[beerman]

According to economists such as Professor Joseph Stiglitz it is precisely the level of stimulus spending Australia opted for when the GFC hit that saved Australia from a disastrous recession. If Hockey becomes Treasurer in September, he will inherit the world’s best- managed economy by a street.

 
That did make me laugh out loud.
Lucky that they inherited such a good set of books from Liberal then because if they hadn't, they wouldn't have had it to spend on pink batts and school buildings that weren't required.

If Joe Hockey becomes Treasurer at the election he will be inheriting a massive task to yet again reel in the massive and reckless spending we have seen since 2007.

Don't fall for the spin that Labor put on it. It is just spin.

Oh they all spin brother.....

If only they had have given the schools some cash and let them build what they wanted.....All schools could have managed their own build and gotten what they wanted for far less money.

Whilst I'm happy for the coin I received during the GFC, I'm sure that it could have been better spent on the Bruce Highway, upgrades to Brisbane's CBD rail tracks, a hospital or something we could actually look back and say, we have all this debt, and this is what we got for it.

I didn't get a cent.
But then again, I don't think anyone should have got a cent.
All it did was allow people to purchase Chinese made TVs and prop up another country's economy.
You are right. For far, far, far, far less than they spent, they could have built a new major hospital in every capital city and poured money into untold things that Australians could have benefited from.
But instead, they wasted it and now it has to be paid back.
Truth is, they are just clueless.

If it makes you feel any better, I spent it well......

[Dazzler]

I didn't get any either (bread and dripping for us) 

[Doggie 1]

 

We must be bad, Dazz.

Even several dead people got it. 

[Surferdude]

None for this little black duck either.

[Doggie 1]

They must know who votes what. 

[Dazzler]

We must be bad, Dazz.

Even several dead people got it. 

I was Dying to get some 

They must know who votes what. 

It appears so 

[rustynutz]

I don't care what you lot say, I reckon there are a few of these on here....

[Doggie 1]

I don't care what you lot say, I reckon there are a few of these on here....

Did you take that in your mirror? 

[Dazzler]

I don't care what you lot say, I reckon there are a few of these on here....

Kettle Pot Black .. sort that out and get back to me (as Fatboy would say)

[Ugly Mongrel]

Dave, you don't really understand the purpose of the Economic Stimulus Package if you think building a "major hospital in every capital city" would have had the same effect as the roof insulation scheme,  the school building program, bank deposit guarantees and the cash bonus.

Getting major projects like hospitals off the ground takes years and years of planning before the first sod of soil is turned, followed by years of construction. I know because I work in the major project "world".

The intention of the programs was  to inject government funds very quickly into the economy across a broad number of industries and locations.

Despite some of the failures in the insulation and school programs, the ESP achieved it's aim to stimulate the economy. Australia came through the GFC relatively unscathed by world standards because of the ESP.

For every bad story you heard about the shortcomings of the ESP, there were hundreds of untold good outcomes. I believe this was mainly due to the media sensationally reporting the failures but never looking for the successes.

I remember at the time, the likes of Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt banging on about plasma TVs and money going down the pokies while never mentioning that people used the money for good purposes.

Personally, I look back on the ESP every time I drive past a school with a  new multipurpose hall being used by not only the school, but the whole community, and I think, what a great use of taxpayer's money.

[Doggie 1]

Keep thinking. 

[Ugly Mongrel]

Releasing your policies early is always fraught with danger.

[Ugly Mongrel]

[FatBoy]

I heard a great interview on the ABC a few weeks ago with George Megalogenis.  One of the reasons Australia came through the GFC relatively unscathed was that our Government was spending when every other Government wasn't. 

While UM and I don't see eye to eye on political parties, I do have no problems with the idea of spending money quickly to stimulate the economy.  I too look at the "Julia Gillard / Kevin Rudd / Peter Garrett Memorial Halls" in the schools and actually think that they were a great idea.  The Government should be spending money on community projects.  You will always hear of the poor decisions and bad outcomes.  BTW, it wasn't Peter Garrett that electrocuted the insulation installers, it was the dodgy companies trying to make a quick buck the expense of some poor buggers life.

