How much do you want to vote for me? It’s as if the 4 letter D word is of no consequence; spend, spend, spend to create jobs seems to be the only election catch cry. Debt, what debt, we don’t even worry about budgets now, at least not in Queensland.
An aged or disability support pensioner, here have some money and more after Christmas. Own a car vote for me and we’ll give you some money. You can even pay less taxes, what the hell we’ll back date them too.
When I went to high school it was drilled into accounting students that for even debit there had to be an equal credit. The double entry system. Is voter satisfaction now a legitimate accounting credit?
I get that we need people to spend more money to stimulate the economy, individuals, businesses, even governments. But couldn’t we be a little bit smarter in how this debt financed cash is distributed to gain better outcomes. After all, more take home pay doesn’t necessarily mean an equal increase in spending. A number of experts see savings increasing and individual debt decreasing more than spending increasing.
Why not give everyone a prepaid credit card instead, basically spend it or lose it. Even better, to really benefit regional economies and not overseas websites, give people a prepaid Why Leave Town gift card that can only be use in geo-fenced regions and at participating stores, usually locally owned ones. Isn’t that the type of spending that is going to deliver the greatest benefits across the whole economy?
The Capricorn Coast has its own gift card (like about 50 other regions do), imagine if every age and disability support pension recipient living on the coast was to receive 2 lots of $250 Keppel cash gift cards over the next 6 months. Not only extra money circulating in the coast creating more jobs, but you think more businesses signing up to be a part of it (its free to join) and more local community spirit generated. Same outlay, better overall results for the economy!
Perhaps I’m in the minority wanting to hear of ways Central Queensland specifically will feature (benefit) in all this government money being spent, rather than just what’s in it for me. I too certainly welcome more cash in my pocket, but as someone who lives, works, invested in the region and has family here, I want to see CQ get more than just a sugar hit of extra cash in peoples bank accounts and a 4-lane by-pass around Rockhampton.
Let’s see a real plan of how CQ will be future proofed.
Central Queensland is renowned for its natural resources. Coal, grazing and farming land. The products are pretty much sold as they come from the land, this is generally labelled as primary production. An industry sector that is needing less labour due to improving technology and possibly will have less global demand, particularly for thermal coal and beef. Okay you can argue that years away, but we are basically using money from years away to stimulate our national economy, shouldn’t we consider the repercussions’!
If Central Queensland is just going to be continually milked for its natural resources, where does that leave us in the future? A future that possibly uses less thermal coal and eats less beef. Coal seam gas and trying to grow crops on former grazing land. Still, like most developing nations, leaving CQ heavily reliant on primary production.
There’s been plenty of pandemic talk about Australia’s need to re-build its manufacturing capabilities, due to the supply-chain problems that can arise from relying on overseas suppliers. Is Central Queensland in this discussion?
In this mad scramble to create jobs, we should also look at creating sustainable jobs, new types of jobs here in CQ. Just putting more people into mining related jobs may not prove to be sustainable in the long term. Especially if they are FIFO jobs.
CQ needs to build upon the manufacturing base we have here, plus chase new opportunities.
Innovation may not as sexy and appealing as tax cuts and cash backs in an election campaign, as Malcolm Turnbull found out in driving his Innovation and Science Agenda, but this is the thinking and policy announcements CQ needs from the federal and state government cash splurge, to future proof, well at least try.
Central Queensland needs both an industry shift to advanced manufacturing and a cultural shift to accompany it. Who has a plan for this, not just some bullet points? And why aren’t we asking for one? Is our vote so easily bought that sugar sweeteners are all that are needed?
Out of interest, is their one CQ wantabe politician even pushing for the inland rail project to continue to Gladstone? With vision and investment this could be a trigger project to help future proof CQ.