Yep, anyone with even half a brain, who considered the last 2 Labor Commonwealth governments, & the last 2 Queensland Labor governments could not even consider voting them in again this centaury.

It will be very interesting to watch these next elections. It will tell us how many Ozzies actually think about the capability of the parties, when they vote.

Like we see of so many on here, I expect ideology will cap any application of sound thought yet again, come voting time.

I wonder who the new LNP Queensland premier will be?

onthebeach, not being a Banana Bender myself, I don't know enough about how the Bligh government ran up the debt to give a meaningful comment. That's why I responded here not in the Queensland Election thread.

But even if the criticism of Anna Bligh is completely accurate, that doesn't change the fact that "I can't think of a single instance of a Liberal government not resorting to false economies to pay down the debt, and the Newman government's proposed asset sale looks to be just another example of that".

Although thinking about it a bit more, I expect there's at least one counterexample in WA.

...How do you propose income tax be illuminated?

A financial transaction tax Aiden, a tax on every single bank transaction, and given paper money is now forming the minority of transactions, it would be easier than ever to implement and even cash transaction would eventually end up in the bank at some point.

You see income tax is a tax on ones efforts, whereas a TT is a tax on spending and, as each dollar circulates, it collects taxes along the way. Although we may have a multi trillion dollar economy, doesn't mean we have trillions of dollars, it means the same dollars just get shifted around, hundreds, if not thousands of times each day.

The GST is inefficient because while half the public pay the tax, the other half (ABN holders) get theirs back. Quite often it's the ones paying the tax that can least afford it. Whereas a TT of just 2% means for every $1000 spent, just $20 will be paid in tax and not a cent more.

You see if this tax were to be introduced, and people on average wages had an additional say $300 to spend, each and every week, the economy would have an ongoing stimulation. It's coming, maybe not in my time, but as technology advances, I'm sure this tax will come in and very very few will be able to avoid it.

Aidan,

I have never been comfortable with the sale of money making enterprises such as the Commonwealth Bank. So as you know where I am coming from.

When you are talking about sales and privatisation there is an ideology behind it that has been around for a long time and well before the present Queensland premier. Here is a view from the left that gives some potted history,

http://www.solidarity.net.au/unions/labors-love-affair-with-the-market-the-keating-years/

Aiden, that saying of Barnaby Joyce's;
Manage your debt or your debt manages you !

Seems very relevant today.
The government's reluctance to borrow and eagerness to repay loans is
looking to me like the government has realised what is happening to the
wold economy and is trying to clear the decks for the next financial collapse.
There are strong indications that there will be a marked reduction in
oil production by the end of this year and a climb in price.
The whole oil industry in the US is on a razor's edge financially.
The banks hold large derivative risk on the tight shale industry.

Aside from all that the government appears to be worried about the
future and with good cause.
Personally, I suggest you move some of your funds into credit unions
as I think they will not be touched by the Financial Stability Board.
I have written to my MHR to try and get clarification on that.
Three weeks later no reply.

Yes Bazz, and I think this one will really hurt, because there's no fat anymore.

While the US market has been on fire, this growth has been during a time when the fed have been stimulating their economy. Look out when they decide enough is enough