Greenwash Political Action Party and Urban Grassroots Movement for the Green Party

Friday, May 19, 2006

Beazley Budget Reply Bombs

I spent this week’s Greenwash spot on 2SER having a go at Beazley’s budget reply.

Firstly, Labor’s response was lame because the Howard Government had actually delivered what Labor had been asking for: tax cuts and bigger tax cuts for the rich. Cutting the top marginal rate was not even criticised by the ALP. How pathetic. The dye was cast when I watched opposition spokesperson Wayne Swan on the 7.30 Report on Budget night. He used his first comments on air to actually praise Costello’s 11th Budget.

Labor had been going on about the need for tax cuts all year. Some Labor figures like Bill Shorten and Lindsay Tanner had actually been calling for tax cuts for the rich. And Beazley certainly didn’t distance himself from that. The Howard delivered them.

But it got worse. Beazley’s budget reply didn’t even mention the big superannuation changes which amount to a great big future tax cut for the wealthy. Talk about stealing from future generations. Stealing from the future poor and stealing from the future public sector which will now not have the tax revenue to pay for decent services. Meanwhile pensioners miss out. Read more here from Bob Brown and the paper produced by Greens adviser Richard Denniss and listen to a good interview Bob gave to Life Matters on Radio National on the topic. Also see Ross Gittins in the SMH for some similar ideas.

Then it got worse still when Beazley entertained the worse style of dog whistle politics.

Beazley announced that Labor would ban foreign apprentices. This is reminiscent of Howard’s best efforts such as when he was went soft on Hanson. I say 'of the worse kind' because it seems there are almost no foreign apprentices in Australia anyway. Ie, Beazley is just making the dog whistle sound, knowing his policy will have no effect except to appeal to the xenophobes. While I think there might be some genuine issue in terms of foreign contractors and workers (because there is a large amount of them and they probably are under-cutting wages and conditions and union rights), there are hardly any foreign apprentices in Australia. I heard one figure of 200 but it actually may only be a few dozen that exist. Compare this to "Germany which has tens and tens of thousands.

According to a UK website, foreign apprenticeships in Australia are only granted if locals can not be found. The scheme only started on Nov 1 last year - "New Immigration laws in effect from November 1st 2005 allow Australian employers to recruit apprentices from overseas if they are unable to find them in Australia." And indeed that is what the immigration department's website says.

But I’m now worried. Andrew Bolt on Insiders on ABC TV last week and Christian Kerr on Crikey have made the same criticism of Beazley. Both accused him of dog whistle politics. Being in bed with Kerr and Bolt is not comfortable.

posted by Ben Oquist # 4:24 PM 0 comments