The Australian 10 Febtober 2011

Okay, everybody’s mum has at some point told them that if they haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. This has an important caveat that it can look a bit awkward on national television. Mums and media advisers of the world, take note.

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The Australian, 9 Febtober 2011

A cracking opening day for Parliament 2011 yesterday saw Jools having a bit of a sook, Bligh-style. Some rather unpleasant types suggested she was putting it on, but everyone agrees Tony’s 20-odd seconds of the angriest silent nodding in interview history (admittedly a niche event) was 100% real.

The Australian, 8 Febtober 2011

The only thing Australians love more than drought and flooding rains is a rort. Being descended from convicts, we know that the trick is to get in while the getting is good and the only bad rort is a rort we don’t get a slice of, which is then rebranded “waste”.

This waste must be hunted down and destroyed, which of course leads to arguments about what is and isn’t waste, generally depending on whether your child is enrolled in the private school that’s getting the new rugby field or not.

In the long run it’s probably a waste of time worrying about it too much, best stick your snout in the nearest trough and hope it all evens out in the end.

The Australian, 27 January 2011

Not all that long ago, we had a water deficit, then we got back into water surplus in a bit of a hurry and now there’s a bloody big mess and somebody’s got to pay for the cleaning up.

Now, we could whack on a flood levy, or “great big new tax” if you’re the excitable type, though one of the chaps from the Reserve Bank Board reckons that’s a bad idea on the grounds that the economy’s already a bit damp around the ankles (might make them drop interest rates though). Otherwise, you could, as an excitable type has suggested, stop building the NBN to pay for it, though you don’t need to be on the Board of the Reserve Bank to work out that’s a pretty stupid idea.

Now I’m  not a leader of either of Australia’s major political parties, or in fact an economist, but in the spirit of The Third Way, perhaps just waiting a bit longer before Wayne’s able to leave the red pen in the pocket protector when he’s finishing up the bottom line of the budget might be a better way to go. I’m all for saving up for a rainy day, but not when the rainy day’s just happened.