freediver wrote on Aug 8
th, 2019 at 12:06pm:
You are splitting hair Gandalf. Politicians never get on the tools, unless it is a pair of scissors or in this case, a shovel for a few seconds. The government always pays someone else to do it.
Again you are being dishonest. By "pay someone else to do it" - you are in fact referring to funding that amounts to less than a quarter of one phase of a 4 phase project. The government are neither "building" it nor "paying" for it - merely a tiny fraction of it. As is right and proper for a project that benefits the Bendigo community.
freediver wrote on Aug 8
th, 2019 at 12:06pm:
Is 'because 500 Muslims want a Mosque' really the only justification you have?
That, and the economic benefit to Bendigo that the government no doubt anticipate.
Government's provide for the community FD, its what they do. Thats what we pay taxes for. Muslim Australians pay for non-muslim community needs, just as non-muslims pay for muslim needs. Its what we call a society, and thats how it works. Are you denying that 500 muslims are part of the Bendigo community? Find me another religious group of 500 or more members in Bendigo that are being deprived a religious facility that they desire because the government won't chip in - and maybe you'll have a point.
Quote:There are millions of people from other religions in this country. Should the government start spending billions on their places of worship, on the grounds that they want it?
They should, and they do. At the end of the day its a drop in the ocean, and the economic return on such investments will dwarf the spending in the long run. Community facilities benefit the community FD, thats the point. It actually boosts the economy. And I have no doubt that the government did some sort of modelling on the likely economic return before they committed to the funding. It will actually help the economy of Bendigo. And right now we need infrastructure boosts like this more than ever as one way of staving off recession. Building mosques and attached sports centres in regional areas is as good a place to start as anything.
How would this benefit the economy any more than donating the money to my beer fund?