Welcome to the latest edition of Clark Matters, Andrew’s monthly email newsletter to help keep you abreast of federal politics and what he’s been up to.
Reflections on the election campaign
As the election campaign draws to a close, it would be fair to say that it’s largely been an underwhelming affair. Yes, there’ve been some big announcements from the Labor and Liberal parties, as well as the Greens. But it’s what’s not been discussed and promised that Andrew has found most striking.
For instance, there’s been no commitment to help the most disadvantaged members of the community by lifting income support payments above the poverty line, like Jobseeker, Disability Support Pension, Age Pension and single parent payments. Nor has there been a holistic solution offered to the crippling cost of living which surely should address profiteering by supermarkets, banks and insurance companies, rising energy costs, weak protections for renters, inadequate government rental assistance and more.
And of course, there’s been no discussion or commitments regarding everything going on overseas, as though the conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine, and the election of Donald Trump, aren’t real. If nothing else, surely this was the election for the parties to commit to a more independent approach to foreign policy and national security.
And all the while, the unaffordable pork barrelling has continued in a shameful demonstration of the rot that infects our political system.
The primary health con-job from the major parties
Labor has pledged that 90 per cent of GP fees will be bulk billed by 2030, a conveniently distant date, and the Liberals have matched it. But the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has observed that the existing rebate, plus the additional bulk billing incentive and the extra incentive for practices that achieve 100 per cent bulk billing, will still fall well short of current patient charges according to may GPs. Indeed, most practices, particularly city practices which pay high rents and other charges, will not miraculously be able to start bulk billing.
Moreover, Labor’s promise to roll out a GP advice telephone service seems to be little more than the current service known as “GP Assist” (its name in Tasmania). Andrew should know – his wife works for them.
Again, it’s what’s missing from this election campaign that matters the most. In this case, the Medicare GP rebate remains woefully inadequate, and bulk billing won’t be significantly improved until it is returned to its original value. Indeed, The RACGP calculates that the real value of the rebate today is about half of what it was when first introduced in 1984.
Australia is undeniably in the midst of a housing crisis
Imagine living in a car with your family for months on end, trying to raise your children and put them through school. There’s nowhere to store clothes or food, no bathroom or kitchen of your own, and nowhere for the kids to do their homework or play, or for you to feel safe or have some privacy. Shockingly, that’s the reality for many Australians, with the total number of people experiencing a housing-related crisis of one form or another, increasing by almost 40,000 per year.
We need a genuinely holistic solution that addresses the chronic shortage of crisis, transitional and supported accommodation, as well as much better protections for renters, more public housing and many more new builds.
People fortunate enough to find a rental face steeply rising rents and scant protections to safeguard their lease. Those lucky enough to buy a house have paid enormously to enter the market but are still dealing with high interest rates, and all the costs associated with home ownership, in particular increasingly unaffordable house insurance.
And then of course there’s the homeless. Perhaps they’re in a friend’s garage or on a couch in the loungeroom, but many are literally without a roof over their head and sleeping in a tent or a car. Sometimes people with a job and reasonable incomes simply can’t afford a rental. Some are living in their car as well.
Is a solution affordable? “Of course, it is” Andrew argues. Australia is one of the world’s wealthiest and most fortunate countries, with the 13th largest economy, and the highest per capita median income in the world. We have the money, we know the problem and we have the wherewithal. What’s missing is politicians making this a top priority and working hard to resolve it. Both major parties are prepared to put band-aid on it and make grandiose announcements, but neither is prepared to prioritise it as a complex problem needing a holistic solution. This simply must change in the next parliament.
It’s election time. Make sure you vote
The federal election is this Saturday. Voting is compulsory so please ensure that you vote. Andrew is seeking re-election in Clark.
Want to follow Andrew?
Facebook | Instagram | BlueSky | X | YouTube
Yours sincerely
