Cui bono is a Latin phrase that translates as ‘to whom is it a benefit’. It is a question we should be asking when entering the polling booth in a few weeks.
In the mid 1970’s the Whitlam ALP government introduced Medibank, a universal healthcare system that, at worst, reduced significantly the cost of health care across the nation. The Fraser Coalition government effectively started the process that turned Medibank into the private health fund it is today. The Hawke ALP government reintroduced universal subsidised (or free) healthcare and coined the Medicare branding. The Howard Coalition government tried to scrap Medicare but was met with public outcry, so determined to emasculate it. They reducing the payments made to medical professionals who chose to directly invoice Medicare (bulk bill) rather than charge the patient. Doctors do have to run a business as well as provide healthcare, so most made the decision to charge the patient.
While the Rudd/Gillard ALP government increased the level of payments to medical professionals to an extent, most patients were still directly charged. When the ATM (Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison) Coalition government came to power, current Opposition Leader Peter Dutton became Health Minister and attempted to introduce a $7 co-payment to see a General Practitioner as well as remove the Rudd/Gillard promised $50billion in additional funding from the health care budget. The co-payment was quickly reversed due to the public outcry and the cuts to the health care budget were reversed in 2017 by the Turnbull government.
The Conversation concluded in May 2016 that claims the coalition cut $50 billion from hospitals (along with about $30 billion from schools) were misleading, and it would be more accurate to say Labor’s 2013 plans were “unpromised” by the coalition.
Lesley Russell, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Sydney’s Leeder Centre for Health Policy, said a lot had happened to national health reform funding after the 2014 budget, including federal funding changes during COVID-19.
“It is absolutely accurate to say that Dutton had the intention to cut $50 billion,” Dr Russell told AAP FactCheck.
She said the 2014-15 budget also changed preventative health policies, referencing axing the national preventive health agency, which had an enduring impact on the budget.
“If prevention had been done well … a decade ago, arguably we would be spending much less on managing chronic illnesses in hospitals now,” she said.
In the ‘good ol’ days’ Australia had the Postmaster General’s Department who managed the postal and telecommunications systems across the nation. As the telecommunications part of the role gained prominence with the introduction of computers and the internet, the Department was split into Australia Post and Telecom Australia. The Howard Coalition government chose to privatise (sell off) Telecom Australia as one entity – creating a monopoly for the provision of communications infrastructure as well as the retailer. By comparison, New Zealand and elsewhere created a ‘wholesale’ company who owned the infrastructure and a ‘retail’ company to introduce some competitive pressure into the system. The Rudd/Gillard ALP government created NBN Co to assume the role of the ‘wholesaler’ of communications infrastructure.
But it came with a huge taxpayer bill, with the Gillard Government in 2011 agreeing to pay Telstra $9 billion in instalments for its fixed line customers to migrate to the NBN.
The NBN wasn’t fully completed during the Rudd/Gillard ALP government.
After being given the position of Communications Minister under Abbott, Turnbull chose to change the design standard to a ‘multi-technology mode’ reusing previously retired copper cable.
This change to MTM was marketed as a cost-saving move by Turnbull. But, the massive amount of rectification works required quickly saw the price tag for the NBN jump from $30 billion to more than $50 billion.
In the end, Australians have been left with an expensive NBN dud that costs many customers [more] than the old ADSL service it replaced, and often is not much faster.
The Albanese ALP government is investing $3 billion into the NBN to upgrade the remaining 622.000 customers from a copper to fibre connection. The Coalition voted against legislation in the recent parliament to keep the NBN in public hands.
During the past few years, Australians have been discussing emissions reduction. The Coalition’s talking points include
- emissions legislation will ruin the weekend (increasingly unlikely as there are an increasing number of low/no emissions vehicles capable of going almost anywhere),
- we need gas/coal/nuclear for ‘baseload’ power (we don’t – base load power is the minimum output required to keep a coal fired power station operational)
- solar panels will take up arable grazing land (maybe but there are benefits to that as well)
- wind turbines look ugly and kill birds/whales (depending on where they are located)
as well as pointing to a possible nuclear future in the 2040s.
What the Coalition and their fellow travellers haven’t told us is why it is detrimental to our nation if we reduce emissions, even if the science around climate change is wrong. There is evidence of a number of health benefits if the volume of pollutants in the atmosphere is reduced. After years of faffing around by the ATM Coalition government, the Albanese ALP government has introduced the NVES (National Vehicle Emissions Scheme) and other legislation with the intention of ensuring that the volume of harmful emissions generated gradually reduces.
