29 September 2012

Where is the money coming from?

| cranky
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We are well into the electoral campaign, and, as expected, parties are rolling out their policies.

But I am becoming a bit unerved by the almost constant financial commitments for a wide variety of causes by Katie and crowd.

Is anyone tallying these promises up, and just what does the dollar amount sit at currently? For all parties, but Labor is certainly commiting big.

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cranky said :

22/9 Capital Metro – $600M ( $30M setup?)

I’m scared to add this little lot up,but it’s a bit more than I earn a year. But I’m fairly sure we can’t afford it.

You can hardly count the full cost of a major infrastructure project in this sort of analysis. As with all of the figures, you need to spread them over the period of expenditure and the life of the project. Something like Light Rail should be amortised over 50 years. The police and arts funding is probably not new funding and where it is is actually 4 years of funding rolled into one shiny looking commitment.

These aren’t numbers to be scared of and frankly are no different to what the Greens and Liberals will put up (if the Libs actually have the balls to get their policies costed).

A quick check of the RA history shows the following. Not a full list by any means.

19/9 Arts – $5.83M
20/9 Active Transport – $16M
22/9 Centenary bus service – $750K
22/9 Capital Metro – $600M ( $30M setup?)
23/9 Horsefest – $750K
25/9 Math Camp – $6.7M
25/9 More pavers – $11M
26/9 Canberra business – $3.1M
28/9 Additional Police – $6.8M

I’m scared to add this little lot up,but it’s a bit more than I earn a year. But I’m fairly sure we can’t afford it.

30january16496:31 pm 30 Sep 12

Don’t be concerned Cranky. Treasury will independently tally the numbers as each party is supposed to hand their polices over for checking prior to polling day. You need only be concerned if one party decides not to provide Treasury all their policy costings. I think the Liberals were looking for an excuse not to give their numbers to Treasury (as Mr Abbott did that last Federal election) but I’m sure the Canberra Liberals wouldn’t be that silly…then again looking at the Treasury election commitment website http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/Electioncostings/LiberalParty.shtml – perhaps the Liberals are that silly

I figure that if their increase to rates model gets legs that they will have a lot more money to spend anyway.

You make a very valid point. What you are pointing out is how desperate governments and politicians are to keep their jobs at the moment. The fact is most governments around the world have done a very very bad job (read:Europe, and the Bush Legacy in the USA). Watching SBS news, is quite frankly, frightening to see whats happening OS.

Both state and Federal governments are clambering to stay in power.

I would welcome the day whereby election ‘promises’ form the basis of a contract between the government elect and the people they serve. You dont meet these promises, another election is called.

Im pretty sure any person or company who promised to deliver something and didnt would end up in court.

So this sounds reasonable doesnt it? Might make politicians a bit more responsible for what they promise to deliver.

I always assumed that the money was coming the mint?

c_c said :

A lot of the big ticket items are laid out for a massive period in the finer print. A lot of the figures are also made to sound like a big new spending announcement when really it’s an increase to the existing outlay, like the Lib’s headlines about education and roads spending.

Smoke and mirrors, stay low and bring a torch.

So us mug punters are supposed to see through the ‘finer print’ and realise that these commitments are the pack of lies they are?

Way to get elected!

Ha ha I think it was $4 million, sorry. Still a SHEEEETLOAD and we can’t afford it Katie! just put those young mothers back in school and make the schools look after their needs.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd7:34 pm 29 Sep 12

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttt

You mean like for example the $15 million that Katie Gallagher announced recently to create a jazzy institution from the ground up with subsidised meals for the couple of dozen very young single mothers that the ACT has to look after each year, rather than support them in mainstream schools, with no need for millions for a dedicated building, and require them to spend their welfare money on food rather than ciggies?

A lot of the big ticket items are laid out for a massive period in the finer print. A lot of the figures are also made to sound like a big new spending announcement when really it’s an increase to the existing outlay, like the Lib’s headlines about education and roads spending.

Smoke and mirrors, stay low and bring a torch.

Rookie blunder.

Few, if any, of these grandiose plans will ever actually see the light of day. Those that do will be in a bastardised cut-down (i.e. cheap and flimsy) form. Like the man said – don’t believe the hype.

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