The federal and state budgets already provide a huge redistribution from the rich to the poor. Expenditure from both governments works out at about $15000 per person or $60000 for a typical family of two adults and two children. That same family has a median income of less than $60000. In other words government spending per median income person is more than that person’s income. Where is the money coming from, Tristan?

Before you pillory and condemn corporate Australia, remember that they are paying the bills.

Rob88
taxpayers money regularly goes into propping up increasingly unprofitable (and poor quality) industries like local car manufacturing, or subsidising the fossil fuel/coal mining industry (as just two examples) often to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

where do your figures come from? to suggest that 'corporate australia' pays everyone's bills in some altruistic sense is utterly absurd.

Great article Tristen. Let's the cat out of the bag and outlines a clear argument for turning the Australian economy on its head with a huge increase in unemployment and poverty.

Sniggid: if you'd care to outline your specific objections I might be able to response to your criticisms. Instead you've just taken a cheap shot with no substance.

How would expanded Medicare into dental programs results in 'unemployment and poverty'?

And if the Americans can have 35% company tax at a federal level, and 5% at a state level, why does an infrastructure levy of up to 4%result in 'unemployment and poverty' - especially when it's complemented by extra industry assistance and incentives for high wage export and import replacement industry? The BCA recognises that underinvestment in roads, rail, ports, communications, education etc is at crisis point. Would you rather we sat on our hands and did nothing, or do you want ordinary tax payers to entirely pay the price for infrastructure from which business benefits?

And what does an industry policy which prioritises high wage industries have to do with 'a massive increase in unemployment and poverty'? Pro-active industry policies have been very successful in areas like Scandanavia and Japan.

Or is it the IR component you object to? Do you really think it is cheap labour that is soaking up uemployment in Australia, and do you think 'letting the labour market clear' is the only way of tackling unemployment: or do you recognise (sensibly) that reduced unemployment now is a consequence of the resources boom?

Finally, a carbon tax would be an impost on polluting business yes - but an emissions trading system would be similarly costly, but would not be as dependable as a revenue source for government.

Tristan

Tristan’s treatise in which he pushes the line of ‘take this ALP pill and all problems will disappear’ fails the credibility test. Let’s start with health. It was Richo who as federal ALP health minister admitted that we were spending in the area of 10 cents per day on each Australian female afflicted with breast cancer. How caring is that Tristan? The only time federal Labor has had success with our health system is when Keating underwent that famous personality bypass operation.

Tristan mentions that hoary issue of investment in infrastructure. Hawke had the chance to do just that when he came to power promising to build the Alice Springs – Darwin rail line. That was quickly dropped once he became PM. Hawke did manage to build The Mekong River Friendship Bridge, which connected Thailand and Laos across the Mekong River and soaked up many millions of Australian dollars. Is that how we improve our infrastructure under Labor Tristan? And why would we need to spend money on our infrastructure anyway Tristan. Wasn’t it the “world’s greatest treasurer” and ALP deity who wanted our economy based on tourism and services?

Every party has a water policy by now Tristan. Rudd’s way of dealing with water shortages was to campaign for the cancellation of the Wolfdene Dam. He was successful in having this vital piece of infrastructure (there’s that nasty word again Tristan) dropped from the visionary party; the ALP. Here in NSW we pipe our sewage out to sea abeam North Head and when the currents sweep it to an area abeam Cronulla the ALP's plan is to suck it up into a desalination plant, clean it up and then feed it into our drinking water. Pretty clever, eh what.

Re-establish a public bank. How brilliant Tristan. But wasn’t it federal Labor who sold off the Commonwealth Bank?

Sorry Tristan, the ALP have about as much credibility as the Liberal – NP coalition.

We should load our politicians onto a barge, tow it out to sea and sink it.

Sniggid,
We have poverty, homelessness now under this system, you probably don't see it in the circles you move in but believe me for supposedly the wealthiest nation on Earth, we have a great deal of poverty, perhaps too much money concentrated among too few?