The NVES means should a vehicle importer sell a range of vehicles that, on average, do not comply with the limit, they will be fined per vehicle delivered and per gram of pollutants over the permissible limit. The legislation is similar in concept to legislation in all other OECD countries except Russia.
Dutton has gone to the election suggesting that he will eliminate the ‘fines’ that would be paid by vehicle importers for breaching the limit, claiming the limits on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are unreasonable and importers won’t meet them. It’s a strange argument as the legislation mimics international legislation which vehicle importers and manufacturers seem to be able to meet by either buying credits from manufacturers/importers who have a range that consumes less than the required limits or adjusting the range of vehicles that are available for sale. In a similar way, Dutton is seriously suggesting burning more CO2 emitting gas to cover the shortfall between the demise of obsolete coal fired power stations and the introduction of nuclear power sometime in the 2040s is a rational decision to reduce emissions.
It was the Rudd/Gillard ALP government that steered Australia through the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ without a recession. The Albanese ALP government readjusted the Morrison Coalition’s Stage 3 Tax Cuts to ensure those on a lower income received a greater benefit. While the Howard government set up a future fund with windfall mining gains, the Norwegian governments future fund taxed resources companies at a far higher rate and now funds around 20% of Norway’s annual budget – gained from a 3 or 4% return on funds invested. Ours won’t be drawn on until at least 2026.
While Albanese’s ALP government may have not acted as quickly or as decisively as some would like, they seem to be on the right side of history when it comes improving the living standards of the majority of Australians rather than selected groups.
So before you vote, ask yourself – cui bono.
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The latest thought bubble is a promise from the coalition today to make house mortgage payments tax deductible. The last time this happened was under Whitlam, and it was immediately abolished by the Fraser Government. Which meant that people who bought their first home in 1974-75, never received much First Home Buyers’ Assistance.
I hope this proposal will be fully analysed, as it could be considered a generous support
Lyndal, that would help home buyers take on larger debts. They would still need to outbid investors who are already using that leverage on their rentals. I reckon the banks would be on board with the idea of increasing the size of loans as the debt they facilitate costs them zilch. All home owners would also benefit as house prices surge again. Therefore this inflationary lever will get the green light imo.
Consecutive conservative/private sector representatives since Ratso Howard, have screwed the country blind on behalf of themselves and their owners.Boofhead and most of the rest of them have been part of this socially destructive ideology, and they still peddle the same bullshit,believing most people have the memory of a house fly.
Today, according to he who will never be Prime Minister,we are to become a ‘nuclear powerhouse’, demonstrating, once again, that they don’t give a big rat’s arse about climate change,not to say facts.
… solar panels will take up arable grazing land (maybe but there are benefits to that as well)
Experience so far shows that most livestock have no problems co-existing with solar arrays – the panels are mounted on legs that lift them high enough for the animals to graze underneath. Dewfall run-off and shade increase the amount of grass under panels in many areas.
… wind turbines look ugly and kill birds/whales (depending on where they are located)
Surveying and construction may create temporary issues for marine life but, once off-shore turbines are in place, that issue no longer exists. Whatever is used to anchor them creates new habitat for other marine life, from invertebrates to large fish.
Onshore turbines are nowhere near as ugly as your average coalmine or coal-burning power station. As long as they avoid sensitive areas (migration corridors, habitat for threatened/rare species, etc), birdstrike is relatively rare.
Lyndal:
From what Iive read, it’s only for new construction. Most first-home-buyers don’t build from scratch, they purchase existing buildings. So it isn’t going to help many people and will just make housing in general less affordable because prices will inevitably rise.
Let us remember that Medicare is a Tax-Payer provided Social Security entity, which I fully endorse. However, Right-Wing taxpayers have a right to ask, who is this major cost benefitting?
Herein, I’d like to add MY support to the notion that universal health care supports the entire Civilised Community which we all depend on. For those who don’t get it, Medicare actually maintains the workforce who do the jobs you don’t want to. Lets face it, there are many jobs we can’t or don’t want to do anymore as we get older.
Not only do Australians not want to work anymore (thanks to the glut of the Baby Boomers), we don’t even want to quote for work! How many small communities are facing a shortage of Tradesmen, or even Handymen to complete the jobs that used to be done and dusted in a matter of days!?
Why is it so hard to find a Handyman/Tradesman to work on my private property anymore? Perhaps because there is so much work available…….
