Today, speaking at the National Press Club, Ms Gillard said the total cost of the recent floods disaster to the federal budget would be $5.6 billion and that the cost would be met by the levy and by cuts to government spending….The actual announcement, the inevitable analysis and political commentary is already in train and (rightly) no doubt will continue for some time further.
For me, the big surprise is not so much that a levy is necessary, but more so, how many other natural disasters is needed before a more comprehensive specific-disaster-independent levy is conceived and from time to time “topped up” as monies are released in support of almost certain to occur disasters in the future. The table below (sourced and adapted from Wikipedia) provides only a sample of disasters we have endured over the years.
Disaster Location Deaths Date Epidemic Australia-wide 12,000+ 1918–1919 Epidemic Australia-wide 1,013 1946–1955 Epidemic Australia-wide 550 1900–1910 Heat wave Victoria 438 Dec 1938-Feb 1939 Heat wave South-eastern Australia 437 1895–1896 Cyclone Bathurst Bay, Queensland 410 4 March 1899 Heat wave South-eastern Australia 374 25 January to 9 February 2009 Heat wave Southern states 246 December 1907-January 1908 Bushfires Victoria 173 February 2009 Heat waves Australia-wide 147 1920–1921 Heat waves Australia-wide 143+ 1911–1912 Cyclone Broome, Western Australia 141 March 1935 Cyclone Eighty Mile Beach, Western Australia 140 1884 Heat wave Southern states 130 1926–1927 Heat wave Australia-wide 122+ 1913–1914 Heat wave Australia-wide 112 1939–1940 Heat wave Australia-wide 109 1909–1910 Heat wave Southern regions, Australia 105+ 1959
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disasters_in_Australia_by_death_toll
There is also a long history of levies being either touted and/or imposed for by both sides of government. It wasn't all that long ago, for example, during the federal election of 2010 that Tony Abbott argued for a special tax on big business to pay for generous parental leave provisions. Examples go back many many years. Consider:
Oct 1, 2001 - A $10 Levy is to apply to all tickets for scheduled passenger flights originating in Australia from 1 October 2001. Funds collected from the Levy would be used by the Commonwealth to guarantee payment of certain Ansett employee entitlements pending
May 17, 1976 - The proposed 2%, levy on personal income to help finance Medibank would not meet half the costs of the scheme, the president of the Voluntary Health Insurance Association of Australia, Mr. Keith Moon, said yesterday. He said the Federal Government would have to continue.
Sep 2, 1890 - The Dockers' Union has decided to take a levy on its members of one shilling per week in aid of the Australian strikers. ... The Bcene alongside the Australia last night was a very animated one. Lawyers, merchants, soft-goods men and storemen worked four-hour shifts at both hatches.
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