CASH FOR CLUNKERS: GILLARD AND CARR AT ODDS (AGAIN)
16-November-2010
Monday November 15th
Julia Gillard is at odds again with her own Industry Minister on the fate of the Government’s Cash for Clunkers election policy howler.
In Question Time today, Ms Gillard distanced herself from Kim Carr’s refusal last week to guarantee that the Government’s car buyback scheme will ever be introduced – even from its already-deferred start date of 1 July 2011.
This follows repeated disagreements between the two – dating back to Mr Carr’s damning 2009 judgement that such a scheme shouldn’t be introduced in Australia.
Mr Carr knows that Labor needs to unshackle itself from this policy calamity.
But, instead of doing the right thing and immediately scrapping the policy, Ms Gillard seems determined to plough on with “a consultation phase” on what the Australian public already knows is a deeply-flawed idea.
This is yet another example of directionless politics from a weak and insipid Government.
Labor needs to stop its reckless spending immediately to take the pressure off interest rates, and abandoning Cash for Clunkers is one obvious step that can be taken along that pathway.
Its projected cost has already blown out to $429 million, and it will undoubtedly impose further strains on the budget if it is ever introduced.
The Government is clearly beset by chaos and confusion, and has no idea what to do with its promise.
It needs to show some backbone, and give Australians an early Christmas present by dumping this dog of a scheme forthwith.