For me it was Howard. He was really effective at furthering many neo liberal economic policies to fuck over anyone not born in to wealth.
He brought in the capital gains tax discount for real estate which when combined with the existing negative gearing policy was/is a major contributor driving investors to real estate thus making property become unaffordable.
Not to mention it’s just so unfair inequitable. Why the fuck should a person who buys existing houses pay less tax on money gained from that than someone who actually produces something of value does on their income?
He was the political equivalent of the FIFO miner spending all his cash on a Malloo, jet ski and glass BBQ party. Howard pissed the early - mid 2000s mining boom proceeds up the wall on middle class welfare. Instead we could have had a future fund like Norway. To be fair every politician we have had since has either been too corrupt or scared to attempt anything like that.
Howard also realised he could fuck over unions by bringing in masses of extra workers via record immigration in order to lower wages. (Added Bonus this increased demand on real estate too)
He won’t be remembered for that on immigration, instead he will be remembered for his “boat people” rhetoric. It was like a magicians distraction, look at these bad immigrants, meanwhile opening the floodgate for “good” immigrants.
He sold telecom setting our internet tech back at least a decade.
He dragged us in to the middle east wars like a good little lapdog for George dubbya.
He started the erosion of Medicare to please his private health fund donors.
As a millennial, not born in to 1% wealth, Howard and the liberal parties message to me has always been “go fuck yourself”.
I will never put liberal anywhere but the bottom of the ballot.
theguardian.com/…/blaming-john-howard-is-easy-but…
rainynight65@feddit.org 1 year ago
Howard was to Australia what Thatcher was to the UK and Reagan to the US. He ushered in neoliberalism and set the Liberal Party on an accelerated course towards right wing christian fundamentalism.
shirro@aussie.zone 1 year ago
Reagan undeniably paved the way for Christian nationalism to take over the republican party.
I disagree on Thatcher and Howard. accelerating fundamentalism, though neoliberalism is a fair call. You were damned if you did or didn’t and Hawke/Keating set a lot of reforms in motion prior to Howard. We weren’t equipped to cope with global changes without major economic reforms. The decision to have reforms advantage some while leaving others further behind was pure shitfuckery and Thatcher did everything as contentiously as possible.
Blair and Rudd strike me more as god botherers than Howard or Thatcher and the ALP have perpetuated and extended Howard’s drive towards private religious education and service delivery. The ALP right has an equivalent group in the Libs. Its all the same here.