Jobs and Growth for failed LNP politicians.

During the 2016 election campaign Malcolm Turnbull’s mantra was Jobs and Growth.  He repeated it often. He did not go into a lot of detail. Most voters thought he meant he would somehow achieve Jobs and Growth by means of his other policy: 96 Billion Dollar Tax Breaks for Big Business. This practice has never worked in the past, but obviously the Prime Minister thought it would work for him, at least during the election campaign.

Post-election, we now realise that Jobs and Growth really meant highly paid jobs for those LNP candidates who lost their seats in the election. Well, of course, both sides of politics do that, but the LNP are so much better at it. Downer, Hockey, Reith et al, all finished up with very plumb and hugely paid overseas sinecures.

At the same time, the LNP made sure that former Labor politicians like Steve Bracks and latterly, Kevin Rudd, would never be allowed anywhere near that Post Politics Jobs for the Boys Club. In 2013, ex Victorian Labor Premier, Steve Bracks had actually been appointed as Australian Ambassador to some European country when newly appointed Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, withdrew his commission. So there!

Recently, four Liberal members of parliament, who were defeated in the 2016 election, have all been given very highly paid jobs by serving Liberal politicians. Then came the  corker. The Leader of the Senate, finds himself so busy in Canberra attending the opening of one envelope after another, that he cannot get back to his electorate in Hobart. So what did he do? Just like the Queen, God bless her, he decided to appoint somebody to represent him in his own electorate. This person, who also lost his seat in the last election will be the party political equivalent of the Queen’s very own Governor General, who represents her in Australia because she can’t be here as she is actually very busy being the Queen of England. Jobs and Growth. 

This newly appointed official substitute will attend various electorate meetings, flag raisings and bun fights on behalf of that busy, busy LNP Leader of the Senate.This job was specially created. It was not advertised. There were no interviews.By the way, you and I and roughly 16 million other Aussie taxpayers are paying $165 000 for this surrogate party attender to swan around Hobart watching flags go up, sandwiches being served and drinks being sloshed around a lot.

What ever happened to the budget blow out? I guess it comes right after the birthday party candles blow out. Anyhow, we all know it is those lazy, good for nothing bludgers on welfare who are dragging this country down. How lucky are we that the LNP are paying top dollar to these failed politicians, because as Malcolm keeps telling us, all that wealth with trickle down until, eventually, even those welfare spendthrifts with their pockets now filled with trickled down dough, will be gainfully employed once again.

But, that is not all. There is more. Even in these tight financial times, where everyone, except very rich corporations, must all tighten their belts and do the heavy lifting, Attorney General, George Brandis, that marble jawed monument to honesty and integrity, has excelled himself, again! Honest George just appointed a lawyer to some panel. Again, there were no job advertisements. There was no short list. There were no job interviews. George just happened to remember that this fellow was a very good lawyer for some reason or another. Maybe his son reminded him?

It turns out that this lawyer was the one who, a few months ago, got Brandis’ son off a property damages charge that was then before the courts. Brandis, when asked in the Senate Estimates Committee, said he could not remember if he had arranged for this lawyer to provide his services at a discounted rate for his son. After all, it was waaaay back in May of this year. Who can be expected to remember that far back?

Let’s face it, even Simon Gleeson, the Solicitor General, according to George, cannot remember way back in May, just before the last parliament went into caretaker mode, that George had lengthy, deep and meaningful discussions with him. These consultations were allegedly about how George was going to cut the Solicitor General right out of the equation and make it against the law for anybody, even the Governor General or the Prime Minister, from speaking with the Solicitor General, unless they first asked George for permission to do so.

For some reason, the Solicitor-General says these discussions, that were going to affect his traditional role and very reason for being, never took place and he that would never have agreed to such a law. 

George says they did take place. He says they must certainly have taken place because he has said that they took place and he even told the Senate that they had taken place. George says that the Solicitor General must have a bad memory because George would never tell a lie to the parliament about such an important matter.

Anyhow, George Brandis did happen to remember this lawyer who helped his son out of a spot of bother and he gave him the job on the panel. He told the Estimates Committee that, of course, there was no conflict of interest.

Oh, just as a matter of interest and with no conflict of interest whatsoever, this lawyer is being paid $375 000 dollars per year to sit on this panel. Guess who is paying him? You, me and 16 million other Australian taxpayers. Generous aren’t we. Generous to a fault, you may say. Perhaps, George is the fault? Anyhow, it is obviously all part of the Jobs and Growth policy.

The Libs continue to go around proudly proclaiming that they are the only ones who know how to handle money. After all, they keep reminding us how those terrible Labor people left them with such a financial mess to clean up after they came to the treasury benches in 2013. Well, somebody certainly is cleaning up. Those highly paid ex politicians and that terribly good lawyer for starters.

Meanwhile the deficit hasmore than trebled in just over three years of this expert LNP  “good finacial management”.

How lucky are we? Soon we will all be rich. Trickle, trickle, trickle.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had dinner at The Lodge the other night with a couple of Rupert Murdoch’s most senior editors. No doubt we will soon see some far reaching new media laws trickle down. These new trickled down media laws will be very advantageous to somebody rich and famous. I doubt it will be the ABC.

It is really just a case of Tickle, tickle, tickle.