How are we (Australia) going to pay for this COVID-19 spending?

[GoldCanyon340]

Donning a flame proof suit....

One way to help pay for this is to abolish state and territory governments. I've never understood why we have them in a modern Australia. The UK has nearly three times the population and only has national and local governments. There is no need to have separate health and education departments, vehicle licensing and many other offices that are simply an unnecessary duplication of effort writ large.

 

[N860CR]

One way to help pay for this is to abolish state and territory governments. I've never understood why we have them in a modern Australia. The UK has nearly three times the population and only has national and local governments. There is no need to have separate health and education departments, vehicle licensing and many other offices that are simply an unnecessary duplication of effort writ large.

I’m a very big advocate for this.

I do a lot of work with local government and I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve had weeks of email chains going backwards and forwards saying “no that’s state”, “no council handles that”, “no that’s main roads”, “don’t know, not my department”.

Having so many levels of government would cost hundreds of billions a year. Get rid of it, and this “stimulus” is quickly paid for. Then we’ve got to deal with unemployed public servants...

 

[Scarlett]

@GoldCanyon340
Been telling any that would listen the same thing! When you've lived in every state you realise how pointless they are: an anachronism from Federation!

A federal government along with consolidation of councils/towns to cover 'local' issues is all that should be necessary.

Ask yourself: what does someone in Broken Hill have in common with someone in Broken Bay?
What does someone on the Atherton Tablelands have in common with someone in Brisbane?
What does someone in Mildura have in common with someone in Melbourne?
Etc etc etc...
States are irrelevant. More so when the most common argument for keeping them seems to be: 'but what about state of origin footy?'

And then there's the Jacqui Lambie situation...

But not meaning to thread jack my own thread. Thanks for the answers thus far. Sounds like a (temporary) gst raise might even have some supporters!

How is the government funding this spending? Is it releasing some sort of bond or something that pays guaranteed interest? Can the public buy it/some? Especially if what the government pays on interest is going to be better than the piddling interest rates available from financial institutions?

 

[Dr Ralph]

'How are we (Australia) going to pay for this COVID-19 spending?'

I don’t have all of the answers, but you can be sure that there will be a connection to Super.

 

[FromTheRail]

Donning a flame proof suit....

One way to help pay for this is to abolish state and territory governments. I've never understood why we have them in a modern Australia. The UK has nearly three times the population and only has national and local governments. There is no need to have separate health and education departments, vehicle licensing and many other offices that are simply an unnecessary duplication of effort writ large.

if you are counting Scotland, N. Ireland and Wales as local governments then I agree, Scotland has a different legal system compared to England, has different laws, separate NHS, Police force etc, the list goes on, same goes for N Ireland and less so for Wales

 

[woodborer]

Donning a flame proof suit....

One way to help pay for this is to abolish state and territory governments. I've never understood why we have them in a modern Australia. The UK has nearly three times the population and only has national and local governments. There is no need to have separate health and education departments, vehicle licensing and many other offices that are simply an unnecessary duplication of effort writ large.

Not saying it's a bad thing, but it would need a bit of reworking of the constitution.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Not saying it's a bad thing, but it would need a bit of reworking of the constitution.

I've discussed this with Mrs 340 who knows a fair bit about Constitutional law. Actually this has been an ongoing discussion for years as I've held these views for some time. Of course this change could not happen without acceptance from a referendum but I do consider it a possibility albeit probably not in our lifetimes. But I can see it as a natural progression in Australia. As noted above by @Scarlett state governments are, in some opinion, an anachronism.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

if you are counting Scotland, N. Ireland and Wales as local governments then I agree, Scotland has a different legal system compared to England, has different laws, separate NHS, Police force etc, the list goes on, same goes for N Ireland and less so for Wales

I've believed in 'super councils' to replace state governments in Australia for a long time now, as long as they do not replicate the processes and bureaucracy they were meant to replace. And by 'super councils' in no way do I mean to devalue devolution in the UK which I do support but not to the lengths it has progressed (tax determination etc.)

