Politics Analysis

Denying hungry kids and women’s rights with David Crisafulli et al

By | | comments |
(Image by Dan Jensen)

There is something inherently wrong with our national priorities if we allow Crisafulli's LNP to prop up mining and development interests, and decide women's reproductive choices while denying hungry children, writes managing editor Michelle Pini.

IT TAKES a special type of hard heart (or is that heartless monster?) to not only disapprove of an initiative that would help feed hungry children but also spend time and energy actively opposing it. 

In a move estimated to save parents $1,600 per child per year, for more than 326,000 students, Queensland Labor Premier Steven Miles recently revealed his Government’s plan to provide the state’s school children with proper meals at lunchtime.

Surely this is a positive move when as many as 700,000 households have experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months in the Sunshine State alone?

Other kids' lunches

Aforesaid heartless monsters, however, chimed in with the following:

  • ‘There's no such thing as a free lunch', “quipped” The Courier Mail, The Chronicle, The Cairns Post and most associated News Corp rags;
  • 'Taxpayers will be the ones “paying for other kids' lunches now”’, opined Danica De Giorgio on Sky News;
  • Tuck shops can’t handle free lunches’, claimed the Brisbane Times;
  • ‘$2 billion for burgers atschools', offered Crisafulli in AFR; and
  • Karl Stefanovic asked Premier Steven Miles on TodayDo you think Queenslanders are idiots?’

Queenslanders’ IQs aside, The Courier Mail, meanwhile, quotedTownsville retiree Robert Srejic’, who posed and then answered his own incisive question:

“Free lunch for the little criminals? … The magistrates should be ordered to dish out harsher penalties.”

Yep, a random Liberal voter says three young people tried to break into his car, so you know, all children should starve to death and/or go to prison. The Courier Mail neglected to mention that "little criminals" also (presumably) get a free lunch in prison. Perhaps banning food in prisons is also on the LNP agenda.

Finally, News.com began its in-depth coverage with:

‘Steven Miles has defended his contentious pledge…’

When did trying to ensure children don’t go hungry become “contentious” and why would such a social service need defending?

What are our taxes even for if not to address social issues affecting our society? If not to offer relief for people experiencing hunger and homelessness or provide quality education, healthcare, aged care or to ensure protection for the environment?

No such thing as a free lunch?

Maybe someone should tell Queensland politicians – like David Crisafulli – for whom our taxes currently fund overnight stays and lunches... and breakfasts… and dinners… and drinks at a rate of $330-$416 per day that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

It’s interesting – if not completely outrageous – that our Murdoch-led, LNP-cheerleading media cohort chose to focus on questioning Premier Miles on how he planned to fund free school lunches but were quite happy to ignore Mr Crisafulli’s ability to dodge, duck and body-swerve getting pinned down on any costings, for any of his policies, whatsoever.

But our taxes are meant to keep fattening up politicians, they are not intended to help fill the tummies of poor people’s children.

Oh, and our taxes are supposed to help fund schools for the children of the wealthy, whose parents reject our grossly underfunded public school system but are also not willing to stump up the entire eyewatering cost of little Johnny from Ascot and Susie from Mermaid Beach’s well-rounded school years. Years upon years, during which provision of yet another indoor, ten-lane, FINA-standard swimming pool, tennis complex to rival Wimbledon or additional musical tuition provided by philharmonic orchestra members are just commonplace occurrences.

These same parents, who are happy to dish out around $35K per year on each child's education, are not so proud as to oppose their preferred elite schools receiving additional taxpayer funding — which amounts to more combined Commonwealth and state government handouts than that squandered on non-elite public schools.

No problem with that, eh, Mr Crisafulli?

More houses/assorted developments...and more mining!

And, clearly, our taxes are there to ensure our politicians, like David Crisafulli, can continue to enrich their property portfolios. 

Strangely, however, the topic of Mr Crisafulli's property portfolio (along with that of Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton) remained conspicuously absent from this week's media coverage, as PM Albanese's purchase of a $4.2 million home dominated the news. 

This is because it's okay for our taxes to fund Liberal/National politicians' property portfolios but are off-limits and completely unacceptable for those of the Labor Party persuasion. 

Our taxes are also there to guarantee mining magnates and developers are never required to pay an equitable amount of tax (or any tax at all) so they can continue to add to the coffers of political parties to keep the scam going indefinitely.

Indeed Crisafulli has gone as far as promising to repeal Qld’s renewables target and allow coal plants to burn “indefinitely”, returning even more taxpayer funds to mining corporations.

For extra insurance, Crisafulli, who will also privatise public housing, has even promised to ditch Labor’s ban on developer donations — because developers, like big polluters, deserve our taxpayer funds, of course.

Lock up the little criminals

Oh, aside from not wasting taxpayer dollars on anything that might benefit the disadvantaged, our taxes exist to recycle Draconian laws which enable the abuse of children, such as the reduction of the criminal culpability age in the Northern Territory — a policy to which the Queensland Opposition Leader is also partial. Indeed, Mr Crisafulli refers to young offenders as a “generation of untouchables”, which he insists is not at all racist.

Crisafulli has repeatedly refused to rule out a conscience vote on the Bob Katter Party’s stated desire to repeal abortion laws. It goes without saying that women’s rights over their own bodies would not be a priority for our taxpayer funds.

There is something inherently wrong if we allow David Crisafulli et al to cosy up with like-minded angry old men suffering Trump-sized egomania in order to dictate reproductive choices for women.

In a Crisafulli LNP Government, our taxes are intended to guard against the hoi polloi ever rising out of poverty and homelessness.

There is something inherently wrong with our system of government and our national priorities if we are seriously considering allowing people like David Crisafulli to use our money to prop up more mining and development interests instead of alleviating children from going hungry.

There is something seriously wrong with these people, full stop.

Subscribe NOW to receive editorials like this one (usually only available to subscribers) directly to your inbox and access all our work.

Follow managing editor Michelle Pini on Twitter @vmp9 and Independent Australia on Twitter/X @independentaus and Facebook& HERE.

 
Recent articles by Michelle Pini
EDITORIAL: Trump won … but wait, Albo just got another flight upgrade!

Yesterday, American voters gifted the world a second Trump presidency.  
Trump won … but wait, Albo just got another flight upgrade!

In Australia, where media disinformation rules, crazed despot Trump is equal to ...  
Denying hungry kids and women’s rights with David Crisafulli et al

There is something wrong with our national priorities if we allow Crisafulli's LNP ...  
Join the conversation
comments powered by Disqus

Support Fearless Journalism

If you got something from this article, please consider making a one-off donation to support fearless journalism.

Single Donation

$

Support IAIndependent Australia

Subscribe to IA and investigate Australia today.

Close Subscribe Donate