Last week at the National Press Club, Anthony Albanese declared: \u201cThere is no security in maintaining a status quo that doesn\u2019t work for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt Canavan\u2019s \u201ceconomic revolution\u201d is a populist mirage masquerading as an answer to a generational challenge that will define our prosperity in the decades to come.<\/p>\n
That challenge is: how do we create a new economy that is more resilient, secure and affordable, without undermining our prosperity?<\/p>\n
For the Nationals leader, the answer is simple: scrap net zero and dig up more oil and coal; build more dams and \u201cnew cities\u201d; slash migration and encourage more babies; and make more stuff here by protecting Australian industries from overseas competition.<\/p>\n
In other words, a mid-20th-century \u201cpioneer\u201d solution for the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Canavan\u2019s prescription would lead to massively more government debt as we embark on huge new public building works.<\/p>\n
Businesses that can\u2019t stand on their own two feet would prioritise chasing subsidies and lobbying politicians over competing for customers.<\/p>\n
Canavan\u2019s response to the high cost of living would be to force us to buy more expensive, locally made goods.<\/p>\n
If politicians can\u2019t swallow the blowback from voters, as would be likely, then they would deliver the subsidies that lower the price \u2013 adding more to debt and deficits.<\/p>\n
The Nationals leader is intellectually dishonest when he pretends that his \u201ceconomic revolution\u201d will lift the country out of its productivity malaise.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n Last week at the National Press Club, Anthony Albanese declared: \u201cThere is no security in maintaining a status quo that doesn\u2019t work for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Does Matt Canavan have a strategy to take on One Nation? \u2013 Back to Back Barries podcast<\/p>\n