I have an Inkling

Waste of Space

So I haven't posted for a while. Being at home most of the day really limits your world experience. Your points of interest devolve down to "baby did this" or "baby did that". Does not make for really compelling blogging- unless you have a vested interest in the child.

Today I feel moved to blog, and like my friend Mikey, it is about politics.

2 nights ago, while watching prime time television, there was an add authorised by the NSW government about how the Federal Government should give NSW taxpayers their fair share of the GST collected from them. Apparently NSW believes they are not getting their fair share and other states are getting some of their taxes.

Last night there was an add on prime time television authorised by the Federal Government. This one was slamming the NSW government for not abolishing certin taxes which were supposed to be repalced by the GST, with the tag line "abolish double taxing".

At the time I remarked to The Husband that it looked like the Federal and NSw governments were having a fight over the television.

So today, not 10 minutes ago on the 1 0'clock news, I hear that the NSw Premier and the Treasurer have come to an agreement about GST revenue.
Now I was going to rant about how I believe that this add campaign was a irresponsible use of taxpayers money. I felt justified in this, but now I feel a bit more outrage.

I gound this article when searching for new articles on the situation. The gall of the federal minister to slam the NSW for wasting taxpayers money on an add campaign, when they did exactly the same thing!

Can you believe that Federal politicians can come out with this kind of childish statement?

Mr Costello has hit back with federal advertisements but he says he has only done so because New South Wales did so first.

It reeks of "nah nah na na na!, I didn't do it, he did it first!"

How pathetic! I thought that this kind of behaviour was confined to the schoolyard (or perhaps also some live roleplaying games).

Apparently the NSW add campaign cost $400,000 (see here). How much of taxpayers money did the Federal government waste on theirs, and did they have a mandate of the people to spend it?

I, for one am furious. I quit my job in July last year to raise my child. The Federal government says that having babies is the right thing to do for your country.

CANBERRA, May 12, 2004: Australian Treasurer Peter Costello announced new tax incentives to encourage families to have more children today. "If you can have children, it is a good thing to do," Costello said, "one for your husband and one for your wife and one for the country."

So I stay at home to raise my baby, and aside from the $3000 materntity payment, I get $160 a fortnight from the government. A far cry from my $60,000 p.a income.

And now the Government wastes countelss thousands on useless tit for tat add campaigns!
I am so glad I did not vote for our current government. I would be really dissapointed if I had.

posted by Capital Mum @ 1:07 PM