BY DOUG LORIMER
“Nothing dramatises the criminally anti-social nature of the Howard-Costello government so much as the federal treasurer's latest budget”, Socialist Alliance national co-convener Lisa Macdonald told Green Left Weekly.
Macdonald pointed out that the government was “rolling in at least $5.8 billion extra in unpredicted tax revenue for 2002-03”.
“But it wouldn't even cross Costello's mind to use this on health, education and environmental repair”, said David Glanz, another of the Socialist Alliance's five national conveners. “Despite this windfall working people in Australia are still being threatened with the death of Medicare by a thousand cuts, increases of up to 30% in tertiary education fees, a privatised Telstra and a continuing war on people on welfare.”
The Socialist Alliance spokespeople noted that among the big ticket items in this budget were spending on the military (``increased by more than the top brass had even though to ask for”) and security (``to help ASIO and other agencies spy more effectively on opponents of government policy”).
Macdonald noted that even after paying off government debt to a greater degree than any other First World country and giving big corporations huge tax break, there would be enough money in Treasury's coffers to partially refund ``bracket creep” in the form of tax cuts amounting to about $4 a week for most wage earners.
“However, all these miserable `tax cuts' should do is make everyone think what it is that John Howard and Peter Costello don't want us to see in their budget”, she said.
Glanz added: ``Another budget is possible. Proper funding for public health and education is possible.”
The Socialist Alliance will be organising a campaign of pickets and public meetings to oppose the 2003 federal budget and to call on the opposition parties in the Senate to block its anti-social provisions, especially its commitments to military spending.
From Green Left Weekly, May 21, 2003.
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