here and there by all means. But that would be nothing more than a bit of deck-chair rearranging, of no real meaning in the bigger picture.

Hypothetically, blocking the budget will create a constitutional crisis. This can be resolved several ways:

1 Most labor supporters would prefer a DD election . The coalition is unlikely to call a DD election, which according to present polls labor would win, However, an election would force labor to produce costed policies which would likely change the polls considerably, especially considering their poor economic standing. Winning the election would put labor in an impossible position of having to implement many of the policies they opposed.

2 The GG dissolves the parliament and calls new elections with similar consequences as above. However, after 1975, a freshly minted GG would most likely be reluctant.

3 The money stops and a coalition vs Labor T party like standoff occurs. This would most likely damage labor more than the coalition.

In other words the nuclear option of blocking the budget has no good outcomes for Labor.

Well, if we're going to have a constitutional crisis, then I can't think of a better moral crisis to have a constitutional crisis about.

Calling this budget 'bold' is pathetic and laughable. It's a sickening coward's budget. There is nothing at all bold about kicking sand in the faces of people who are ageing, disabled or fallen on hard times.

In fact, Australian politics has become so delusional, arrogant, insular and cowardly that a knock 'em down drag 'em out constitutional crisis might provide the kick up the butt they very much need.

Andrew Wilkie and the greens may be loading the double dissolution shotgun, but others with far more courage and conviction, as opposed to self interest, will have to fire it!
And that just ain't gonna happen, I'd bet my house on it!
There's a saying, when self interest comes in the door, courage of conviction and pragmatism, flies out the window!
Mr Anonymous, an Irishman to be sure, has written quite a lot of these little homilies?
Rhrosty.

The loony left don't have enough brains to realize the consequences of their opposition to the budget so they might do the unthinkable anyway.

The aged are not doing too badly out of it. If they work to a budget of their own, don't squander their money on grog, pokies and fags, they should get by reasonably well.

We all have to make a contribution to the mess that Labor got us in to.

David

This "budget" is nothing more than a "political advertisement" for the Liberal Party, sure it will achieve what looks like "bold" finical progress in the short term, but governments are not "employed" to pull this type of stunt, they take on the responsibly of managing TAXPAYERS funds in such a way that is beneficial to all, not belt those they think can't fight back. There is NO "budget emergency" our finical position is not as worrisome as Abbott/Hockey would have you believe, but they cynically are trying to paint a "bold" picture before the next election, Governments are NOT supposed to achieve massive surpluses, a lot of people have been taken in by the sale of Telstra and increases of taxation (GST)in the Costello/Howard aria, a "surplus" makes some people feel "warm and fussy" but there is nothing wrong with running the business of Government with a small "overdraft" sitting on a surplus is not the best way to use "our" money, the finical "rush" that they are trying is unnecessary, good results can be achieved without the disruption to our society, by less aggressive action over a longer period.