Hello all. After nine years of hard work, I've finally become an Australian citizen. I moved here from India, where I actively followed politics and thought deeply about it.
Now that India is no longer my home country, I've started digging deeper into Australian politics. One thing I keep noticing is a perception that Labor always creates huge debt while the Coalition are better economic managers. But from what I'm reading, the data doesn't clearly back that up—a recent analysis showed Coalition governments have added more to net debt as a share of GDP on average since 1990 than Labor governments. Both sides seem to use the "debt and deficit" attack when it suits them, then borrow heavily when they're in power.
Something I do find genuinely concerning is the long history of privatisation. Both major parties have sold off public assets over the decades—Qantas, Telstra, the Commonwealth Bank, airports, ports, electricity grids—often to pay down debt or fund other priorities. But now we're seeing private corporations extracting enormous profits from monopoly infrastructure, particularly in energy, and households are paying the price. That's not just a Coalition problem; the pattern stretches across both sides of politics, though some state Liberal governments like Kennett's in Victoria were especially aggressive.
What puzzles me is how a democracy as robust as Australia's has ended up in a spot where neither major party seems to truly break from this cycle, and public trust keeps declining. Coming from India, where governments can strip away rights rapidly, I've also been surprised to learn how gradually rights have been eroded here—through national security laws, secrecy provisions, and anti-protest legislation—often with bipartisan support.
With Victoria heading to the polls soon, I want to make an informed decision rather than just voting against someone. I'd love to chat with people who can help me understand these patterns beyond the party cheerleading.