A bit of good news - political

[boris1gary]

it's a start......

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/budget-2014-reply-bill-shorten-says-labor-w...

Making his first post-budget address-in-reply speech as Opposition Leader, Mr Shorten rounded on Prime Minister Tony Abbott for breaking promises. He vowed  to block punitive changes to Newstart that would force some young unemployed people to exist without the dole, along with a shift in the pension age to 70, tightening of Family Tax Benefit Part B eligibility relating to children aged over six, and the move to restore twice yearly indexation to fuel excise.

The planned $7 per visit charge for seeing a  GP will also be blocked, with Mr Shorten slamming it as “ideological” and more akin to the hardline right-wing policies of the Tea Party in the US. However Mr Shorten declined to propose alternative savings.

In a hard-hitting speech emphasising what the opposition says were “wilful” lies told to the Australian people, Mr Shorten told Parliament Australians were both shocked and angry “at a prime minister who pretended he was on their side”.

[cherry*135]

John Howard on Tony Abbott

JH - I'm the father of the family tax benefit system so naturally I defend it," he said.

'It's a tax increase', Howard says about levies

Mr Howard, who was once under fire for distinguishing between "core" and "non-core" promises, has also acknowledged that Mr Abbott has broken election pledges.

"There's no doubt Tony did make a lot of commitments and he's got to deal with and wear the criticism, and the Labor Party is perfectly entitled to attack him and to drag up what he said," he said.

[boris1gary]

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@am*3 wrote:

I hope the $7 Medical fee and the new dole waiting time conditions for some,fly out the window.

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They will. Can you believe the arrogance of this........person hockey

Labor’s shadow treasurer Chris Bowen challenged Mr Hockey to a live debate at the National Press Club next Wednesday in a fiery question time.

Mr Hockey declined the invitation, declaring instead: “If I turned up at the National Press Club, it’d double the audience”.

[debra9275]

“We won’t support the debt levy because as you saw today our debt level is only 12 per cent of GDP and the OECD average for debt is 73 per cent  - Clive Palmer

[freakiness]

Nonsense. Abbott spent 3 years in opposition being destructive and now they expect him to give into their lies.

[nero_bolt]

[boris1gary]

No amount of large pics will change the fact (yes fact) that this bludget is pathetic, the Looters Party have now made it clear to all where their priorities lay and those priorities (if left unchecked) will wreck this country and destroy the lives of millions of us.

[cherry*135]

Mr Hockey declined the invitation, declaring instead: “If I turned up at the National Press Club, it’d double the audience”.

I did read that boris, pfft to Mr Hockey.

I don't think some posters 'get' this is a good news thread.

[debra9275]

They are getting bigger aren't they, lol

[spotweldersfriend]

Some people have short memories it seems.When in opposition.Abbott & co screamed the onus wasn't on them to release policies/costings because they weren't in government.Right up until the election in fact.Now you want Shorten to release ALP policies 2 1/2 years out from an election.Did you complain when Abbott refused to release details?

[boris1gary]

yes they are.....check out hockits little face as they listen to Bills reply

Shorten’s antidote for a “cooler, meaner and narrower” Australia is to oppose the Medicare co-payment, the fuel excise increase, the cuts to benefits and reduced school, hospital and university funding.

Branding the changes that will force young jobless to wait six months before getting welfare “perhaps the single most heartless measure in this brutal budget”, Shorten vows to oppose them. “Labor will have no part of this,” he says.