Noticeably absent from the list of worthy citizens who were acknowledged in the Australia Day honours were the entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial talent is scarce; not everyone wants to take the risks; not everyone has the ability or inclination. Yet it is an essential element in our prosperity. The role of the entrepreneur is crucial - not only to correct disequilibria in the market place but to discover opportunities. We need to admire those who risk their capital, their time and their skills to provide the products and services that the rest of us enjoy. We need to honour the entrepreneur.
Quoting Radio National, Grace Collier reported in The Weekend Australian that the cost of our politicians’ expense entitlements is over $2 million per MP per year. At present, this includes travel to any event where they might meet their fellow citizens. Specifically, it includes the Melbourne Cup, AFL and Rugby football finals, and the Australian Open. Better control over this extravagance is essential. I like her solution. “Official business should be defined this way: if the Australian Taxation Office wouldn’t allow a non-politician to claim it as a work-related deduction, then it isn’t official business for a politician and cannot be paid for by the public. This ‘one rule for all’ is sim
