Tax cuts will cost Australia’s future too much: David Giblin, Angelo Gavrielatos, Cathy Rytmeister and Andrew McCallum.

Putting people ahead of pocket

By Kerri Carr

The Australian Education Union is part of a new group, Services First, formed to raise awareness in the community of the importance of health, education and community services, the serious problems that beset them, and the risk to their viability posed by another round of tax cuts at this time.

The group was launched on May 4 at Arthur Phillip High School as polls increasingly show voters would rather more be spent on basic services than receive a personal tax cut.

The goal of Services First is to get the parties to give priority to investment in services, and better family and social security payments instead of tax cuts, at least over the three year term of the next government.

Federation Senior Vice President and Australian Education Union Federal branch Deputy President Angelo Gavrielatos said a poll released on April 28 shows 72 per cent of people would prefer the Government spend money on services such as health and education rather than a $10 a week tax cut.

"Whilst attempting to be populist, the Government now finds itself at odds with voter sentiment," Mr Gavrielatos said.

"The polls demonstrate that people recognise that a fundamental responsibility of government is to properly fund and enhance government services. It goes without saying, our great public schools could be even greater if properly resourced."

"Services First challenges the existing opportunistic preoccupation on the part of governments with tax cuts at the expense of the provision of government services," he added.

Australian Council of Social Service President Andrew McCallum said many kids are missing out on essential services like pre school education.

"Public schools are under pressure and debts for tertiary students are skyrocketing. A tax cut rather than spending on education will rob Australia's young people of vital opportunities," Mr McCullum said.

"It would be uneconomical and unfair not to invest the Budget surplus in educating the next generation of Australians. Better education funds now will not only benefit students, it will be an investment for the nation and the community," he said.

Other representatives of participating organisations who attended the launch were National Tertiary Education Union Assistant Secretary Cathy Rytmeister and NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations publicity officer David Giblin.

Membership diverse

Participating organisations (in addition to the AEU) include the National Public Hospital Clinicians Task Force, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the Disability Federation of Australia, Aged and Community Services Australia, the Australian Council of State School Organisations, the National Tertiary Education Union, the Australian Council of Social Service and National Shelter.

The Services First website is at www.servicesfirst.org.au. The site offers an opportunity to participate in a public survey on services and taxation.

For further information

May 2004 contents