What's wrong with a restraint on spending?
letter published in The Australian, 10 August 2010
TWO major criticisms of Tony Abbott's campaign launch were that it lacked an economic plan for the future and contained no big-spending announcement ("Confident Abbott playing it safe", 9/8).
Such comments seem to completely overlook the fact that our society is one reliant predominantly on the private sector. The main job of government must surely be to provide an environment conducive to an expansion in private consumption and business investment.
If a Coalition government were to give effect to Abbott's stated support at the launch for small government and low taxes, that would provide such an environment and increase employment and average incomes per head. It would also create sufficient tax revenue to fund those needing to use public health and education services and generally less able to look after themselves. That is not a bad sort of economic plan.
Des Moore, South Yarra, Vic