Why I’m sick of my hard-earned tax going to the ‘undeserving’

I feel like throwing in the towel.

I have worked hard for more than 50 years, contributing to our budget bottom line, but I am starting to question why I bother.

Several recent decisions by the government and judiciary have me questioning the validity of my efforts, and indeed the efforts of my ex-veteran father and grandfather to make this a great country in which to live.

Firstly, the decision by our government to pay compensation to illegal refugees housed on Manus Island. What does that say to the hard working Australian doing the right thing? What does that say to refugees who have come to Australia legally and have embraced our culture? It clearly says “come to Australia illegally, you will be housed and fed and have no fear for your life and in addition, we will ‘compensate’ you to the tune of thousands of dollars for treating you so ‘badly’.” Meanwhile, homelessness in Australia grows daily but we have no money for them.

Secondly, decisions by court judges to release, on community orders, young offenders who have attacked hard working merchants going about their daily business. The example recently of a group of young men who smashed into a jewellery store, terrorising the owner and staff with baseball bats and knives. Imagine the fear faced by staff which would surely leave them traumatised, but all eyes are focussed on the rehabilitation of these criminals without a second thought for the victims. Even drivers who have racked up thousands of dollars in speeding fines and not paid them have been told “that’s okay. Your fine is enormous and you have shown contempt for the system by making no attempt to pay these when other motorists duly paid, we will now let you off.”

And what about the Administrative Appeals Tribunal? Do they have any accountability? Letting foreign criminals with conviction stay in this country after their visas were cancelled by the Minister for Immigration is appalling. We have enough of our own criminals without importing them. Once again, no consequences for their actions.

We have politicians sitting in parliament today who have openly rorted the system and betrayed the taxpayer together with scheming and dishonest high flyers in the public service. We have governments demonstrating serious lack of judgement when spending taxpayers’ monies on big ticket items which were over-cost and not fulfilling their initial purpose (e.g. Myki, desalination plant).

Who is providing the piggybank for all this spending? Me, my fellow pensioners, and the average hard-working Australian Joe and we are sick of it.

Then to discover the politicians have now granted themselves a pay raise together with a tax cut while at the same time energy prices are going through the roof, penalty rates are abolished and low-income wage earners and pensioners try yet again to live on less; one might think something is very out of balance here.

More honesty, more accountability, more thoughts for big-ticket expenditure, definitive actions on illegal immigrants and violent offenders and perhaps I will keep playing the game but at the moment, all I want to do is throw my hands up in disgust, take my bat and ball and go home!

Do you share Sue’s sentiments?