Diary of our stinking Govt.

[boris1gary]

As it's more than 100 days now, it has been suggested that a new thread was needed.  The current govt has been breaking promises and telling lies at a rate so fast it's hard to keep up.

This below is worrying, "independent" pffft, as if your own doctor is somehow what? biased, it's ridiculous. So far there is talk of only including people under a certain age 30-35, for now. Remember that if your injured in a car, injured at work or get ill, you too might need to go on the DSP. They have done a similar think in the UK with devastating consequences.

and this is the 2nd time recently where the Govt has referred to work as welfare???? So when you go to work tomorrow (or tuesday), just remember that's welfare.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-20/disability-pensioners-may-be-reassessed-kevin-andrews/5400598

Independent doctors could be called in to reassess disability pensioners, Federal Government says

The Federal Government is considering using independent doctors to examine disability pensioners and assess whether they should continue to receive payments.

Currently family doctors provide reports supporting claims for the Disability Support Pension (DSP).

But Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews is considering a measure that would see independent doctors reassess eligibility.

"We are concerned that where people can work, the best form of welfare is work," Mr Andrews said at a press conference.

[boris1gary]

http://www.australianunions.org.au/stop_abbotts_laws

update

Two pieces of great news:

1. Independent Senator John Madigan has just announced that he will vote against Tony Abbott’s new workplace laws that take away your rights at work!
2. Parliament has finished for the week and Tony Abbott and the Liberals haven’t been able to bring their horrible new workplace laws on for debate in the Senate yet.

  TAKE ACTION NOW: australianunions.org.au/adopt_a_senator

These attacks on our rights are before the Senate now.

The changes will be voted on soon so we need to act now.  By acting together we can send a clear message to the senators to reject Tony Abbott’s attack on working people.

We just need to sway the votes of three Senators to stop Tony Abbott in his tracks and protect our standard of living.

You can stop Tony Abbott from getting his changes through Parliament and hurting millions of Australian workers by adopting a cross bench Senator.

Spread the word to your family, friends and co-workers about how important it is to defeat these changes. Whether directly at work or by cutting their standard of living these attacks will affect them too!

You can help stop Tony Abbott from getting his changes and hurting millions of Australian workers by taking action now!

The changes in detail

Here are the key amendments that the Abbott Government is seeking to make to the Fair Work Act:

The return of individual contracts: The Bill opens the way for the most insidious aspect of Workchoices – individual contracts that can cut take home pay. These were emphatically rejected by the Australians in 2007 as they resulted in the exploitation of workers.Individual contracts fail to appreciate the unequal bargaining position between workers and their employers. Low-skilled workers, workers in areas of high unemployment, women with caring responsibilities – are most disadvantaged in these negotiations.

Gives employers a veto over industrial action: The changes would allow employers to prevent lawful industrial action by simply refusing to bargain. This would in effect give the employer a right of veto over employees taking industrial action. This Bill strips workers of their ability to negotiate with companies that don’t want to do a deal. It provides a structural incentive not to bargain and puts employees in a weaker bargaining position.

Allows employers to write their own greenfields “agreements”: This Bill creates a special rule for a special group of employers, such as those in the mining and construction industries, allowing them to reach agreement with themselves. The Bill allows these companies to simply write their own workplace agreement if they do not reach agreement with the relevant union within three months. What employer would seek to reach an agreement if they can simply get what they want after three months? There is real potential for substandard agreements that will undermine the rights of workers across an industry as a whole.

Makes it harder for workers to be represented at work: The Bill changes the right of entry rules for workers representatives making it harder, and sometimes impossible, to have discussion with their representatives in their own time at work. A union will not be able to attend a workplace unless the union is already a party to an enterprise agreement or employees request that the union be allowed to attend. It also makes it extremely difficult for isolated workers in remote sites to access their union representatives. Finally, the Bill will enable employers to nominate unreasonable places for workers to meet their union representative.

[cherry*135]

Morrison - a diplomatic embarrassment

Refugee deal triggers awkward moment for Scott Morrison in Cambodia

Phnom Penh: The behaviour of Australia's Immigration Minister Scott Morrison in the Cambodian capital late on Friday was a diplomatic embarrassment.

