I'm not entirely convinced by the ALP's stimulus policy but by the same token I don't see anything specific from the Liberals to get my teeth into. It all seems so wishy washy from both sides and that makes me uncomfortable.

I hear that this GFC is going to last for anything from three to ten years, so i'm looking for a package that will benfit Australia for the same period and at the same time possitions Austraila to come out of the crisis better, faster, stonger.

This to me means skills, modernisation, infrastructure, investment and jobs.

Insulation bats may help reduce energy consumption and a small part of only one industry. Misses the point?

School refurbishments may be nice but don't actually do anything for education or skills development. Misses the point?

I have yet to see what is meant by "infrastructure" so we don't really know. Might miss the point?

We could go back to the Keating "recession we had to have", we could go back to an unemployment rate at that time of over 10%, We could go back to interest rates of 18% and a national debt of $92 billion. We all want to avoid that and we are nowhere near that yet. Are these good enough reasons for a little caution?

I also think of the infrastructure spending in terms of not just temporary "job creation". I also think of State Rail, State Schools, State Roads and State Hospitals as infrastructure. Doesn't this mean "State Management" of jointly funded infrastructure? Should we ask the question, what have the State governments been doing for the past ten years that require so much extra funding?

Ludwig,I think that Kevin needs to consult with Obama and write some inspirational speeches.Get some positive ads running in the media.Instead of all this negativity,talk about the positives ie Our banks are in a much stronger financial position,we can supply all our own food and energy if need be.Our primary industries with food and energy shortages,devaluation of our $ are in a prime position for expansion.We have abundant resources,water and land.All we need is someone with the will,courage and foresight to get the ball rolling.Kevin and many others want to cringe into more socialism.Govts can't get their own budgets to balance what hope have they of running private enterprise?

We are doing exactly what they did during the Great Depression.Print or borrow more money,which will eventually cause hyper-inflation,businesses go broke so we have shortages further pushing up prices.It becomes a self fufilling prophecy.Your currency then collapses which in turn causes more hardship.

Yes,hit it with a circuit breaker now,but it must be planned and co-ordinated.You have to know when to stop the stimulus.Mixed signals coming from the Govt worsens the situation.The problem is that Kevin the control freak will not listen to advice.

Well Ludwig, please warn me if you ever run for PM.

I will sell both my shops and retire on half the minimum wage then either sell drugs or work say three days a week for cash, which is pretty much what some of them do today.

Man arnt I stupid in thinking that one has to WORK for a living when all I have to do is do nothing and get a pay increase for the privlige as you suggest! All in the name of keeping the ecconomy afloat hey.

There are already too few of us who pay ALL the bills in this country, can't you understand that yet!

Rehctub,
Good idea but needs more work
My mum bought a fridge her old one was 35 yo. She doesn't have the where-for-all to have spent $1000 then go and a refund.
Medicare would need to hold buckets of money then access to the branches. Then the risk of crime.
I think your details are a bit out of date. The Retail industry recently announced that December was better than last December by a significant ammount. showing that handouts worked.

Dear Foxy,
There has to be one in every bunch...I guess I'm it.
In answer to your question yes the Libs have lost the plot but so has the ALP, Greens etc. Have you ever seen the pictures of a spider’s web when the spider was fed LSD?

Our system is like that so complex yet all the parts don’t relate to each other in any comprehendible or sensible way. The manic servant runs the asylum and those in power maintain its hold.

All either side’s strategy seems to be is give varying quality toy floatation vests to the passengers of the Titanic. While giving comfy ocean going yachts to those who caused the disaster.

No one seems to be able to see that the water outside is freezing the passengers need real solutions. We need creative thinking, a new paradigm this one is broken.

We have the solutions all we need to do have the courage to implement them.

Ludwig
Australia for the Australians is a wee bit too late what the others do where ever they are affects us. As I said before ZPG is a good idea but *how * do we implement…”it’s going to be difficult” is stating the bleeding obvious.
Likewise how will less migration help with the financial crisis…another 50Cents each?
Can I suggest we give them a reason to stay home by helping to develop their countries rather than simply exploiting them or the inhuman pacific solution?
In the long run the latter will come back and bite us as will closing the door.

Somehow I doubt we will be workshopping our way out of this, we're pretty much pharked.