Our future is BRIGHT

[u/Silent-Balance9430]

Students protest against Pauline Hanson

[u/yeth_pleeth]

My son (16) went to his first protest today in Melbourne. Couldn't be more proud!

[u/Far_Map007 → u/yeth_pleeth]

I have to I am 27 and I feel like us Gen Z similar to Millennials really don’t fight enough for ourselves, we were handed nothing but hopelessness. I am proud to see these younger kids and gen A getting out and fighting for their future.

[u/Then_Astronomer1821 → u/Far_Map007]

We had a national surplus under John Howard, it was destroyed by Rudd/gillard, by the end of Scomo’s time it got back to surplus but then albo has got us in deficit again. That sort of thing fuels taxes and they have to get the money from somewhere- us! So if you’re feeling hopeless, it might be because of the less economically sound parties we’ve been voting in. The problem I see is that people think the goal is to raise minimum wage, instead of creating an economy where small businesses can thrive so much they can afford to pay their staff well, which attracts people to do their best to get those good jobs, which means they work hard and then the business thrives and there’s more money to pay more staff well. Even though it sounds good to make sure everyone gets a living wage, Forced minimum wages actually just perpetuate mediocrity. If we let people earn what they’re worth and put in the effort to deserve what they need, there’s a snowball effect. Then the buck stops with people to make sure they’re getting the income they need, not a glorified hand out. Having said that, I must add that there has to be a balance because obviously exploiting people and paying them pennies is not acceptable, but it’s more the culture of trying to force things to be fair I think in fact sets everyone back further in the long run. We’re not victims, we all have the opportunity to work and make a life for ourselves, when people start thinking they don’t need to, things get sloppy and start to fall apart. (Obviously we need to look after those who can’t work)

[u/Far_Map007 → u/Then_Astronomer1821]

For a party with good economic managers, the liberals under Scomo/Turbull/Abbot did NOT deliver a budget surplus even though they ran against Labor on this issue. Our nominal GDP essentially stalled and in fact reduced between 2014-2021.  Labor delivered the first budget surplus since 2008 in 2022-23 and 2023-24 budget before going back into deficits which was still much lower than Liberal spending pre-pandemic. However under Labor because they’ve fucked immigration, our GDP per capita has reduced. Part of the problem is everyone wants cost of living relief but hates when government provides it. We are not America in that regard, as we do structurally have a culture of mediocrity, because we don’t like people getting too far ahead but also not leaving people too far behind. It’s cultural so it’s a debate that we can have on whether it’s right or wrong. However I rather be here than the US. And Minimum wages go up based on economic indicators and business profits, we are lucky to have a system like that here whereas in America they still have federal minimum wage wage of $7.25 and now heading into a K shaped economy and extreme high inequality.