Auusieboy,

Yep, spot on, The Old Gina, must have done a lot of O/T to pocket $17 billion. She who simply inherited daddy's billions, wants to lecture the rest of us with "Australians are living beyond our means" and taking aim at Australia's welfare system and its recipients, saying it is sending the country further into debt. By the looks of the pic in the following story Gina hasn't gone short of a feed lately.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/australians-living-beyond-our-means-says-gina-rinehart-20140307-34ar9.html

Chris it is not "jealousy" as you like to put it, but rather the hypocrisy of the woman. If you hold to that old protestant adage 'A fair days pay for a fair days work" then by any stretch who is this women to lecture anyone.
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Paul1405
I am sure she does a "fair days work" it's just that the pay scales are a little different.

Earlier, someone mentioned restaurants and cafes. I would be very surprised if any here are not aware of the numerous closures of such businesses, and other small businesses over recent years. Large businesses have been failing too and the reputable ones with display floors and supplying quality services at a competitive price (but not the cheapest price) are not immune.

Ramped up immigration results in high population growth. Centrelink is booming. The public services and the victim industries are booming. Yet it is lack of customers that closes businesses, and the reasons for lack of customers are what exactly? Honest answers please, not just the same old political spin.

poor wages people can't afford extras
also companies that cheat tax get an unfair advantage to the ones that do the right thing

What if you paid less tax? Not taking anything from the needy, but millions could be saved if the hordes of professionals and public bureaucrats who rely on the victim industries including multiculturalism found some productive work to do and were not swinging from the guvvy teats.

At all layers of government, millions are wasted on populism - 'Should-Dos and 'Could Dos' - with the negative consequences that more taxes have to be raised (to be wasted), and people don't have money to spend or products cost too much (taxes).

I drove past an 'ethnic communities centre' today and fair dinkum from the heaps of nice new cars parked in the well-tended grounds it was the only booming (and guvvy guaranteed!) business within cooee. Around it the businesses are going to the wall, including the local food shops. The local public seem to be doing it tough too.

Obviously government and the qangos, NGOs and professionals that hang off it are the only thriving businesses. Government doesn't produce anything and it has the right to take whatever $$ likes from you, and always double- and triple-dips with its taxes. Then there is the cost of the regulations and over-government.

Maybe Big Sister Statism, aka the Nanny State, costs too much.

Where do I start?

Chris old salt, seen your favorite pin up girl on the telly this arvo. How's this for an idea, a worker like Gina who is obviously borderline morbidly obese should be forced to participate in a taxpayer funded program to get their weight under control. Then, maybe Gina could do that "fair days work" and boost productivity.

Beach "restaurants and cafes. I would be very surprised if any here are not aware of the numerous closures of such businesses, and other small businesses over recent years." Well, well, well...figures in today's SMH spending at cafe and restaurants up 11.9% in the past year. Blows a rather big hole in your statement. The biggest cause of small business failures is BAD MANAGEMENT, nothing to do with red tape or over paid workers.

"drove past an 'ethnic communities centre' today" Didn't pop in for a chat?