Oconnem, I note the opinion you expressed in that post; suffice...

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    Oconnem, I note the opinion you expressed in that post; suffice to say it's not one that I share.

    History tells us that Australian business almost never invests in the national interest. It usually even relies on government to provide the services and infrastructure - from transport to communications and even skilled workers.

    In Australia it's therefore the prime responsibility of government to invest for a more productive future. While global interest rates are so low our governments should be taking advantage and investing in productivity enhancing infrastructure such our education systems, the NBN, airports and rail systems.

    The practice of fire sales of public assets as Jeff Kennett did in Victoria enables windfall profits for opportunistic and well-connected business interests. It does absolutely nothing to improve productivity! Although fire sales of public assets may temporarily lower public debt, it may even deprive government of future incomes - Kennett sent Victoria backwards, explaining why he was eventually dumped and why the LNP was cast into the political wilderness for amore than a decade.

    As if that's not enough, an assessment Col Barnett recently attributed to South Australia's experience is being used as justification for not doing so in WA.

    Lazy governments sit on their hands and sell off public assets. As a consequence they ensure we become less productive and less competitive - as happened under the profligate Howard Years where public money was wasted on wars and weapons of mass destruction.
 
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