Newsrooms destroy life satisfaction while trying to report it

As Alan Austin reports, persistent lies about the Australian economy are weakening consumer confidence and social cohesion.

ONLY ONE three minute episode ABC News Last Tuesday (June 9) contained many blatantly false claims that appeared to be intended to make its viewers upset and devastated.

headlined ‘Money problems’The item featured spokespeople for wealthy corporate lobbyists, KPMGby declaring:

“Real wages are lower than in 2020. Average household wealth is essentially flat over this five-year period. It’s no surprise that people are less satisfied with their lives as they feel this financial pressure.”

The second contributor, a psychologist, Unlimited Livesin question:

“I think it feels like a chronic stressor when we look at the ongoing financial pressure. It’s been five years of hard work…”

A third interviewee, Policy Development CenterHe complained:

“Economic conditions are deteriorating [are] It has an impact on social conditions.”

The presenter then said:

“Data shows that more than one in five households cannot raise $2,000 in a week for an emergency. A quarter have experienced at least one cash flow problem, forcing them to save or borrow.”

An excited guest on Channel 7 the same day sunrise He got angry at:

“The cost of living is crippling many Australians… So you look at inflation crippling budgets and talk to any economist and they’ll tell you it’s reckless government spending that’s fueling inflation.”

following this founder related to Western Sydney Womenpersistently sunrise viewers despair of life:

“This is about moms and dads who can’t feed their kids. This is about small businesses that are closing every day, texting me every day saying I don’t know how to cope.”

Mainstream newsrooms spread this malicious nonsense day after day, day after day, week after week.

Inflation is not bad

It’s not true that the cost of living is rising for all Australians.

Every month, Australian Bureau of Statistics separates the consumer price index (CPI) into its component parts. Of the 4.18% inflation from the beginning of the year to April, 9.3% came from coffee and tea, 12% from beef, 14.7% from lamb, 18.6% from gasoline and 22.6% from electricity. In the same year, urban transport costs fell 20.8%, egg prices fell 3.7%, books fell 3.1% cheaper, fruit fell 2.2% and household appliances fell 2%.

Other price reductions included cheese, medicines, garden tools and men’s clothing. Most other categories remained stable.

So a gardening Australian who takes public transport, cooks his chicken and cheese omelettes on the gas stove, then eats seasonal fruit and then retreats to his library with a Scotch and Dry will find his living costs significantly lower last year than the year before.

Others, of course, have coped with modest cost increases. The national average was 4.18%, a historically low rate.

As observed before, John Howard He won the 2001 Election with 6.1% inflation, Bob Hawke It was returned with 7.8% in 1990 and Malcolm Fraser In 1980, this rate increased to 10.1%.

Wages and pensions are rising

It is not true that real wages are falling Albanian State.

Since Treasurer Jim Chalmers‘ In the first Budget in October 2022, CPI increased by 12.9%. Average fees increased by 13.1% during this period. minimum the fee is 23.1% higher. Age pension increased by 17.5%. unemployed benefits up 21% and Commonwealth rent help increased by 44.6%.

The essence of reality – budgeting challenges

It’s true that some Australians are experiencing financial pressure for the first time. So why is this?

More than 167,800 Australians traveled This is 10,000 more than the previous record set in 2023. First-time travelers to Europe, especially senior citizens, often face unexpected expenses.

Number of students registered The number of fee-paying private schools increased by 139,500 in the last four years, reaching 1,547,500. Some of these families now have to sacrifice other expenses.

Single and twin engine light aircraft registered In Australia, it reached its all-time high with 13,639. Of these, 935 were purchased in the last four years. Inevitably, some first-time owners will find that costs are higher than expected.

Many people now receive higher payments after upgrading their home or holiday home, car or boat, or choosing gold tier private health insurance.

These are real pressures. However, these are certainly not indicators that the economy is weak, inflation is rising, or living standards are falling. In fact, they confirm the exact opposite.

This is the truth that cowardly newsrooms want to hide with their malicious lies.

Remember the ABC News hack that said one in five households couldn’t raise $2,000 in a week for an emergency? This means 80% of Australians can do it.

Positive news ignored by the media

Total jobs in March quarter augmented The 116,400 increase includes an additional 17,100 vacancies and 99,400 filled jobs.

Industrial relations remain calm with only 36 new cases disputes The total number reached 49 in the March quarter. Twenty years ago, in March 2006, the numbers were 99 and 101. In 1996, 130 new conflicts brought the total to 134, and in 1986, when the workforce was less than half what it is today, the numbers were 374 and 379.

Total approves for all new housing, public and private, it rose to 68,090 by April this year. This is 25.3% above two years ago.

Export: developing April values increased by 7.2% compared to March and 10.1% compared to April last year.

Australia remains the only country in the world with a triple-A credit rating, with net government debt below 25% of GDP and inflation, unemployment and interest rates all within the range of 2.6% to 4.6%.

The economy and society are doing well. What has gotten catastrophically worse is the reporting.

Alan Austin is an Independent Australian columnist and freelance journalist. You can follow him on Twitter @alanaustin001 and Bluesky @alanaustin.bsky.social.

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