Malcolm in the middle finds consensus with waring groups - *Australia faints*

 
Turnbull has reached historic agreement between unions, business, and welfare groups for the first time in years. Well sort of; they've agreed that they agree on tax reform and that something has to be done.

It's what groups like GetUp have been on about ever since the fateful Abbott gov 2014 budget that was hopelessly skewed in favour of the well off, whilst the poor were expected to throw themselves willingly into the grinding gears of capitalist abject poverty. 

Instead attention was focused on the raft of tax concessions that benefited the rich, like superannuation concessions, and negative gearing on property investment which has seen housing prices in Australia reach some of the most expensive in the world. People like me unfortunate enough to have to survive on welfare are left poor only because of huge capital city rents, despite getting the full Centrelink rate of rent assistance. All these things are now on the table, unlike Abbott where he just said no to everything.

Astonishingly, Prime Minister Abbott never met with union representatives the whole two years he was in office. He had time to demonise them though and organise a politically motivated Royal Commission against them.

The Turnbull government has reached in-principle agreement with unions, employers and welfare organisations to reduce a raft of concessional taxation arrangements that benefit the rich, as all sides hailed the prospect of a new era of consensus and co-operation in Canberra.

It followed the first direct ACTU-Coalition discussions since the 2013 election.

Moves to more strongly align the needs of industry with training and university courses were also embraced. 

"I think the more important discussion we've had today though is what is the nature of work ... and how you get a collaborative framework for lifting productivity and opportunity," Ms Westacott said. 

The agreement to examine all ideas represents the first time in years that anything like a consensus over taxation reform has emerged between capital, labour, and welfare groups, with the support of the national government. more