Tim Wilson had an important op-ed in the AFR yesterday on industry assistance:
Every taxpayer dollar that enlarges the revenue and profits of a corporate welfare recipient needs to be justified.
One would think that so obvious a statement would not be news-worthy. Yet we live in times where it worthy on being a Liberty Quote.
Yesterday The Australian Financial Review reported that the Commonwealth Industry Department blocked access to data about levels of car industry subsidies.
According to the department, the information requested under Freedom of Information legislation would not “contribute in any meaningful way to informing debate on a matter of public importance”.
Simply astonishing that bureaucrats think that they can get away with that sort of argument.
This, of course, simply highlights industry capture.
“I think this is a very serious and retrograde step that the whole of the Australian community should be concerned about,” Mr Scales, who is Chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology, said in response to the Department of Industry’s refusal to release how much local car makers were paid over the past decade.
Mr Scales was responsible for implementation of the “Button car plan”.
“This takes us back to the bad old days of the ’60s and ’70s where the Industry Department saw the industry as their client, rather than the Australian public.
AFR is part of the Fairfax stable. If anything resembles capitalist economics or common sense it gets the tin ear treatment from the Collective.
Bruce
8 Feb 13 at 12:39 pm
That is astounding. It’s just a flat out lie by the department. The new govt sure will have the job ahead of it. Rule 303 I think.
Bruce, why are you blaming the AFR? They’re just the messenger. Or is this an example of unthinking criticism of the other team?
Pedro
8 Feb 13 at 12:47 pm
?
Charter of Budget Honesty?
.
8 Feb 13 at 12:48 pm
Yesterday The Australian Financial Review reported that the Commonwealth Industry Department blocked access to data about levels of car industry subsidies. This blocking of FOI seems to be happening a lot lately, from the Prime Minister’s office down. What have they got to hide?
Gab
8 Feb 13 at 12:52 pm
There’s another government department to add to the list to be wound up. Sell off any bits that can be sold, and let it be a lesson to others that bureaucratic arrogance will not be tolerated.
Winston SMITH
8 Feb 13 at 12:55 pm
The amount paid to the companies is nothing compared to import tarrifs and duties. We pay almost 200% markup on mass produced asian vehicles. the reason no government will fix this is because its essentially a tax, if they let it go free market there would be a multi billion dollar decrease in government revenue.
mundi
8 Feb 13 at 12:58 pm
We are seeing the end of accountability and transparency of government.
This is all brought to you by the bloated ABC and stenographers guild who enjoy being paid while having their job done by media managers from the ALP.
If you want to see where this is going, Google up “Hillary Clinton” “held accountable” and “Benghazi”.
Token
8 Feb 13 at 1:08 pm
Their test is one of need rather than detriment, and they’ll decide if you need it! Unfarkinbelievable.
Refusals should ONLY be permitted where a chance of harm can be argued.
Harold
8 Feb 13 at 1:14 pm
the biggest corporate welfare payment is to the ‘renewable energy’ industry. everything else is chicken feed by comparison.
adrian
8 Feb 13 at 2:49 pm
If one job is lost from corporate welfare then it should be abolished in it’s entirety. Because all the corporate welfare has already cost jobs, all of this welfare should be abolished.
Andrew
8 Feb 13 at 3:56 pm
There is far too much government dept health has no hospitals or clinics,dept education hasno schools.dept of trade does no trading,dept of transport has no trucks or trains,,dept of industry has no industry,and the dpept of energy has no energy.even the treasury has no money ,they havevto borrow,
Borisgodunov
8 Feb 13 at 4:30 pm
In qld Anna Bligh just amended the freedom of Information act whenever she wanted to exempt whatever she wanted. Any government with majority in both houses at the federal level would do the same.
Mindi
10 Feb 13 at 1:15 pm