THE murmurings from Canberra have been strong in the past few weeks. It is likely that the Federal Government is about to hand down one of the most frugal budgets in recent memory, and this won’t create a great deal of optimism among the individuals or groups likely to feel the effect.
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The age-old tactic of ‘floating’ bad news or suggesting potential policy changes to gauge the community response has been rife in the past few weeks.
The potential for funding cuts, payment reductions or tax hikes are often well publicised so that the ‘surprise’ factor is largely eliminated when the budget documents are finally released.
No matter how much space is created for more positive budget announcements next month, it seems Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey will be taking a proverbial baseball bat to the nation’s finances in an attempt to beat the budget back into shape.
That means considerable pain, not just in isolation but across sectors and demographics.
The latest suggestion yesterday from Opposition health spokesperson – and Ballarat MP – Catherine King that the government intends to close Medicare Local services is a prime example.
This is service is relied upon in regional Australia, and its closure would have a wide-ranging effect on our community. For instance, Grampians Medicare Local is one of the major organisations leading the Headspace centre operations in Ballarat.
It might be fear-mongering, but Ms King’s claims yesterday come as the government considers introducing a $6 co-payment for visits to a GP.
This health policy is likely to have a quick and substantial effect, and should such measures be introduced we would expect the government has strategies in place to deal with the fall-out.
Australians voted for Mr Abbott on the promise that his party would get the books in order. However, the potential to cut too hard early in the election cycle, in the hope that voters might forget the painful outcomes at the next election, can be politically destructive.
Politics aside, what is needed is not slash-and-burn but responsible government that balances the need for fiscal responsibility with that of the people it is elected to serve.
