More shots in Australia’s class war.

Cartoon: By Nicholson.

The PM seems to have forgotten Twiggy Forrest in her latest class war salvo, launching it only at Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer. Claiming that she was going to make ‘loudmouth miners’ pay, Gillard claimed that despite their heavy contribution to the economy of the nation, they should have no more say in things than a nurse or childcare worker.

Oh wait; she didn’t mention “their heavy contribution to the economy of the nation.”

One interesting aspect of the reporting is that descriptions like ‘fair share’ are now contained in exclamation marks, which could mean the press aren’t buying the snake oil either. The government seem to exhibit a certain cognitive dissonance on the issue of paying a fair share; it seems to be something for Palmer and Rinehart to do, yet the Treasurer has been gloating about how 630,000 more people will not pay any tax at all.

Anyway, Jules and Swannie want miners to pay more and just STFU:

Confessing she can't remember ever having a conversation with Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart, the Labor leader bluntly told business leaders they shouldn't complain when asked to pay their "fair share" of tax. "I don't think it's any more complicated than in almost any profession or walk of life you're going to get a few loudmouths," she said.

"It rankles me when anyone thinks that they get a disproportionate go or a disproportionate say and so the great thing about our system is that the childcare workers that I've met today, their vote matters as much as Gina Rinehart's or Clive Palmer's," she said.

"I think it's fantastic that people work hard and make money and do well - that's a good thing - but when their nation calls upon them to do things like pay their fair share of tax I don't think that should get a pushback reaction.

Gina and Clive certainly should not get any more votes in a democracy than the nurse or childcare worker, but everybody has a right to use the means that are available to them to protect their interests. In the case of miners, they have their advertising budgets. In the case of childcare workers and nurses, they have their unions to represent them.

At least the childcare people do; nurses have a bit of a problem with union officials who seem to represent themselves and play fast and loose with healthcare workers contributions. If Gillard really cares about them, she should consider allowing action to be taken on the guy who appears to have misused half a million dollars for his own purposes including high end hookers.

If she does that though, she loses Craig Thompson, and her majority.