The Guardian has some interesting analysis for the sinking Morrison Government today. We have noted many times the self-defeating nature of cuts to JobSeeker payments back below the poverty line in a context of weak domestic demand. It appears it may also be politically stupid with many marginal Liberal seats vulnerable to such cuts:
- ACOSS research indicates 52 electorates where the number of people being hit with welfare cuts is greater than the majority margin.
- Eight seats are especially vulnerable in Bass, Chisolm, Boothby, Swan, Braddon, Read, Longman and Leichhardt.
Morrison cruelty to hurt?
This is only a useful analysis, neither thorough nor empirical. It suffers from being partial given there will being many other factors that will also influence voters one way or another.
That said, as the Grattan Insitute has nicely illustrated, the cuts to JobSeeker are cruel:
Driving Australia’s unemployment benefits to the second-lowest level in the OECD, behind only Greece:
To say the least, as the Morrison Government faces a revolution driven by Australian women incensed by its cold indifference to allegations of sexual assault, doubling down on cruelty to the vulnerable is a very bad idea.
That’s what happens when your absent empathy gene means that you can’t “read the room”.
