The Australian Election Impact!

The Australian Election Impact!



By Paul Raftery

May 2019 is the time of the long awaited Australian election for a national or Federal Government. We are fortunate that in Australia our two major national political groups are not radically dis-similar. On the right of centre we have the Liberal & National Parties and on the left of centre we have the Labor Party.

In Australia it is said with a degree of truth governments lose elections as much as oppositions with them. We are not seeing the bitter divides of the Democrats and Republicans in the US or the Labour Party with the Greens v’s the Conservatives and DP?? Of Northern Ireland. There is no massive issue of a “wall” or Brexit dividing the political extremes. Unlike the US here red represents the left and blue the right.

The pollical seen has been rocked by the internal divide within the Liberal Party which saw their Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, leave politics and the former leader of the National Party leave his wife. The new faces of the Liberal and National Parties are working very hard to show that they are “good ordinary blokes” – married men with a wife, children and who like footy and a beer – would the real Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) please stand-up.

The suits from Labor have a like problem but at least they have been the same for 7 years. They too are private school educated lawyers with wives and children …

In Australia the there are divides but they are generally degree. The key issues are

1) Border protection and immigration
2) Implementing change from the Banking & Superannuation Royal Commission.
3) Managing the Retirement Living Royal Commission

What are the similarities

1) National security
2) States’ rights
3) Foreign affairs and alliances – both want a bigger role for Australia in the Pacific and managing our
strategic links with the USA and our trade links with PR China
4) We will keep buying the Joint Strike Fighters
5) We will build naval ships and submarines in Australia
6) Foreign Aid
7) The Australian dollar will float and interest rates will be a domestic tool
Where are the emphases of matter (differences)?
1) Company tax (but we are talking about 2%)
2) The roles of renewable energy
3) Gender equality - Getting more women into politics and dealing with gender issues.
4) Cabotage (we should use some local shipping on our coast as we are an island nation)
5) What should be the level of safe-net income
6) Tax deductibility of negative gearing for individual on buying second or more established houses.

If you were a foreigner looking at Australia you would say – whatever the outcome it will be stable and
sensible government. There will be no radical change despite what the local media may say.

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