Blocking Supply Or Busting the Budget ?

*Pic: Budget brains trust: Abbott, Hockey, Bishop, Trust

The focus of blocking upcoming appropriation bills (supply) distracts away from busting the budget and stopping Tony Abbott and his dangerous ideological agendas. There are many important reasons the Greens are notcurrently supportingcalls to “block supply” in the Senate over Tony Abbott’s horror budget:

1. If supply IS blocked, functions of government will stop. I understand why people are so upset and angry at this budget, but blocking supply has serious consequences that people wouldn’t intend, like government services grinding to a halt starting from the 1st of July. This includes the 150,000 federal public servants not being paid. These are the public servants that make sure government services, like Medicare payments or social security pension or welfare payments, are paid to the people who need them. Without them government services would not be able to be delivered. Small businesses right across the country would cop it in the neck. This would continue for many months until the constitutional crisis is resolved. The pain and suffering this will cause the already disadvantaged is hard to imagine, so blocking appropriation bills defeats the purpose of looking after our most vulnerable (no matter how well intentioned).

2. While some appropriation (supply) bills do contain disappointing cuts to CSIRO and ABC, this must be weighted up by responsible governments against the massive social and economic dislocation likely to be caused by a constitutional crisis (no money for some family’s food, rent, healthcare etc).

3. Labor will not block supply. They have said they will not block supply. It is an article of faith in the ALP not to block supply ever since Malcolm Fraser threatened to block supply to Gough Whitlam’s government in 1975. And because of this, any position that the Greens or any other party or independent such as Andrew Wilkie may take (not matter how principled or political) is purely academic and a distraction away from Tony Abbott and the Liberal’s ideological agenda.

4. Contrary to what many on this blog are claiming (or thinking), a constitutional crisis will not automatically trigger a double dissolution and new elections. It may lead to a House of Representatives election but it won’t trigger a double dissolution. Only a twice-rejected regular piece of legislation can load the double dissolution gun. And only the Prime Minister can pull the double dissolution trigger (not Andrew Wilkie or the Greens).

5. We are however ready and willing to fight an election. We are ready to fight an election on Tony Abbott’s cruel budget, his efforts to undermine Medicare, his attack on universities, students, the unemployed, single parents and the most vulnerable in Australian society.

6. The Greens in the Senate will vote to give Abbott numerous double dissolution triggers in the upcoming months following the appropriation bills, which could soon lead us to the polls and the chance of new elections. Why risk the catastrophe of a constitutional crisis when it isn’t necessary or required for a double dissolution?

7. Section 57 of the Constitution provides a deadlock resolving mechanism whereby if a bill is rejected by the Senate twice, with an intervening 3 month period, then a Prime Minister can seek a double dissolution. The first of the potential double dissolution triggers, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Abolition bill, will come before the Senate later this month. The Australian Greens will not be voting for it. We want to retain this terrific institution which we Greens secured in negotiating the Clean Energy Package and which is rolling out renewable energy projects around the country. If the Prime Minister chooses to go to a double dissolution election on that or any of his other defeated budget bills, we will stand with the Australian people against him.

8. The Greens will be voting against other Budget legislation outside the appropriation Bill that Abbott needs to pass. We will vote against the higher education changes and the pension changes and the axing of the mining tax and the carbon price. Anything cruel in this budget that needs specific legislation we will vote against it. The Greens will also do everything we can in the parliament and in the public arena to end Abbott’s crusade against the environment and against the least well off in society.

It is a good community conversation to have and while I understand the passion and frustration of many Tasmanians, I encourage anyone who is interested in the subject of blocking supply versus blocking budget bills, and triggering double dissolutions to inform themselves by reading this piece by the ABC’s Antony Green about the realities of blocking supply and forced elections http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2014/05/an-early-double-dissolution-dont-hold-your-breathe.html.