Mobydisc said...
I don't think selling the CBA stuffed up the system. I took out a home loan just after the CBA was floated. Their rates were the same as everyone else's. The CBA was built up at a time of limited capital and the feeling banks were not operating in the best interests of the community. Also the Labor government of the time hated the banks.
The banking industry is unbalanced because the big four have so much wealth and power. Much of this power is due to the protection they receive. The banks spend a lot of money to keep and extend this protection.
Wayne Swan should just tell the banks if they don't pass on changes to the cash rate then legislation will be introduced to reduce and eventually eliminate laws that protect banks.
My point is they'd have less protection if we still had the Commonwealth as Govt owned like is used to be. If the RBA dropped rates, the C'th did also and the other had to follow.
Now if the RBA drops rates the bank thumb their noses at the system.
Floating the C'th is the same as Telstra - how dumb are we as taxpayers when we queue up to buy shares in something we always owned anyway

....and then grizzle at the resulting failures.