I HAVE only been out of the country a few short weeks, but I have returned to a list of political promises being flung about before the upcoming federal election, to be held before 17 May.

Every major issue that is perceived could have an effect on the election vote is being met by political promises worth many billions of dollars.

Some $2.4 billion for the Whyalla steelworks that was in financial trouble some 15 years ago, before being rescued by a British-Indian entrepreneur, and rumored to be still in that parlous state.

Politically there are 22,000 people living in the Whyalla area, so this raises some eyebrows when it comes to counting votes nationally.

Then we have an $8.5 billion promised handout to subsidise GP practices starting next November and projected to a 2030 timeline.

With Federal elections held every three years, we are “promise funding” for this needed area after the next election and the next two terms, when the Government could well change in the interim.

I wonder how the winner of future elections will be able to fund these promises, noted as recurrent expenditure for future budgets.

I am sure that there are many other examples of multi-billion extravagances out there that I have not yet caught up with, but reality says these are political promises that won’t happen or will simply be forgotten after the next election. People will vote in the expectation that these promises will happen, but of course something more important and urgent will come along, so the next set of issues will get more promised funding.

My experience in life says that debt is the major issue that brings down people and companies.

It can do the same for Governments which makes these political promises highly dangerous if fully implemented.

Somewhere in the political system, we the gullible voters need a form of protection that says, “If politicians make promises that are not fulfilled by their government, then there must be a heavy financial penalty to be levied against the Ministers or Members or Party that makes those promises.”

By John BLACKBOURN