2The District Reporter Monday May 18, 2009
Letters to the editor
The 2009 Federal Budget
It's amazing how easily distracted we are from the importantissues that face our nation. These days we are always talkingabout government (fiscal) debt and forgetting Australia's net for-eign debt, which is the country's bottom line on our nation's bal-ance sheet.Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan has proposed a 2009 budgetdeficit of $58 billion which includes the $42 billion stimuluspackage and a significant drop (over $30 billion) in tax revenueas predicted by treasury officials. Within 5 years it is expected tobe $188 billion. To date the family bonuses have worked andAustralia's recession is clearly not as severe as that experiencedoverseas and we are expecting the infrastructure rollout will con-tinue to 'stimulate' the national economy. However, there is littlesaid about Australia's current $678 billion net foreign debt whichcontinues to grow at an exponential rate.During the Hawke/Keating years there was a steady climb indebt and by 1996 when the Howard Government first took officethere was a net foreign debt of $193 billion which includes a fis-cal debt of $96 billion. When the Howard Government wasdefeated in 2007 the net foreign debt had blown out to $603 bil-lion even thought we had a fiscal surplus of $22 billion. In theyear 2000 Australia's debt started to accelerate which indicatesthat the Howard Government had washed its hands of the nation'smonetary policy and the Reserve Bank of Australia was not up tothe challenge and no one had a solution for the shrinking manu-facturing sector.It is difficult to understand that after Keating's famous"banana republic" comment and then Howard's debt truck duringthe 1996 election campaign that governments have in the westernworld including Australia deliberately ignored their national bal-ance sheets, which is the direct cause of the current internationaleconomic crisis. Australia may be fairing better economicallythan others, but, our level of national debt is extremely worryingand this is the debt we have left for future generations to pay notthe smaller fiscal debt the Opposition wants to talk about.The Government's fiscal policy has little bearing on ournation's level of debt as has been witnesses in the last 30 years.In fact fiscal deficits often encourage personal savings as hasbeen witnessed with the two cash roll outs paid to families as partof the stimulus package where 30 per cent of the funds have beenused by families to retire household debt. Fiscal budgets shouldsupport monetary policy and that is the only relevant fact of which we can be certain and that is what the Rudd Governmenthas done.Australia is heading into an enormous economic storm andthe question should be: Is the fiscal deficit big enough and willour governments, businesses and families work harder andsmarter during the storm to turn the net foreign debt around? Wecan and we must.
WHERE IS GOD?HE'S THERE FOREVERYONE TO SEE!
This is not a budget - it's a fudget! It will be remembered as themother of all Swan dives by 'Khemlani Kev' (for those who can'tremember, Tirath Khemlani was a shady Pakistani money lender of last resort for the economically disgraced Whitlam government in1975).The global financial crisis (GFC) has almost been a god-sendfor the Rudd Labor Government. It has allowed Khemlani Kev andhis ministers to blame 'the GFC' for almost everything, but theweather.They have carefully stage-managed their image as 'the goodguys' by raiding the surplus bequeathed to them by the Howard-Costello government. Remember John Howard inherited an $80billion deficit from the Keating Labor government and, with pru-dent economic management, transformed this liability into ahealthy surplus of around $100 billion.During John Howard's term we were warned of an economictsunami as a result of an impending Asian economic crisis. ToHoward's great credit he didn't try to avoid responsibility for hardeconomic decisions by trying to pass blame as Khemlani Kev isnow trying to do.The Howard government weathered the Asian economic crisiswith prudent economic management. The Rudd Government isdoing the opposite. They have already spent the surplus by givingthe money away and urging them to buy Chinese plasma televisionsets. It should have been called the 'Harvey Norman StimulusPackage!' Of course everybody now thinks that Khemlani Kev is agood bloke and, if it wasn't for that nasty 'GFC' he would obvious-ly send out more cheques.The only thing between Khemlani Kev and the next electionwas the need to frame a budget that will get him over the line. Heused the Labor strategy of 'whatever it takes' and decided to borrowon the never-never. The bottom line is now clear. Australia nowhas a net debt of $188 billion - the highest in our history. Everyman, woman and child in Australia now owes $9,000 each - plusinterest!Unemployment is predicted to rise. Many of those people whovoted for 'workchoices' are now faced with 'no choices'! Employeeshare plans, the one opportunity for hard workers to own a share of their company, have been scrapped.The reduction of the rebate on private health insurance willforce tens of thousands back into public health which with devas-tating effects on our hospital system which is already at breakingpoint.Australia is going to pay for Khemlani Kev's reckless spendingfor generations to come. The only positive about it all is that theWhitlam era of disastrous economic management will pale intoinsignificance when the taxman comes knocking in a year or two.
