Thursday, 17 August 2023

Public expenditure

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (09:54): My members statement today is on the inappropriate use of public money. It is a fundamental point, but politicians of all levels should remember that there is no such thing as public money; it comes from the productive efforts of private citizens, individually or collectively, in businesses, family or corporate, large or small. So elected officials are absolutely beholden to use it for the public good – services, infrastructure, defence. Waste in any form is disgraceful, but spending public money on partisan politics is unforgivable.

In recent weeks we have seen this principle disgracefully abused. The Borough of Queenscliffe, Victoria’s smallest council, spent $4000 hosting a yes campaign event, including hundreds of dollars in airfares for Sydney-based co-author of The Voice to Parliament Handbook Kerry O’Brien. And balance is painfully lacking at another taxpayer-funded body, the ABC, which is now little more than wall-to-wall propaganda for the Voice, with no effort to present arguments from both sides or to genuinely understand those who oppose the idea.

I condemn the politically motivated waste of ratepayer money by Queenscliffe’s council, but at least residents there can vote out the councillors. Perhaps it is time we moved to a system where taxpayers had the same option with the ABC – namely, those who wish to pay to watch this stuff foot the bill, not the rest of us. If you love it, pay for it.