What a way to start an election campaign!

After a brief deliberation of just a few hours, Dutton hastily implemented a “Me Too” policy regarding Medicare and bulk billing. His swift action, however, uncovered his lack of a coherent response to Labor’s initiative on bulk billing. Facing this unexpected challenge, Dutton was cornered, exposing him to his previous shortcomings during his tenure as Health Minister.

Frankly, Labor has exposed the Coalition’s dearth of policies generally and laid bare its lack of a coherent policy on anything. This lack of preparedness at the beginning of a campaign is concerning, leaving the Coalition vulnerable to unexpected challenge.

Doctors overwhelmingly voted him the worst health minister in living memory during his tenure, according to a poll conducted by Australian Doctor magazine.

Medical groups were vociferous in their Opposition to introducing a Medicare co-payment.

Tasmanian GP Dr Donald Rose was quoted as saying:

“Dutton will be remembered as the dullest, least innovative and most gullible for swallowing the reforms from his thinktank … Although I am glad, he has been demoted, it would have been good if he was still around to take responsibility for the current chaos he has caused.”

As health minister, he:

“… cut $50 billion from hospitals, tried to introduce a $7 GP tax and secretly launched the Medicare Privatisation Taskforce.”

To finance its nuclear fantasy, the Coalition needs a mountain of money, and it can only take it from the departments with the most significant budgets, such as Education, Health, Defence, Social Services, or Public Service. He has already said it will be the Public Service but won’t say how much until after the election. So he says, but with little detail.

From The Saturday Paper, ‘Sacked public servants to pay for Dutton’s Medicare’:

• The opposition leader says he will find the money for free GP visits by sacking the public servants added by Labor over the past three years (The Age);
• Dutton says his plan will save $6bn annually over four years (The Guardian);
• Albanese declared that his policy had been funded in December’s mid-year budget update under the secretive decisions “taken but not yet announced” provision (The Australian).

Recall the bold declaration made by Tony Abbott: “No cuts to health, no cuts to education.” This promise resonated with many, but reality told a different story as the LNP’s first budget was rolled out.

Labor has successfully removed Health from the equation with the announcement on Bulk Billing, and I expect Social Services to follow. For example, the opposition leader must decide whether to oppose a cost-of-living election strategy of another $300 handout on energy. He is dammed if he does or dammed if he doesn’t.

Another option for Albanese is a rise in pensions or other social services that will rob Dutton of money for his dreadful decision on energy. If he opposes, he will look cruel. If he decides on another “Me Too” decision eventually, he will have to face the inevitable question, “Where is the money coming from?” He will be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Financing his nuclear policy will take an enormous bucket of money, and whatever he eventually tells us will be subject to cost blowouts along the way. Look at Snowy 2.0; the project is now expected to cost $12 billion, six times the original forecast. Imagine if you applied that to Dutton’s Nuclear Policy.

Dutton was so taken aback by Albanese’s proposal that it took him less than a few hours to agree to $8.5bn in his election plans to match the Labor government’s commitment to redefine Medicare bulk billing. He added another $500 million.

Peter Dutton has fervently vowed to slash the expansive expenditures of the government if he rises to power, highlighting his determination to shrink the vast machinery of the public service. In a swift counterattack, the Labor party has implored the opposition leader to disclose the particulars of his plan, warning that a downsizing of public servants might result in extended delays and a decline in vital services that communities rely on. Such drastic cuts would plunge us into utter chaos.

Again, no detail.

What’s next?

Mr Dutton said he would not provide details of where the spending cuts would come from until after the federal election. This lack of transparency allows Labor to take advantage of incumbency, which offers many advantages until an election is called. April 5 or April 12 are firming as the best options.

The question inevitably arises as to whether DUTTON KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING.

Peter Dutton’s shadowy and inconsistent blueprint for cutting back the public service began to take shape this week, as he hinted at an intention to eliminate nearly all the new public servants hired by Labor since they took the reins of government.

He proposed channelling the savings from these cuts into enhancements for Medicare, highlighting a dramatic shift in priorities. Yet, this marks at least the third distinct instance in which Dutton has vowed to repurpose “savings” from the public service, raising pressing questions about the financial foundation of his various commitments and the feasibility of his promises.

Dutton’s Coalition has pledged to address the increase in public servants added by Labor, who argues these roles were previously outsourced. There have been conflicting statements from Coalition shadow ministers regarding the number of positions they would cut if they won government.

David Littleproud, the Nationals leader, previously stated that all 36,000 public service positions would be cut but recently claimed that few cuts would be necessary.

Shadow finance minister Jane Hume said reductions would primarily occur through “natural attrition.” Shadow minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the Coalition “won’t be cutting” the public service but later said there would be “sensible reductions” to the APS.

This has been going on for weeks now with contradictory statements from senior shadow ministers declining to say how many jobs would go if it won government, rather like the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. If you add the nuclear shemozzle, it looks like the humpy dumpty political party is worse than when it was in power three years ago. What a way to start an election campaign.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his ragged Coalition repeatedly challenge voters with the pressing question of whether they feel better off than they did three years ago.

Contrary to the bewildering start of the Opposition, Prime Minister and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been on a fervent mission energetically traversing radio and television airwaves, passionately engaging with the public to inspire hope and optimism, painting a picture of an optimistic future just around the corner.

The PM got another chance when he appeared at ABC’s Q&A on Monday, February 24.

Albanese, in answer to one question, said:

“Remember what Tony Abbott famously [said] ‘No cuts to health, no cuts to education’. and what happened. First budget: $80bn [of budget cuts] – 50 [billion] off hospitals, 30 [billion] off education.”

“The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and the Coalition has a long history of undermining Medicare and cutting Health budgets – breaking promise after promise.”

Why would you expect anything different from Dutton?

My thought for the day

A commitment to social justice demands the transformation of social structures as well as our hearts and minds.

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