BrianStewart
Lee Abrahams, Editor
Sydney Uni's rural push
Sydney's University latest development on its Cobbitty campus site - the LizKernohan Conference Centre, is only firming up the area's rural identity.Despite the encroachment of urban development into Camden andWollondilly, the need to retain a rural boundary and agricultural pursuits isparamount. The Sydney basin provides a large percentage of this state'sfood and should be protected at all costs.The desire to build on this prime real estate should be curbed to allowfor the establishment of more food producing farms and other agriculturalpursuits. Sydney University recognises the need to keep investing in itsveterinary science faculty and sees the Cobbitty campus as the best area toachieve this.Dr Kernohan was an academic and socially minded individual who con-tributed greatly to her community - the naming of the centre after the larg-er than life personality is an honour that the local government area in whichshe lived, should acknowledge proudly.One guest at last week's function aptly remarked that "if she was here,she would be feeling very humbled and certainly sneaking out at the back for a smoke". Those who knew her would probably agree. The centre isaimed to be one of the showpieces of the university.
Innovative teaching
Long gone are the days of chalk and talk in the classroom. In the 21st cen-tury educators have a range of tools that they can access - the most modernbeing satellite video link up.Camden South Public School students had the opportunity last week tolink up with the famous NASAspace facility in Houston, Texas and it cer-tainly caught the attention of all the youngsters, who were only too eager totake part.In this modern age educating the young has a lot morescope and while the basics are essential - innovativeteaching methods might sometimes be needed especiallyin the primary school level.Along with many others, I stood around a tinygrave.Ablue coffin, the right size for a four yearold boy, stood to one side. There wasn't a dryeye amongst us.It was a doubly-sad affair because most of ushad stood at this precise spot not many monthsbefore.Then, it had been this couple's seven yearold; bravely, he had battled cancer until it won.Now, another killer had snatched their sec-ond son; this killer had four wheels.The minister, who was a nice enough fellow,laboured the point that God was a God of lovewho possessed a divine plan and who knewwhat he was doing; by believing this, heimplied, we would find solace.But his words were empty and unconvincingbecause they were so clinically theological.They didn't impart life; instead, they sucked outwhatever inner resources still existed.Standing there, I realised that ideas whichsee God as some kind of super Super-Hero aren'tnecessarily wrong -- they're just woefully inade-quate. They can't sustain the weight of life'sambiguities.When it comes to spirituality, seeing God asa Person is significantly important but so, too, isseeing God as Non-Personal. After all, descrip-tions of God as Love, Light, Refuge, Help - arethese not Non-Personal images?These tragic events in front of me werereminders that, in life, things happen.And because that's when we ask, 'Where isGod?' that's why, that day, for the first time, Ibegan to see God differently.Agrief-stricken couple sustained by the sac-rificial care and deep, supportive love of friendsand family - God was there, for everyone to see!
bstewart@ispdr.net.au
I appreciate Greg Wright, general manger at CamdenCouncil, correcting two points in Greg Frawley's letterpublished in The District Reporter May 4.However, Mr Wright fails to address key issues raisedby Mr Frawley. I live in Old Turner Road, Currans Hill,where the land has been rezoned and rates have increasedmore than 200 per cent since December 2008.With council's proposed 12.5 per cent rate rise thiswill take the increase to 275 per cent. Even in applyingfor a reduced rate I will still have to pay the balance plus10 per cent at some point in the future - making the fullincrease more than 300 per cent - since December 2008.Keep in mind that there are no streetlights, no kerbs,no parks, no gutters, no town water and no sewerage -and we had to fight for a garbage service in 1983.For more than 30 years council has not provided anytangible upgrade of services in Old Turner Road beyonda few shovels of bitumen in the same pot holes in theroad. [Even] Before the rate rise residents of Turner Roadpaid premium rates.Ratepayers are being forced to pay for council's loss-es in poor investments as well as pay for council servic-es being provided in new industrial, business and resi-dential estates.For years Camden ratepayers have funded council'spurchase of industrial land which should be sold off topay for future infrastructure.I have not objected to previous increases in rates,increased salaries for councillors and council staff. But itis very cleat that Camden Council is way out of line withthis rate grab.
Don KeenanCurrans Hill.
Save money andslash programsHike in rates without theservices
I am writing in regard to Greg Wright, GMCamden Council and his letter respondingto Greg Frawley's criticism of council's pro-posed rate variation.I personally welcome Greg Frawleyback to the public domain, where his socialconscience has been missed of late.Greg Wright missed an opportunity todefend what is clearly an outrageous gropefor ratepayers' money.Council must realise it is not only coun-cil, who is affected by inflation and theG.F.C. [great financial crisis], it is ratepay-ers as well, who are doing it tough.I certainly hope this is not one of these"we'll ask for 12 per cent and settle for 8 percent type scenarios".Camden Council rates have always beenhigh, always amongst the highest in NSWand there is some acceptance amongst thecommunity, you pay for what you get.I would suggest a way of reducing costsby council would be to do away with thephilosophy of political correctness and allthe associated feel-good programs that areusing up council resources.Once this was done, we may find therewould not be the need for this outrageousrate grab.
Andrew WannetCamden
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