WHEN THEY RUN OUT OF MONEY, THEY COME AFTER YOURS
Attributable to Bev McArthur MP:
“When they run out of money, they come after yours.
The Victorian Auditor General recently delivered a scathing report on the finances of this state.
The budget has completely blown-out to the extent of $770 million in the last year, largely due to hopeless project mismanagement courtesy of the Andrews Government.
This Government can’t manage a project and as a consequence, they waste the hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
In typical Labor-fashion, the Premier’s immediate response was to introduce a new tax.
When asked if he would promise Victorians not to increase or introduce new taxes or levies, prior to the State Election, Daniel Andrews said “I make that promise… to every single Victorian".
Clearly Victorians should not believe a word he says.
Twenty-five new or increased taxes or levies in the past year, takes voters down the Labor memory lane of “there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead” (Julia Gillard, 2010).
Recently, a Royal Commission was established to investigate the obviously serious issue of mental health.
It produced recommendations which all predictably involve a hefty price tag.
Daniel Andrews accepted all the recommendations.
But surprise, surprise, to fund this substantial spending, Mr Andrews has announced a new tax - expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars.
Of course, the details of the tax are not discussed.
Even worse, when mental health issues are more significant in country Victoria than anywhere else, with Ballarat’s male suicide rate being 30% higher than the state average, only one hearing by the Royal Commission was held outside of the tram tracks of Melbourne.
Who will pay? Every Victorian, or just some Victorians? At what rate? How will it be applied? Will a new bureaucracy be established to collect the tax? Will it have a sunset clause? How will it be spent? These are important questions for which we urgently need answers.
Can we expect more of this?
Is this the new norm?
Identify a problem, concoct a Royal Commission, and accept the recommendations. Don’t fund it out of consolidated revenue, but introduce a new tax instead.
Daniel Andrews was the Health Minister for three and a half years in the Brumby Government, and Labor has been in Government for 16 of the past 20 years.
Ensuring we have a functional mental health system, should be the day job of State Government.
Daniel Andrews should not need to introduce a new tax to ensure the Department of Health operates in the interests of the mentally ill.”
ENDS
6 December 2019