We often get these great throwaway lines about unwise Labor government spending without a skerrick of back-up evidence to support them, but when repeated often enough such messaging comes to be believed.

What we do know, as a study of the budget papers shows, is that the highest taxing governments in Australia’s history were the Howard government followed by the Coalition government since 2013.

Down the road from where I live is a one of those much-maligned school halls built by the Labor government when Anthony Albanese was Minister for Infrastructure. They are not only a godsend for schools, but are used frequently to host a variety of functions held by members of the community. Furthermore, they will last well into the future and continue to serve generations to come.

By contrast the present federal government, in a cynical display of political expediency, refused to claw back a staggering $20 billion it gave to businesses with rising earnings.

As we stare at a shortage of rapid antigen tests, that sum could have purchased 1.6 billion test kits at a full retail price of $12.50 each. It is the equivalent of more than 60 tests for every Australian person.

In the guise of a ‘modern-day Moses’, Scott Morrison’s cry was freedom and to let my people go, urging a “culture of responsibility” to take precedence over a “culture of control and mandates”. New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, had already led the charge. Masks were no longer required and other restrictions were loosened. Tony Abbott was copious in his praise for the premier, saying we could now “look forward to a decent Christmas.”

Omar Khorshid, the AMA president, saw things differently. He warned that lives were unnecessarily being put at risk. Unfortunately for Morrison, the ‘COVID Sea’ did not part as cases surged towards 40,000 in NSW and hospital staff were also infected, Perrottet had no alternative but to reinstate sensible restrictions. Patience, not instant gratification to satisfy sectors of the moneyed class, should be the watchword as we make our way through the pandemic.

Palmer preference danger

A month before the last federal election, Clive Palmer made a preference deal with the Liberal Party. The latter agreed to place the UAP ahead of Labor in both the lower house and the senate. Prior to that Palmer had been relentlessly disparaging of both major parties. But as the election closed in, and Labor was still leading in the polls, he reassessed his position. He clearly desired that a Morrison status quo was in his best interest. The same pattern is now being replicated. If Labor maintains its lead on the Coalition well into this new year, don’t be surprised if another Morrison-Palmer deal eventuates.