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.

Its staggering how viciously dishonest the enemies of the elected Government are. No budget emergency?

The Labor Government left a trail of giant landmines, and implemented a scorched earth policy on the nations finances. The liberals are basically boxed in because they need to spend years digging us out of a hole.

Labor should not be getting fat pensions; they should be in jail for deliberate sabotage of the country's future. The people voted the scum out, and this budget is what has to be done. A pity it wasnt done harder, because it doesn't remove any debt at all.

VK3AUU

If ONLY people had the option of squandering their money on 'grog, pokies and fags'!

Instead, they are squandering their money on crippling mortgages, rents, health/property insurance, their kids' education (due to a run down public education system), running 2+ cars per household (because of a run down public transport system) and of course the skyrocketing cost of living due to unfettered commodity and property speculation.

And the few who ARE able to save now earn next to zero interest rates because of a collapsed world financial system.

I can’t comment on the American situation, other than to observe it seems like a mess.

In Australia, blocking supply always seems unthinkable until we have a ‘crisis’; real or manufactured. The people are easily panicked. All you need is the threat of the unknown, then with the media behind you, it is easy to manufacture a crisis. George Winterton was simply wrong on this point. It is, after all, a political question, not a legal one.

For example, between 2010-2013, Abbott convinced himself that the elected Government was somehow illegitimate, and his supporters - the people with money - jumped on the bandwagon and tried to make out that everything their opponents did was disastrous. The truth did not matter to them. There can be no doubt that the coalition would have blocked supply in that period if it had held the numbers in the Senate.

The tactic is in fact more likely to be used here than in America, because here remnant Crown powers to appoint and dismiss the Government allow the Senate majority to aim not just to frustrate and embarrass the Government, but to remove it from power altogether.

It may seem unthinkable in mid 2014. But just consider the political effect of several climate disasters, such as cyclones and bush fires, in quick succession. At that point, inaction on climate change will seem more dangerous than the status quo. There would then be a groundswell from the public to remove the Abbott Government, emboldening the Senate.

It is foolish to do nothing and simply hope that the blocking of supply is unthinkable. The better option is to use the public’s preference for a republic to remove not just the monarchy, but all Crown power as well. This would remove an opposition’s incentive to block supply. This is what the Advancing Democracy model proposes: see www.advancingdemocracy.info.

If Labor blocks supply the government will make sure that anyone who might support Labor will suffer. Pensioners, teachers, Public servants etc etc would not be paid and the murdoch media would have a field day. The shock jocks and the spinners would paint Labor as wrecking the economy and being negative just for the sake of it.

The senate should just block every budget bill while not blocking supply bills. Then it puts abbott in a corner where he can either abandon his budget, pretty humiliating, or go to an election to gain a mandate, one the senate cant foil, and then pass the budget.
If he wins.

Come on abbott. If your budget is so good. If you didnt LIE! If your budget is so fair. You should romp it in in a double dissolution.
He already has one trigger. Soon he will have many. I bet he loves power too much to risk it. Filthy coward.

Let the people decide.
ELECTION NOW!

There is nothing at all bold about kicking sand in the faces of people who are ageing, disabled or fallen on hard times.
Killarney,
Yes, typical Labor. First they wreck the joint then they blame the new tennant. Disgusting is all that come s to mind. Disgusting hypocrisy ! What did they do with the money that was supposed to go to those people ? I have heard Krudd is on $600,000.- a year & the Goaf has cost us millions by now after sending us broke. He doesn't need his millions, he probably doesn't even know he's got them. Give some of it to more deserving of those poor you mentioend.

Another extremely important subject thread & again as per usual the hangers-on brigade remains stumm. Too much fact for them ?

Let the people decide.
mikk,
in case you haven't noticed Australians did decide at the last election, you're just one of the hangers-on who are scared $hitless your bandwagon is slowing down. Nothing to do with lies etc. It's about the hangers-on brigade & nothing else. Because there are so many of you useless citizens we can't have an election now because you'd ruin everything AGAIN !
The Abbott Government is in the re-building Australia process & all you traitors want to do is to ruin it all again just for your own benefit. I can't think of words bad enough to describe the likes of you.

"in case you haven't noticed Australians did decide at the last election,"

Yeah decided on the basis of a pack of LIES from rabbott. As the current polls prove, if the lieberals had been honest about their policies they would not have won. They would have lost miserably. 36 seats as we speak. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2014/06/12/bludgertrack-53-7-46-3-to-labor/

As such it is perfectly reasonable to call for a new election. Far more reasonable than it ever was when rabbott chanted it for years. And hypocrites like you never uttered a word against him and his constant "election now" bleat. So now you can suck it up. You have no credibility at all. A laughing stock really.

You wish it wasnt about lies. You probably fool yourself that only labor lies matter. But we are not all fools like you and the rest of the rightards here.

The people will smash this vile government the same as they did to coward after he tried to shaft them with serf choices.

"Because there are so many of you useless citizens we can't have an election now because you'd ruin everything AGAIN !"
What a disgusting thing to write. So if labor win it is because of all the "useless people ruining things"?
Whats next indi? A bit of sterilizing the poor, gas a few disabled, hunt down a few "useless people", a new Auschwitz?.
What a bastard! Just like the rest of these born to rule scum. One step away from being nazis.

The real "traitors" are the ones selling us out to the billionaires and the septics. Making war on desperate refugees and defenseless third world countries. Attacking pensioners, the unemployed, students and the sick. Taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich.

Rebuilding the inequality and serfdom of the past is all this stain of a government is about.

Come on rabbott.
ELECTION NOW!

Mikk,

What we see in the polls is that people don't like the liberals cutting off the rivers of gold that labor was spending. There is more than 2 years for the swing to continue.

Secondly don't mistake a poll protest for the way voters will actually go. Labor's incompetence is still fresh in the minds of voters and with an election campaign Shorten's complete lack of policy solutions to the deficit will bite him in the backside. Graham Richardson gives some clarity:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/labor-no-chance-in-a-doubledissolution-election/story-fnfenwor-1226960445978