Anzac Day. Lest we forget. Neighbours and their candles in front of homes at dawn. In remembrance. How do we remember and say thanks? What would those who sacrificed their lives have wished for if they had their lives to live? My reflection is that every time we behave badly towards one another we diminish the Anzac legacy. For every life lost in past conflicts a family dynasty of native born Australians did not form.
Let’s get everything on the table as we collaboratively plan a re-set, not a snap-back. Anyone such as Mattias Corman who dismisses anything out of hand, like tax increases, should be excluded from the national conversation so long as their views remain fixed and ideologically driven. It indicates a willful blindness to novel approaches and the experience of other nations. Who can we draw confidence from that things may change and improve? Will we have change or inertia and vested interests ascendant? Among instruments under consideration could include revenue raising sources, consumption patterns, franking credits, superannuation tax, stamp duty, and take a fresh look at the Gini coefficient and inequitable wealth distribution. As a community we could address gender inequality in the workforce and ditch the erroneous belief that the wealthy have become so through hard work.
With all the exposure we have had to state and territory premiers and chief minsters, Tasmania’s premier comes across as the most genuine and sincerely caring government head. Others have also shown us what they’ve got in terms of leadership in a crisis.
The POTUS is now advocating whacky dangerous remedies for the virus under the pretense of sarcasm. The advice is neither funny nor responsible, and how the experts must wince. As one of the article snippets below will show, people who disagree with Trump’s ill-informed statements get sacked. Those who serve the public are obliged to follow the merit principle in recruitment so these intemperate tantrums leading to sackings provide poor examples of professional conduct. The self-professed stable genius deserves all the rebuke, derision and satire heading his way. If you are going to be so gullible as to take any notice of this loony, go ahead, drink the draino. Indeed, if a goat occupied the Oval office, how long would it take Americans to notice?
After relaxing regulations to open popular beaches, those going there went back to their bad old ways of ignoring social distancing, so that privilege has been withdrawn. While the government is also seeking some conformity from tech giants to persuade them to stop stealing intellectual property, why not make a renewed attempt to have them pay more of the tax due. Could we not have published the gap sum between what is due by dint of declared profit and what is receipted by the ATO?
A quick rap of some interesting insights from media sources:
- From Crikey yesterday, “When this is over, will we recognize the role women played?” The title says enough.
- The Age Opinion carried Waleed Aly’s piece “Look at the US and the UK and be glad we’re not like them”. He offers this little gem on prospects for a re-set: “Already the machines of political contest are whirring into action, the Morrison government setting itself for an aggressive pro-business plan for our post-pandemic economy. Specifically that means tax breaks for businesses, and even a big swing at industrial relations. It’s the road that leads to lower wages, worse conditions and limited tax revenue.”
- From Crikey’s Bernard Keane yesterday: “Company tax cuts: another front in the ongoing war on young Australians.” He offers the observation: “In the time since the Coalition abandoned its last attempt to gift some $80 billion dollars over a decade to large companies via a reduction in the company tax rate, we’ve been able to observe the real-world effects of Donald Trump’s massive company tax cut in the Unites States from 2018.”
- “Doctors struggle to stay true to science but not cross Trump.” Associated Press, 24 April, 2020. “It’s becoming a kind of daily ritual: President Donald Trump and a phalanx of doctors file into the White House briefing room each evening to discuss the coronavirus, producing a display of rhetorical contortions as the medical officials try to stay true to the scirnce without crossing the president.”
20 more Australian cases today (total 6,692 and 80 deaths) of which NSW has 12 more cases (total 2,994 and 35 deaths). The Global tally moves to over 2.8 million cases and 197,000 deaths.
Awesomely Astute 