Letter to The Age (Melbourne) July 2004According to Michelle Grattan (23/6/04), as much as $100 million is being spent on the Government's political advertising. Because such baffling numbers are commonplace in the lofty realms of politics, some perspective may be helpful: Based on an average income of $50,000 per annum, this advertising costs more than 8000 years of individual tax contributions. Put another way: at least 200 Australian taxpayers spent their entire working lives funding this latest exercise in political propoganda. If we were to confine ourselves to the subject of healthcare, this same sum could have provided university education for over 400 new doctors or over 1500 nurses. |