Article by Dana Daniel, courtesy of The Canberra Times
Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has taken aim at bureaucrats while calling for Trump-style cuts to the public service, saying taking the axe to public spending would pay for tax cuts.
The billionaire mining magnate and Liberal party donor used her speech at a National Mining Day event hosted by Santos last week to outline her vision of a stripped-back Australian Public Service.
The Coalition has criticised the Albanese government for its increased APS budget, but has not outlined where it would find savings or explained how it would avoid a drop in service delivery.
“Cut out the duplicated federal departments, have the courage to sell the ABC radio, and close the ABC TV like the opposition leader in Canada, Pierre, has announced he will do,” Ms Rinehart said.
“Cut out expenditure on the Environmental Defenders Office, sell the pot plants and artifacts from all the departments and agencies offices (let them bring in their own), these are just some of many opportunities to cut expenditure and wastage to make way for tax cuts!”
The Hancock Prospecting executive chair, who donated $150,000 to the Liberal party ahead of the 2022 election, said the “Canberra cocoon” needed reminding that people flourished when red tape and taxes were cut.
Ms Rinehart referred to Trump’s “Drill, baby, drill” slogan and lauded the Australian mining industry’s contribution to national prosperity, saying the taxes it contributed paid for public hospitals, roads, schools and defence spending with “change to spare”.
But, she said, the nation’s living standards were declining and public sector waste – along with policies leading to “less productive investment” – was to blame.
“We should be watching and learning from the recent announcement … following President-elect Trump’s tsunami victory that he will be establishing a Department of Government Efficiency,” she said.
“With Elon Musk and fellow billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy leading the charge, they will achieve significantly cutting tape.”
Ms Rinehart called for an Australian DOGE and came up with an acronym of her own: LINOs, understood to mean Liberals in Name Only (a play on the RINOs or Republicans in Name Only, a sledge created by Trump supporters).
“This is not a time for LINOs, timidly fiddling around a few edges, careful not to upset the minority noisies or rapidly increasing bureaucrats, none of whom will ever vote for the Coalition,” she said.
“We need make Australia great again … DOGE will cut government intrusion, cut government waste, and enable President-elect Trump to cut taxes.
“To enable tax cuts here in Aussie, we need to cut government expenditure and waste. Out with the failed approach, that being let’s get the bureaucracy-friendly Treasury to cost tax cuts.
“Treasury don’t want to cut bureaucracy or recognise that cutting taxes leads to revenue growth, who then advise ‘we can’t afford’. Instead, let’s decide to cut the government waste, then we can afford.”
Ms Rinehart also called for the fuel excise to be “completely and immediately” axed and for a “return to reliable and cheaper energy”.
“Stop taxpayer funding of unreliable green energy and its incredibly expensive infrastructure,” she said.
“Don’t make us taxpayers pay for more pollies’, bureaucrats’ and billionaires’ luxurious gabfests around the world in aid of banning fossil fuels.
“This expensive net zero cult sure likes to use lots of fossil fuels for their many many trips, including using hundreds of private jets.”
Ms Rinehart signalled that the Coalition would be measured against the second Trump administration, which was promising a 15 per cent company tax rate.
“Our company tax rate is double that. So far, the Coalition has brought in more government tape and regulations than the socialist Whitlam government ever had,” she said.
“Commitment and action to significantly cut is badly needed, not LINO words – capital is already flooding out of Australia, hence we need to act fast.”