[Ugly Mongrel]

Well said, Jamie.

I was.involved in state school.P&Cs for 11 years,  both at the school as president and as a member of.the state executive of the QCPCA.

I know from first hand experience how much schools were absolutely delighted to receive ESP funds for school facilities that would have taken years and years of fund raising to obtain.

[Ugly Mongrel]

Watch out, Liz is NOT HAPPY JAN.

[rustynutz]

I don't care what you lot say, I reckon there are a few of these on here....

Kettle Pot Black .. sort that out and get back to me (as Fatboy would say)

Time for a game of snooker and a cuppa? 

[Ugly Mongrel]

And now for a bit of balance...

.

[rustynutz]

I'm still waiting for my first $900.....

[FatBoy]

I didn't get any of that $900 either.   

[Ugly Mongrel]

For those of you are fed up with the Kev & Tony Show, there ARE alternatives you know.




.

[beerman]

Dave, you don't really understand the purpose of the Economic Stimulus Package if you think building a "major hospital in every capital city" would have had the same effect as the roof insulation scheme,  the school building program, bank deposit guarantees and the cash bonus.

Getting major projects like hospitals off the ground takes years and years of planning before the first sod of soil is turned, followed by years of construction. I know because I work in the major project "world".

The intention of the programs was  to inject government funds very quickly into the economy across a broad number of industries and locations.

Despite some of the failures in the insulation and school programs, the ESP achieved it's aim to stimulate the economy. Australia came through the GFC relatively unscathed by world standards because of the ESP.

For every bad story you heard about the shortcomings of the ESP, there were hundreds of untold good outcomes. I believe this was mainly due to the media sensationally reporting the failures but never looking for the successes.

I remember at the time, the likes of Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt banging on about plasma TVs and money going down the pokies while never mentioning that people used the money for good purposes.

Personally, I look back on the ESP every time I drive past a school with a  new multipurpose hall being used by not only the school, but the whole community, and I think, what a great use of taxpayer's money.

I fail to see how smashing the mortgage stimulated anything.

Guaranteeing the banks was a good move. But at the end of the day the GFC was an economic downturn, we threw a whole chunk of coin at it, and delayed a recession. Low and behold, the economy picked up and we had over heated the economy, and had a wack of debt to show for it.

The Queensland Coroner recently made findings on 3 of the deaths from Kev's pink bats. Whilst I believe that the money grabbing businesses copped a fair chunk of the blame, so did the Government for trying to do in 6 months what should have taken years to develop. Lack of oversight and lack of foresight. You see one of the things when developing a program like this is to anticipate money grabbing businesses, and put processes into play to ensure that they are detected and stopped early.

[rustynutz]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing....

[rustynutz]

As Terry said earlier...

The intention of the programs was  to inject government funds very quickly into the economy across a broad number of industries and locations.

[2i30s]

Jamie, I don't begrudge any service personnel receiving what is due to them. I just begrudge the fact that John Howard  sent you (and my son) to war based on lies. Talk about wasting billions.

those un findable weapons of mass exaggeration. 

[The Gonz]

Releasing your policies early is always fraught with danger.

This poster makes a good point. Now, do I want the party that implements:
A. its own policies as elected?
B. the opposition's policies under threat of losing power?
 

[Phil №❶]

 

[FatBoy]

Jamie, I don't begrudge any service personnel receiving what is due to them. I just begrudge the fact that John Howard  sent you (and my son) to war based on lies. Talk about wasting billions.

those un findable weapons of mass exaggeration. 

But the American's "knew" that the Iraqi regime had Weapons of Mass Destruction.  They still had a copy of the receipt when they sold them to Saddam.

A good example of American logic. 
A couple of planes flown into buildings by terrorists, trained/lead by a Saudi Arabian, hiding in Afghanistan/Pakistan leads to the invasion of Iraq. 

[Dazzler]

But the American's "knew" that the Iraqi regime had Weapons of Mass Destruction.  They still had a copy of the receipt when they sold them to Saddam.

 

[Ugly Mongrel]

Looks like Tony is going to have to change his voicemail message