Did anyone vote to import more than a million people in just the next few years? Did Anthony Albanese even once mention during the election that Australia would grow by more than the entire population of Auckland, or Adelaide, in just five years?
But, not just Big, but Mega Australia is what Labor are foisting on Australians, whether we like it or not.
With the inflation forecast central to the political fight over the budget, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton launched an incendiary attack by claiming the 1.5 million migrants due to arrive over the next five years would push up prices for all Australians.
Does anyone in their right minds think that, in the middle of a critical shortage of housing, that the biggest surge in Australia’s population since Federation is even remotely feasible?
But population experts countered the claim by saying the intake had only a “marginal” impact on prices and pointing out the new budget forecast was similar to a previous Coalition outlook – 1.3 million migrants over five years – just before the pandemic.
So, just because both parties are equally deranged, that makes it right?
As for “experts” — well, the last three years have taught us everything we need to know about “experts”.
Both major political parties and “experts”… so, that indeed rules out anyone in their right minds.
And on top of a continuing housing crisis, we can look forward to a continuing surge in inflation.
[Treasurer Jim Chalmers] defended the budget outlays on Medicare, energy, unemployment benefits, rent assistance and income support by pointing to Treasury analysis that showed the energy subsidies would reduce inflation by 0.75 percentage points and help cut the headline rate to 3.25 per cent by June 2024.
The only problem with this line of BS is that it deliberately excluded most of the big government spending that assuredly will drive up inflation.
But the Treasury analysis did not consider all the additional spending in the 2024 financial year, which amounts to at least $12 billion and includes other measures such as help for small businesses and new subsidies for medicine. Another spending measure not included in the $12 billion is the federal pledge to lift wages for aged care workers, costing about $2.2 billion each year.
The Age
And just to prove that deranged detachment from reality isn’t confined to the major parties, along comes Jacqui Lambie, who apparently expects doctors to lose money, or else.
Senator Jacqui Lambie has warned Tasmanian GPs who are not bulk billing patients that she will be “coming for” them.
The Tasmanian senator was asked on ABC Radio National this morning if she was worried about GPs not using the bulk-billing incentive the government announced in the budget.
Here was Lambie’s response:
I’ll say this to my GPs in Tasmania because considering our population is elderly and by capita we bulk-bill less than anywhere else around the country … there’s no excuse any more and I will be coming for you.”
The government unveiled a $3.5 billion package to triple the financial reward for doctors who don’t charge their most vulnerable patients gap fees in the budget on Tuesday.
The Age
What Lambie is either ignoring or is incapable of grasping is that, even with billions more taxpayer dollars thrown around by a reckless Treasurer with an Arts degree from a Wheaties packet, GPs will still be nearly $20 out of pocket every time they bulk bill. That’s nearly a quarter of the average consult fee.
Will Lambie take a quarter pay cut?