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Byron Shire
March 27, 2024

Liberals’ debt and deficit disaster

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We just love him!

If you’re over 50 you might not be a fan of Tom Jones, but you can bet your mum is. If you’re under 40 you might not even know who he is, but your grandmother probably wet her pants at the mere mention of his name.

Other News

Dynamic, rustic yet polished

Animal Ventura is the brainchild of Byron Bay-based singer-songwriter Fernando Aragones. Growing up playing punk and reggae in noisy garage bands in Southern Brazil, Aragones ventured to Australia where the eclectic sounds of the Sydney music scene beckoned.

Where will an extra 30,000 people fit in Tweed? Your last chance to comment

The Tweed Shire Growth Management Housing Strategy Options Paper proposes a lot of significant changes across that shire, and many of the options are controversial.

We just love him!

If you’re over 50 you might not be a fan of Tom Jones, but you can bet your mum is. If you’re under 40 you might not even know who he is, but your grandmother probably wet her pants at the mere mention of his name.

Biz confidence up, says Business NSW

The state's peak body for business says confidence in the sector has increased but cost of living pressures continue to impact customer spending.

Youth crime increase across Ballina, Tweed and Byron needs community engagement

Ballina has seen two meetings this month on the increase of youth crime and there has also been increasing reports of youth crime in some areas of the Tweed and Byron Shires. 

Fresh air federal funds for Northern Rivers schools in need

Eighteen schools in the Northern Rivers division of Richmond have received $25,000 each as part of the federal government’s School Upgrade Fund, Labor Member for Richmond Justine Elliot said last week.

Keith Duncan, Pimlico.

Is it any wonder our terminal federal government now lacks credibility on virtually every issue?

The most recent examples are the lies regarding meeting our greenhouse gas emission targets, the effects of reducing negative gearing, and the reduction in public school funding and child care rebates. Freedom of information disclosures have proved this.

We are dealing with a government entrenched in right-wing subterfuge that started back in the dark days of John Howard’s failed government. Howard unleashed a new brand of conservatism that waged class warfare, marginalising Australian workers and minorities and benefiting the conservative-voting wealthy, thus entrenching growing economic inequality.

Driven by the mining boom, Howard and Costello embarked on a raft of superannuation and tax changes and non means-tested upper and middle- class welfare benefits, like the appalling baby bonus, skewed heavily towards the wealthy, further entrenching class prejudice and permanently undermining the tax base for years to come.

On the other hand, Howard gave Australian workers ‘Work Choices’, (actually no choices), but that proved to be a bridge to far, Howard and his government were unceremoniously dumped.

Enter Kevin Rudd’s government and within 12 months the GFC hit and world economic activity virtually stopped.

The new Rudd/Swan Government tried valiantly to keep Australia afloat but the lasting legacy of Howard and Costello’s disastrous tax changes made going into heavy deficit inevitable if the country was to survive, a problem that continues to this day.

Within five years the Abbott/ Turnbull Government has managed to almost treble the deficit, and to this day continues to lie and blame everyone else for doing it.


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