Opposition Leader Tony Abbott holds New Zealand up as a fiscal pattern card for Australia

This was Opposition Leader Tony Abbott during an ABC 7.30 interview on 24 April 2013:

Well, that's not a correct figure. Yes, we do have to find significant savings, but it's nothing like that figure. Nothing like that figure at all. And let's look, if I may for a moment take you across the Tasman to New Zealand. The New Zealand National Government is on track to get total government spending down from 35 to just 30 per cent of GDP without savage cuts by two things. First, they've made changes that have promoted economic growth, and second, they have religiously guarded against additional new spending. And that's where this government has gone so wrong. Every day we have ministers talking about difficulties with the revenue and every day the Prime Minister is out there announcing billions in new spending.

Apparently Abbott believes that the New Zealand national economy is doing better than the Australian economy because the NZ Government is spending less, posted an operating deficit before gains and losses of $3.025 billion in the five months ended to 30 November 2012 and, expects to have a modest operating surplus of $66 million in 2014/15.

So just how well is New Zealand doing in comparison with Australia?

Yes, Australia has a budget deficit in 2013 but then so does New Zealand.

Australia is also carrying a degree of government debt:

January 2000 to April 2013

But then again, New Zealand is no stranger to government debt either.

Yes, the Australian Government spends more on infrastructure creation than New Zealand:

However, Australia also has a better international credit rating (AAA) than New Zealand (AA).

Another difference is the fact that the New Zealand Government suspended payments into the New Zealand Superannuation Fund in 2009 and has not resumed them to date, while the Australian Government superannuation co-contribution payments have not been suspended and its safety-net pension payments have increased.

If one looks at 2013 March Quarter data found at the New Zealand Treasury website then it is obvious that Australia still compares favourably with New Zealand across a number of the eight graphs shown below.

Australia has higher real GDP growth, lower government debt as a percentage of GDP, smaller current account deficit, a lower unemployment rate and a higher gross national income level.

New Zealand only

New Zealand only

WhileThe World Bank allows this comparison of Gross National Income based on purchasing power parity:

The witch didn't die - she just morphed

https://twitter.com/KieraGorden

In April 1918

 

Oh, for heaven's sake! Read a history book or two Kevin

I went on the website of Federal Nationals candidate, Kevin Hogan, who is hoping to win the seat of Page from Labor’s Janelle Saffin.

Kevin had this to say:

The Nationals website also outlines further policy details as we make them available in the lead up to the election. Click here.

As I was still looking for Mr. Hogan’s stance on education I clicked the link and found this:

The nationals helped pioneer government funding for independent schools…

Has Kevin and his cohorts gone crazy?

Last time I looked it was Governors of the Colony of New South Wales who helped pioneer the funding of independent schools in the 1830s and 40s. 

The National Party of Australia has only been in existence since 1920 by its own reckoning so it had no influence on that decision at all.

Anzac Day 25th April 2013

At the waterhole

Gallipoli

May 1915

The myth that the Howard Government left absolutely no government debt when it departed

 

How the Federal Liberal Party would like you to see Australian Government Debt

 

http://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2013/03/27/labor-must-recognise-facts-about-australias-record-debt

 

How the rest of the world sees Australian Government Debt

 

Historical Australian Government Debt

 

 

 Australian Governments 1990 to 2013

 

 The Howard Government

 

 

No matter which way the bread is sliced the fact remains that the Howard Government went to the 2007 federal election with government debt on the books.

 

NSW first to sign up to National Education Reforms in April 2013

Australian Government

NSW first to sign up to National Education Reforms

Media Release

Tuesday 23 April 2013

The Australian and New South Wales Governments have today reached an historic agreement which will benefit over 1.1 million students across the state.

The Prime Minister and Premier of NSW today signed the National Education Reform Agreement, kicking off the biggest change to school education in Australia for 40 years.

It’s an agreement that will drive long term improvements in NSW schools and a fairer approach to funding based on the needs of every student.

Building on recent Federal and NSW reform directions, the agreement incorporates the National Plan for School Improvement. This will see the two governments work together to achieve:

• Stronger requirements for entry to teaching courses and better induction and support for     new teachers;
•  Higher teaching standards and annual teacher performance appraisals;
• The Australian Curriculum from Foundation to Year 12 in full;
• Publicly available school improvement plans and reports;
• Empowered school leadership through greater local authority in staff selection and roles;
• School readiness assessments for students on entry to school;
• A priority focus on reading instruction for students in kindergarten to Year 2; and
• Greater provision of Asian languages across all year levels.

Both Governments will adopt consistent needs-based funding arrangements, with the Federal Government moving to legislate its funding commitments over coming weeks.

This will provide NSW schools with additional investment totalling around $5 billion over six years. Of this, the Federal Government will contribute 65 per cent ($3,270 billion) and the NSW Government 35 per cent ($1,761 billion).

On top of this, the Federal Government has committed to grow its school education spending by 4.7 per cent per year from 2014 into 2015 and throughout the agreement. In return, NSW has agreed to grow its own school budget by 3 per cent per year from 2016 onwards.

Both Governments have agreed a year-by-year transition that will see funding for NSW schools reach at least 95 per cent of the new Schooling Resource Standard in 2019 in a fair and consistent way.

The NSW Government runs the largest school system in the country. Today’s announcement confirms that the National Plan for School Improvement, including new funding arrangements, can and should apply to all Australian students.

This agreement between the Federal and NSW Governments sets the benchmark for other states and will drive the reforms we need to see if Australia is to be in the top five in the world in reading, maths and science by 2025.

The Australian Government is determined to keep working closely with all remaining state and territories– and with schools, parents and communities right across the nation – to see these reforms agreed by 30 June 2013.

This will give schools the certainty they need to plan for next year.

These reforms are in the interests of all Australian children, and they are in our national interest so we can take economic advantage of the opportunities of the Asian century.