Make NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, if, for some insane irrational reason that megalomaniacal, narcissistic, callously inhumane political psychopath, Dutton, rises to become the LNP’s NEXT “worst, most depraved and dangerously undemocratic fascist Crime Minister” of our nation, Dutton will IMMEDIATELY reverse, defund, destroy and/or annihilate ANYTHING he falsely promised during his current devious political campaign. NEVER FORGET that the elitist sociopaths in the LNP have NEVER achieved a single thing – not ONE. SINGLE. THING – that provided ANY benefit, whatsoever, to ordinary working- and middle-class Australians – NEVER! Dutton’s non-stop attempts to slander the ALP, the Greens or ANYONE who has the foresight to expose Dutton and the LNP for their endless lies, greed and depravity have been backed-up and supported by the ruthless, Z-rated, talentless hacks in the thoroughly discredited Murdoch media – a haven for right-wing extremists that has deteriorated to become nothing more than an unofficial MEGAPHONE for the cruel, racist, misogynistic and elitist LNP agenda!
You only have to take a good, long LOOK at the low, low “calibre” of repugnant, hideously corrupt sociopaths who have now come crawling out of the woodwork in a pathetic attempt to try and support Peter Dutton, truly one of the most unpopular, corrupt and hateful politicians in our history. Here they are:
The truly vile war criminal, JOHN HOWARD, who jumped at the chance to join the American bandwagon (under the misguided, now notorious, mismanagement of George W Bush) and allowed our nation to be thoroughly manipulated into sacrificing the lives of countless young Australians in America’s hideous and ILLEGAL invasion of Iraq;
The recidivist liar and rusted-on misogynist, TONY (Phony) ABBOTT, an inarticulate, mumbling, intellectual midget who’s ONLY “claim to fame” was gained through one of his notorious political speeches that included the outrageously sexist statement “… as the housewives of Australia are doing the ironing …..” (refer link below)…
https://www.smh.com.au/national/abbott-accused-of-being-incredibly-oldfashioned-as-he-lets-off-steam-20100209-nnqr.html
The bone-idle, internationally-condemned pathological liar, SLOTH MORRISON, who (like Abbott) is yet ANOTHER ultra-conservative, bible-thumping hypocrite who remains a signed-up member of the paedophile-protecting CULT of Hillsong! The reality is that Morrison is a totally incompetent, arrogant, megalomaniacal sociopath who’s mismanagement of our nation’s finances left Australia in appalling debt. Morrison was a coward who had such a callous disregard for Australians that, during one of the worst bushfires in our history, he and his family (at taxpayers’ expense) abandoned Australia to take a holiday in Hawaii! WOW! The long, endless summary of Morrison’s fcku-ups can be summarised here …..
https://grahamperrett.client.trfg.au/media/opinion-pieces/scott-morrison-the-great-australian-disaster/
Talking about cowardly LNP PM’s fleeing disaster areas, Dutton did EXACTLY the same thing during the destructive floods in northern NSW and southern Queensland (caused by the catastrophic Cyclone Alfred) when Dutton decided to avoid the floods that grossly impacted his OWN electorate and, instead, jetted to Sydney in order to join Justin Hemmes – in the luxury of Hemmes multi-millionaire home in Vaucluse – for an LNP fundraiser, WOW …. (read about THAT Morrison-like act of disloyalty and betrayal in the link below) ….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14466499/Peter-Dutton-Sydney-fundraiser-Tropical-Cyclone-Alfred.html?ito=social-facebook_Australia
There’s no doubt about it, one can NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the callous inhumanity, the stratospheric arrogance, the endless level of self-serving corruption, the non-stop pathological lies, the remorseless betrayal by the LNP against ordinary working- and middle-class Australians some of whom are foolish enough and/or Murdoch-manipulated enough to continue voting for these smug elitists, misogynistic predators and unconscionable political miscreants who take up EVERY seat in the LNP! As such, it is absolutely IMPERATIVE to the future of our State education, MEDICARE, our ABC, SBS and to our democratic future and the future of our children, that we keep the privatisation-obsessed, callously inhumane racists, condescending elitists, war mongers and arrogant misogynists in the LNP in PERMANENT OPPOSITION = VOTE LABOR or THE GREENS. Do NOT vote for dodgy Independents until you do a THOROUGH research into their background(s). Many so-called “Independents” are disenfranchised, disillusioned ex-LNP MPs who will, no doubt, (when push comes to shove) end up giving their preferences to the LNP!