Kim Beazley Talks the Talk on Taxation in the 2005-06 Budget and a Little More. (May 13, 2005)

    The leader of the Federal Opposition Australian Labor Party Kim Beazley replied to the Coalition's 2005-06 budget proposals going into some detail as to how were he in government he would distribute cuts in taxation. In rebuttal to the Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, Mr Beazley brought up what he considered to be certain deficiencies in the government's proposals other than matters of taxation per se.

[This budget] comes at a time when Australia is enjoying its highest export prices since Don Bradman retired from captaining Australia half a century ago... Good fortune has added $40 billion per year to our national income... [A] responsible leader looks out to the horizon, sizes up future threats to the nation, and prepares it for risks.

Before the Budget, the question for Australia was, what would we do with this singular opportunity? Would we invest it in something that lasts? Would we take this extraordinary opportunity to repair what is broken in our nation? This is a question of our values. What and who would come first in our Australia?

This Budget has failed the Australian people because it fails to act upon urgent challenges facing the nation:

    -It does nothing new to ease our chronic skill shortage,

    -It does nothing new to fix our roads and ports,

    -It does nothing new to support research and development,

    -It does nothing new to support our universities,

    -It does nothing new to solve the water crisis,

    -It does nothing new to lift our exports.

However, it remains to be seen just what specific far reaching initiatives Mr Beazley and his colleagues will propose to address the six "urgent challenges facing the nation" which in his view the Coalition has dealt with inadequately. If Mr Beasley does in fact put nation before party will he set out chapter and verse from this moment as to just what reforms must be undertaken to forestall the "future threats to the nation, and prepares it for risks."

It's time that Kim Beasley got out in front and led.