I don’t believe a state funeral is justified for media magnate Kerry Packer. Sure, he was a successful businessman who contributed much to Australian society.
However, a state funeral should be reserved for those who served in the public interest, instead of their own.
Despite the platitudes that Packer gave millions to charity, he almost certainly avoided taxes worth treble the amount that he donated.
Let’s recognise his achievements, but John Howard is wrong to acknowledge him as a servant of the nation.
I agree, Packer was too rich to be honest.
How much of our money will we used to pay for this very rich man’s funeral? As if his family can’t afford to pay for it themselves! It really annoys me that public money will be thrown at this indecently rich family, all so that politicians can be seen on television and in the papers at the ‘who’s who’ funeral of the year. OUR bloody money paying for Howard and Co.’s publicity.
I wonder if Kerry Packer himself would accept public money like this if he were alive? Or would he scoff and say he would pay for it himself?
A better tribute to the man would be for the government to put aside the money that will be wasted on the trappings of the day (including the travel and accomodation costs of every politician attending), into a trust fund, to be used for the decent burial of thousands of homeless people.
Every person in this country has equal value. It embarrasses me to see our politicians brown-nosing people with money, even after their death. Don’t use our public money on this blatant worshipping of the almighty dollar, and the people who accumulate it.
Kerry Packer the man, the legend was a hero to me,I personally worked at TCN nine where he was well respected through out the station.
Kerry with his disipline and class, took his Grandfather and his father’s buisness to a new height,this respected man gave thousand’s and thousand’s of family’s a fair go and gave them the Australian Dream.
So please have a think about it,so what if he had smart accountants and had a low tax ,he gave the aussie battler a fair real go .
True blue people like the Packer family should be admired and have a state Funeral or what ever they want.
God bess you ,Kerry and see you in the bar in heaven .