Julia Driscoll's excellent report of the views of Graham Brown about the crisis in aged care (March 25) is worth noting. I am reminded of a similar article some time ago in the local media about Alan Tickle's concern regarding funding for Taree's hospital.
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What these concerns are really about is lack of funding. Is it surprising? Not at all.
We live in Federal and State constituencies which regularly and reliably elect MPs from a low taxation party. Favouring electoral pork barrelling, they ignore the concerns of the likes of Messrs Tickle and Brown, but lavish millions on sports clubs and other groups, which are of no interest to most of the people these MPs represent.
Yet all of the people want better health care, and good aged care for their relatives and friends and for themselves when the time comes. But there are no votes in that, it seems.
We cannot have these things unless we pay tax: enough tax. The Coalition takes money out of one service (usually for the poor or disabled) to top up another, so there are always losers.
Caring governments should be more concerned with protecting the people, than robbing Peter to pay Paul.
We need higher taxes properly and fairly collected, and for the rich to pay their proper share. Then we can have good aged care, a good hospital and well-paid nurses, doctors, and staff, decent local roads, and fully funded public schools with well paid teachers.
If you do not want to pay tax, you can't complain if you do not get the things you expect government to provide, unless you are a hypocrite.
