Wrong lane for bus driver Bandt

It is fitting that the Greens have seized upon the unfunded budget-wrecking cheap public transport policies of the failed Queensland Labor government as their template for what the federal government should do next.

Bus conductor-in-chief, Greens leader Adam Bandt, has glossed over the real challenges for government, such as dealing with the mess his party has delivered by stoking anti-Semitic protest and the need for prudent spending.

His focus is instead to extend taxpayer subsidies to an area in which the federal government does not have jurisdiction.

What next, a federal agency to check the contents of city rubbish bins for errant non-recyclables?

The Greens say 50c fares will be a key election policy in their federal campaign.

In Mr Bandt’s mind, if Queensland could implement the heavily discounted fares, the rest of the country should too.

The Greens estimate an average full-time worker in Melbourne would save about $2400 a year ($50 a week) through the policy, while Sydney residents would save $2160 ($41.53). Commuters in Perth would be $2006 ($38.57) better off in a year, with Adelaide workers saving $1872 ($36).

Voters outside the major cities, however, will still be struggling to find a bus.

Lost on the Greens is the fact that Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki confirmed in his budget update last month that the Miles government had failed to allocate funding to Labor’s signature policy initiatives, including 50c public transport fares, despite a doubling of total state debt to $217.83bn by mid-2028.

This is not an example to follow.

The Greens’ largesse does not stop at transport.

Other giveaways include $10bn to essentially make public school free, expanding Medicare to include free dental services, and plans to hit large corporations and mining companies with 40 per cent taxes on so-called super profits.

The Greens’ approach is to shrink the economy and bake in unsustainable long-term spending. Public transport subsidies are an election gimmick but underscore why the Greens can never be trusted when it comes to making grown-up economic decisions.

Anthony Albanese must reject hitching a ride with Mr Bandt on the buses, and he must rule Labor out of doing any preference deals with the protest party or considering any negotiations with it over supply should the next election result in a hung parliament.