Here's Phil Coorey's reply, in the SMH.
The problem for Hockey, as TF points out, is that the Liberal Party have opposed every measure to cut back on middle class welfare, and therefore reduce the entitlement mentality. He was a minister in a governmentr that introduced so many new welfare programs in the first place.
The following, IMHO, is spot on.
The shadow treasurer singled out compulsory superannuation as an example of easing the burden on the state.
"Over the years, governments have worked to reduce the exposure of the government to our pension system with the compulsory superannuation contribution program which means that people are contributing to their own pension rather than everyone relying on the government for the pension."
No mention that the Coalition opposed compulsory superannuation when Paul Keating introduced it and, most recently, it voted against lifting the rate from 9 percentage points to 12 as part of the mining tax package.
The Howard government, while reducing personal taxes consistently, also took the entitlement mentality to new heights with the raft of so-called middle class welfare measures it introduced and which Labor has been paring back.
Hockey did concede that his criticism that entitlments in western democracies were "fuelled by short-term electoral cycles and the political outbidding of your opponent'' applied to the programs set up under the Howard government
It will be interesting to see what Abbott says.
