THERE’S a long and growing trail of destruction in Australia where governments have sought to “help” – but instead have destroyed.

The energy industry, home insulation, water management, the live cattle industry and the Australian movie industry are a few examples that spring to mind.

Failure is what government activism does best. It effortlessly turns an otherwise blossoming sector into a wasteland just by throwing around our tax cash along with its inner-city “social justice” agenda.

No one is ever really surprised by these failures because everyone outside government knows why they happen. Unlike commercial businesses where “outcome” is the priority, within government “process” comes first – always.

In the public sector, failure is acceptable so long as you had followed the authorised procedure. No one is ever sacked for not delivering. But they are whipped with wet lettuce if they deviate from “approved” departmental guidelines.

STRINGS

“Process over outcome” is the unwritten mantra of the public service. It’s other name is arse-covering. So long as they cross every “t” and dot every “i”  it doesn’t matter about the bad spelling – they get a pass.

Whenever government hands over our tax cash to “help”  private enterprise, it does so with strings. It’s those politically correct strings that up-end normal commercial objectives and pretty much guarantee failure.

One of the most obvious side-by-side comparisons of this phenomenon lies within Australia’s entertainment industry – most notably music versus movies.

Australia has produced some of the most talented and successful entertainers in the world. We know this because it’s measurable via box office sales and chart success.

So why then are Australian bands and actors so successful but our movies so bland and unwatched?

The hard truth is that most Australian movies are unwatchable because they are funded by government activists. (The music industry was spared this and largely thrived until government do-gooders buried the pub music industry with noise restrictions).

Our home-grown movies are so politically correct, so mired in guilt projection and do-gooder innuendo, that you walk out feeling you’ve been screamed at by a hippie. They’re not entertaining. But at least the bureaucrats feel virtuous that they’ve funded an “approved” message. If only someone would buy a ticket to hear it …

Be honest, if it’s a choice between an Australian movie or do nothing, nothing wins every time. 

If someone from government ever asks if you need a hand up, give them a two-finger reply and run.PC