Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

How is the peak body for people with disabilities to be funded?

By Peter Gibilisco - posted Tuesday, 10 February 2015


Sinclair Davidson, Professor of Institutional Economics, at RMIT University. Here is what he is reported to have said about the proposed GP co-payment scheme.

Then there is the Medical Research Future Fund. This verges on the incoherent. The government will invest all the money from the GP co-payment, increased medicine payments, and savings from medical expenditure into the fund which will then finance research. In other words, the GP co-payment and increased medicine prices will not be used to reduce debt or deficit. So why have it at all? Clearly there is no urgent need to introduce these higher prices and co-payments; they are driven purely by ideology. The Medical Research Future Fund exists to detract attention from that decision. Why deprive people of actual medical attention in order to finance research when there is no guarantee of any actual benefit?

In other words: Is the federal government just attempting to introduce another social dilemma? A social dilemma is when a collective act is in opposition to private interest. It seems that public policies that can directly affect social inclusiveness are framed to create what seem to be social dilemmas. This plays off the perception that welfare policies are an incentive for a growth in individual selfishness. Public Choice theory has taken this on board and identifies some policies that presuppose the creation of social dilemmas.

Advertisement

This is driven by the belief that an even worse social dilemma can be created to cover up the first. Is that what the cut to advocacy is all about?

Or consider the views of Lawrence Abeln, Dean of the Business School at University of Adelaide

There is no concern for a structural deficit in Australia and therefore no need for such repairs. The Australian national deficit is among the lowest of our G20 peers. There is too much preoccupation with the public debt in this federal budget, and we should focus instead on using debt as an instrument of growth rather than employ measures to reduce spending. Relative to our G20 competitor nations, Australia has one of the strongest economies in the world.

This prompts me to ask a question, and give a logical, coherent and factual response. Can individual self-interest be altruistic? Of course it can, but the chances of it being plainly selfish and greedy are much greater. The effects of such a way of life can be witnessed today by the problematic growth in the economic divide between rich and poor that is encountered everyday by those who keep alert to what is happening around them in general social life.

Our inflation is relatively contained, our unemployment is low relative to Europe and the US and we have among the lowest public debt ratios to gross domestic product (GDP) of any industrialised country in the world. Our public debt is 30% of GDP. It is three times that in France and the UK, two and a half ties in the US and seven times in Japan. So we as a nation have a very strong balancesheet and our public debt is already under control. Because of our favourable balance sheet especially compared to others, we have capacity to borrow and to use some of the funds to invest to promote further growth.

Therefore, what I would like to ask is this: why does the federal Coalition Government undermine much needed social policy? What does it think it will gain from this cut? Is there anything to gain from the loss of advocacy for disabled people?

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All

Peter wishes to thank Bruce Wearne and Amanda Gunawardena for their help with this article. Peter will also be appearing on Channel Thirty One's "No Limits" Feburary 20, 2015, talking about alternative economics.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

4 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Peter Gibilisco was diagnosed with the progressive neurological condition called Friedreich's Ataxia, at age 14. The disability has made his life painful and challenging. He rocks the boat substantially in the formation of needed attributes to succeed in life. For example, he successfully completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne, this was achieved late into the disability's progression. However, he still performs research with the university, as an honorary fellow. Please read about his new book The Politics of Disability.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Peter Gibilisco

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Peter Gibilisco
Article Tools
Comment 4 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy