The International Monetary Fund has instructed the Australian government to reduce its spending in order to rein in inflation.
In response to this, the Australian government has decided to reduce its spending by cutting back on infrastructure projects.
Already, the ring road project around Rockhampton has been cancelled.
I fear that the already-approved four-lane highway bypass of Tiaro will be cancelled, too.
And what about the Inland Rail project between Melbourne and Brisbane?
It will be noted that these major projects are located in the regions, where people do not generally vote Labor.
Therefore, any loss of votes in these areas – much less the outrage – will not be of much concern to the Federal Labor government.
In contrast to this, however, is the suburban rail project in Melbourne’s west that has blown out in cost from two billion dollars to over twelve, and whose projected benefit has been greatly questioned.
This project has been exempted by the federal government from any cut in spending.
Many of the voters in Melbourne’s west are blue-collar workers who just of late have been turning away from Labor.
So have other working and middle-class voters throughout the entire country.
And it seems the Federal Government thinks it can win these voters back by making sure this very expensive, useless suburban railway line is actually built.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that this country is racing toward economic and social ruin?
What we have is a corrupt, incompetent, uncaring protection racket that passes as a government, and which would have trouble organising a booze-up in a brewery.
– John Hermann
