Letter to the Editor: Robbing Mark to pay Richard

DEAR News Of The Area,

LAST week Health Minister Mark Butler announced cuts to the $50 billion NDIS budget with little detail other than the end of support which is coming for an estimated 160,000 current recipients; not to mention future hopefuls.

While few would disagree that there are national budgetary constraints and the NDIS needs structural and financial reform, one questions the motivation and timing behind such a blunt public policy, especially given that at the same time Defence Minister Richard Marles was announcing an additional $53 billion funding to a pivotal national AUKUS Defence program which has not been debated in our Federal Parliament, and ironically lacks the same fiscal oversight and transparency that we are asking of the NDIS.

While we hear allegations of organized crime using the NDIS to rort the system, you could fill a couple of Royal Commissions with the allegations of tendering rorts, corruption and wastage in Defence contracts.

Since when did a percentage of GDP ever become a sensible rationale for setting a Defence budget anyway, let alone a ‘strategy’; unless of course your ‘strategy’ is to appease an increasingly dodgy major alliance partner?

Of course, if we asked the gas exporters to pay tax on our gas which they sell overseas, we would probably be able to service the needs of pretty much all Australians with special needs.

It’s called ‘investing in our future’ isn’t it?

It’s pretty obvious who has the current Government’s ear.

Regards,
Dave WOOD,
Boambee East.