Individual- I generally support your view on national service. Some are of the view that it would bring bad traits into the ervices.

Hi Foxy,

The original $17.6 billion government 'stimulus package' was, I don't know what it was really, I assume it was a small dose of economic medicine followed by a larger dose with 'Jobkeeper' and 'Jobseeker' and financial measures taken by the reserve and private banks etc to aid business. At the moment the economy is being "protected" in a limited way by government intervention with stop gap measures. These measures will run out shortly, and with a do nothing policy the economic outlook for Australia and most of the world, notably America is bleak. However there is a window of opportunity for Australia to get on the front foot and reorganise our economy in such a way that at the end of it all we are a stronger nation than we were going into the pandemic.

BTW; good news, all 33 Brisbane City libraries have reopened, if only in a limited way, can borrow online and pickup at nominated branch, without paying the normal 80c transfer fee. I have a couple of books pending, one on John (Jack) Thomas Lang, the greatest Australian politician never to be prime minister. Some politicians today could take on the elements of the 'Lang Plan' as he proposed in dealing with the Great Depression in the 1930's.

that it would bring bad traits into the services.
Canem Malum,
That really should not be an argument because in that case the whole of society is at risk in every thinkable sector. I argue that a NS would in fact achieve the very opposite, it'd instil a greater sense of responsibility & actually increase the positive traits.
We really need to get to a point where good performance & behaviour are rewarded not frowned upon as a weakness !

"Morrison says reopening the economy over the next three to five years will be more difficult than closing it down, as Australia faces the "most challenging domestic and global economic environment" outside of wartime." I agree with that statement.

Today at the National Press Club, Morrison announced yet another program to boost the economy, calling it 'Jobmaker'. The thrust of this announcement was aimed at two areas of concern, one, vocational skills training, and two, industrial relations The reality is the short term economic support programs, particularly 'Jobkeeper' and a winding back of 'Jobseeker' must end relatively soon, and without support many Australians are going to fall over a financial precipice. 'Jobmaker' although of some benefit, is small beer when considering the difficulties that millions of Australians could find themselves in.

WHERE IS THE LABOR PARTY ON THIS? Albo needs to stick his neck out and call it as it is, start talking about the big daddy of programs 'Jobdestroyer' and how to fight that one. Big problems, need big thinkers, with big ideas! As yet nothing of substance has been put into the arena. Like the coming of the pandemic, time is of the essence, and our politicians need to stop beating around the bush and take real decisive action, now!

"Morrison says reopening the economy over the next three to five years......
I just hope he's seeing the present situation as the best opportunity ever to get away from present policies & mistakes.
This is a once in a lifetime only chance to reassert just about everything to do with the running of the nation & its economy !
Now is the time to stop listening to experts & engage with people who know !

Indy, we don't often agree, but your above post is 100% correct. This is not time for tinkering around the edges. I listened to the so called 'Jobmaker' speech from Morrison yesterday, as he doled out the rhetoric and a few platitude. I waited for the bold announcements that would be aimed at building the economy, big plans, big ideas, with the objective of turning things around. I waited, and I waited, and all I got was a couple of wishy-washy announcements about vocational training and industrial relations, nothing earth shattering, nothing of real substance. WHERE IS THE LABOR PARTY ON THIS?

Indy, I may not totally agree with your national service idea, and I have said that to you in the past. I can't support national service as a form of punishment for the disadvantaged, or as means of shelving unemployed youth, but introduced with the objective of better equipping young people for the future, as a properly tailored to ones needs program it has merit. Done as an integrated program with real education and real career targets and outcomes, it could be a positive. I certainly would not want it to contain any sort of military training, and I would want it to be universal, no exemptions for the kids of the better off's, none of this I'm exempt, daddy is going to make me manager of one of his cheesy factories when I turn 18, kid your in! What do you say to that?