19-December-2011
Articles
This article originally appeared in The Australian on 19 December 2011
EVER since the fall of the Berlin Wall it has been deeply annoying to hear anyone say there is no longer any serious philosophical difference between the two main sides of politics. The Gillard government has helped greatly to dispel this notion.
The differences between it and the Coalition under Tony Abbott could not be starker.
The Coalition's opposition to the carbon and mining taxes sends a clear message that it offers an unambiguous alternative to Labor's big taxing and spending approach to government. We oppose Labor's regressive attempts at wealth redistribution, which undermine Australia's strengths and comparative advantage. As chairman of the Coalition's policy development committee I have put priority on guiding policy development within a framework that reflects our priorities, philosophical values and approach to government.
Fundamental to this are four principles to which a Coalition government will adhere: live with- in our means: back our nation's strengths; reverse the nanny state; and restore a culture of personal responsibility.
Combined and applied these principles form a roadmap of the direction in which the Coalition will take the nation.
Living within your means involves cutting expenditure and waste and using the dividends from the resources boom to pay down debt, build reserves and fire-proof the economy to things that are outside government control, such as moderating commodity prices, easing Chinese growth and reduced global liquidity.
Living within your means is knowing what you can afford and thinking laterally to implement policies that bring benefits but don't involve throwing borrowed money at things such as the National Broadband Network.
In business or running any organisation, the first thing you do is identify your top three or four strengths: things you do better than most.
Minerals and resources comprise our obvious key strength. Agriculture is next, with enormous potential for further growth, but that will never be realised under this government, which is so beholden to the Greens and their anti-development policies.
If mining really was accepted as our No 1 strength by the government, it would not do everything it could to make mining less competitive with the double whammy of a mining and carbon tax.
We need a positive vision backed by a plan that can be implemented, for example, to build new dams to enhance water security, to support mining and to spark new agricultural opportunities. This extends to a determination to help develop the north, to create a new food bowl across northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. At present we feed 60 million people, but in the coming decades our aim is to double that figure. The north has a large role to play in achieving that objective.
Investment in the north will also equip us to meet demand from the rapidly growing economies of Asia. It will enable the development of interconnected areas: infrastructure, health, research and education.
Reversing the nanny state requires a philosophical shift from "government knows best" to one where government involvement in business and people's lives is minimised. Getting rid of productivity-sapping reporting requirements across sectors, adding flexibility to the labour market and providing greater autonomy are all powerful ways of reversing government's reach.
Restoring a culture of personal responsibility instills faith in an individual, business or enterprise to make decisions in their own interests, not in the interests of bureaucrats and politicians. This produces the best outcomes and fosters a spirit of enterprise and self-sufficiency, reducing reliance on government.
By staying true to our values, we offer an unambiguous alternative to a Labor government that has lost its way.
Andrew Robb is chairman of the Coalition's policy development committee.