Mr Morrison walked 20 minutes late into a ceremony to sign an agreement for Australia to send its unwanted refugees to one of the world's poorest and most corrupt nations.

The proceedings started when aides crashed a tray of champagne glasses and went downhill from there.

After inking the agreement that has provoked a storm of criticism, Mr Morrison stood and clinked champagne glasses with Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng, as it became clear to journalists corralled behind rope barriers that neither intended to explain anything about the agreement or to answer questions.

"What about the $40 million pay-off (to Cambodia)," a journalist shouted.

Mr Morrison ignored growing heckling while pretending to toast a line of generals and unidentified VIPs on stage whose share of the bubbly had crashed to the floor.

Neither Mr Morrison nor Mr Sar Kheng said a word during their five minute appearance.

They walked out together, leaving Cambodian journalists gobsmacked.

Cambodian officials admitted when Mr Morrison's convoy had returned to the luxurious Raffles Hotel Le Royal that Mr Sar Kheng had intended to hold a press conference to inform Cambodians about the agreement but called it off at the last moment, apparently at Australia's request.

For months the Abbott government has refused to publicly reveal any detail about the agreement.

Mr Morrison's office only confirmed he was travelling to Cambodia on Friday after his visit was announced by Cambodia's Foreign Ministry.

Cambodian and foreign journalists alike left the ceremony with their questions unanswered.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/refugee-deal-triggers-awkward-moment-for-scott-morrison-in-cambodia-20...


Cambodian deal: what it means for refugees

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/cambodian-deal-what-it-means-for-ref...



Cambodians protest Australia using country as refugee ‘dumping ground’

Protesters outside Australian embassy in Phnom Penh call for Cambodia’s human rights and poverty to be addressed first.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/26/cambodians-protest-australia-using-country-refugee-dump...



Greens senator Hanson-Young yesterday ­argued that developing ­nations already bore the lion’s share of refugees.

She accused Mr Morrison of bribing “one of the world’s poorest and most corrupt governments to act as a human dumping ground” for Australia.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/charities-call-cambodia-refugee-resettl...

[debra9275]

terrible the way that was done Am

I also came across this article about Manus Island yesterday

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/cashstrapped-nauru-government-says-asylum-seek...

[debra9275]

and this is just a reaslly good article, well worth a read

Didn't Abbott display withering contempt for Kevin Rudd's push to win the seat in the first place, and belittle the former prime minister's travel habits? The word hypocrite got a guernsey more than once.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbott-weak-on-home-front-but-a-lion-abroad...

[***super_nova***]

[karliandjacko]

Do I feel safer now?

No frekking way.  This opens the door for people to be set up as fall guys and denies them any chance of proving their innocence.  

[polksaladallie]

---

@debra9275 wrote:

and this is just a reaslly good article, well worth a read

Didn't Abbott display withering contempt for Kevin Rudd's push to win the seat in the first place, and belittle the former prime minister's travel habits? The word hypocrite got a guernsey more than once.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbott-weak-on-home-front-but-a-lion-abroad...

---

Well, look who's abbott's channelling in that pic. 

[polksaladallie]

Your article turns my stomach, Am.  I heard a discussion yesterday about Cambodia and it's own refugees.  There is no Centrelink there.  It is a desperately impoverished country.  As if any of the $40 million will help settle any people from Manus. 

[boris1gary]

http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/abbott-and-hockeys-debt-and-deficit-di...

Abbott and Hockey’s debt and deficit disaster

The Abbott Government has abandoned any pre-election promises to reduce Australian public debt, with borrowing and interest costs skyrocketing after their first year in power.Alan Austin reports.

The Final Budget Outcome 2013-14 was released this week by Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. Buried in the long-awaited document is confirmation that net government debt at the end of June, nine months after the Coalition took office, has risen to $202.46 billion.

[debra9275]

http://www.theage.com.au/world/australias-climate-stance-savagely-condemned-at-new-york-summit-20140...