 

[drron]

As someone who loves my Ste of Origin and Sheffield sheild or whatever they have now I see no problems.The UK have their counties so we will have 8 counties.Can even keep their state name and that becomes the basis for the current State of Origin contests.
Sheild cricket though is state based in name only.

 

[craven morehead]

Did you see the tweet from the ABC Economics correspondent, Emma Alberichi:

Stop talking about the economy. We live in a community not an economy. Go knock on your neighbour's door & ask if they need help Look after each other

Easy for someone with a guaranteed job to say, eh?

Yep 100%

 

[p--and--t]

Donning a flame proof suit....

One way to help pay for this is to abolish state and territory governments. I've never understood why we have them in a modern Australia. The UK has nearly three times the population and only has national and local governments. There is no need to have separate health and education departments, vehicle licensing and many other offices that are simply an unnecessary duplication of effort writ large.

A little bit delusional. Not the idea that it should happen, but the likelihood the people (pollies & officials) that would need to make it happen would ever agree to do it.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

A little bit delusional. Not the idea that it should happen, but the likelihood the people (pollies & officials) that would need to make it happen would ever agree to do it.

I'm not saying I believe it will happen. But surely it's better for Australia as a whole to relieve debt by removing expenditure and waste than raising GST and taxing people who have lost their jobs?

 

[scaredeycat]

(Donning flame suit)
A wealth tax. 5 cents in the dollar for every dollar of wealth above, hmmm, let's say - 25 million dollars.
Land tax, levied on every parcel of land in the country, including principal place of residence.
Increase the GST.
Abolish franking credits.
Introduce a variation on universal basic income - but give it to citizens who don't own any property. The idea being to try to give back some of the advantages of boomers currently not enjoyed by millenials.
Nuclear power.

And that is just for starters...

 

[theblank]

Australia is 200 years behind USA in its foundation, population growth, economy and deficiit spending.
If USA can survived 250 years of deficit spending, i think we can manage too. We are smarter than them right ?

IMO, we should do what USA did in their foundational years. build proper road and railway networks so that people (migrants) will settle outside the big cities and then large cities will form inland.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

IMO, we should do what USA did in their foundational years. build proper road and railway networks so that people (migrants) will settle outside the big cities and then large cities will form inland.

The USA's 'foundational years' were after its independence in the late 18th century. The USA's federal highway system was created after World War II.

 

[tgh]

The Covid aftermath will probably be a massive idealogical/political bun fight.
The left will want to just take it from anyone who has it , and the right will want to spread the load.
The pm is clocking up a shipload of brownie points atm.
I opine that it's hard to see the left winning hearts and minds for a rich soak after all this.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

The Covid aftermath will probably be a massive idealogical/political bun fight.
The left will want to just take it from anyone who has it , and the right will want to spread the load.
The pm is clocking up a shipload of brownie points atm.
I opine that it's hard to see the left winning hearts and minds for a rich soak after all this.

I'm not a student of Australian politics but it's hard to see any short to medium term gain for the ALP out of this. As with Trumps's appreciation in the polls in a head to head with Biden in times like this the incumbent is generally the winner.

 

[scaredeycat]

The Covid aftermath will probably be a massive idealogical/political bun fight.
The left will want to just take it from anyone who has it , and the right will want to spread the load.
The pm is clocking up a shipload of brownie points atm.
I opine that it's hard to see the left winning hearts and minds for a rich soak after all this.

Churchill lost office soon after WW2. And social innovations such as the NHS were introduced by Labour not long after...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I'm not a student of Australian politics but it's hard to see any short to medium term gain for the ALP out of this. As with Trumps's appreciation in the polls in a head to head with Biden in times like this the incumbent is generally the winner.

Not sure Trump will stay the winner once the body count rises. Even Churchill was dumped post-crisis.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Churchill lost office soon after WW2. And social innovations such as the NHS were introduced by Labour not long after...

I agree but Churchill lost power after WWII partly because of the clusterf**k that was Neville Chamberlain before the war. Churchill created the coalition govt that ruled from 1940-1945 but the public remembered the Tory administration that took the country into the war and punished them accordingly. However the creation of the NHS and the social security safety net were the shining lights borne from the misery of 1939 to 1945.