Time to crunch the numbers

WITH sleeves rolled up, Treasurer Joe Hockey posed for cameras last week as he pretended to pore over pages of the national budget.
Surrounded by media, Mr Hockey and Prime Minister Tony Abbott officially began their crusade of selling the 2015 budget.
Let’s be honest, it’s difficult for the average citizen not to cough up some Weeties while viewing such well-orchestrated coverage on breakfast television.
But let’s also remember, budget time is the one chance during the year when the performance of our representatives can be quantified.
During this time, we can remove the theatrics of daily political life, the lip-service and rhetoric, and apply more technical analysis.
This is true at all levels of government.
So, take time to see how this budget affects you, the community in which you live, and perhaps even the community organisation to which you are closest.
Question how well your representatives have shown ‘actual’ support over the past year.
Be mindful, too, to consider how well you have worked with your representatives.
Many people would be amazed at how many fantastic grants are available to support community projects.
Though, this funding is not delivered on a silver platter, with many recipients working exceptionally hard.
The recent developments at the Montrose Soccer Club are an exceptional example of an organisation working well with local, state and federal governments.
The result over the past five years is an increase of two club teams to about 10, which includes veteran and junior participation.
Not to mention the incredible new facilities.
This shows the fruits of showing initiative, lobbying hard, as well as conducting numerous fund-raising initiatives.
So, while it’s easy to scoff at the theatrics around the selling of a budget, take time to question this year’s budget, and how you can improve your community through working with our politicians.