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.

[cherry*135]

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reportedly asked the Speaker to scrap controversial plans to make burqa-wearing women sit separately in Parliament House.

..both the ABC and Fairfax Media reported that Mr Abbott in an embarrassing backflip was asking Speaker Bronwyn Bishop, Senate President Stephen Parry and the department to reconsider the separate seating arrangements.

He was reportedly calling for common sense to prevail.

Earlier this week Mr Abbott further fuelled debate on the issue when he admitted to finding the attire "confronting" and that he wished women wouldn't wear it.

On Thursday he refused to add to his remarks.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/latest/abbott-to-intervene-on-burqa-ban/story-e6frg90f-1227...

[cherry*135]

Christmas Island link in a post by boris

..the incoming islands administrator, Barry Haase, told Fairfax media he had little sympathy for asylum seekers who self-harmed on the island. “There would be no self-harm in the centre if they hadn’t gotten on a leaky boat and paid thousands of dollars to be there,” Haase said.

New Christmas Island chief Barry Haase to asylum seekers: It's your own fault

The 68-year-old former Liberal politician 

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-christmas-island-chief-barry-haase-to-asyl...

[boris1gary]

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@bushies.girl wrote:

Interesting how when one doesn't agree with something, they then have a "label" placed on them   .....  What ever happened to free speech?  😞

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words are used to describe things, call them labels if you like but how else do we communicate - pull faces?

[boris1gary]

here's a "label" morrison is a low life piece of rubbish who should be sacked and made to stand before a court for crimes against humanity, he is a cowardly little man who brings disgrace to his religion, the govt and the Australian people. 

Scott Morrison announces review into claims of abuse on Nauru

In a press conference on Friday morning, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said 10 Save the Children staff members would be taken off the island.

It was reported on Friday that the federal government had been given an intelligence report that said it was "probable" that staff were coaching asylum seekers to manufacture situations where evidence could be obtained to pursue a political and ideological agenda in Australia.

"I have been provided with reports indicating that staff of service providers at the Nauru centre have been allegedly engaged in a broader campaign with external advocates to seek to cast doubt on the government's border protection policies," Mr Morrison said.

"The matters that have been brought to my attention are concerning, certainly the allegations of sexual misconduct are abhorrent and I would be horrified to think that things of that nature have taken place."

Save the Children have hit back against the claims made against their staff, saying they had not been provided with any report and that they would stand by their staff.

"We take these allegations very seriously but we reject in the strongest possible terms that our staff have fabricated stories of abuse or encourage self-harm," a spokeswoman said.

"We note that Save the Children has not been provided with any investigative report by the Australian government although media outlets have been, and no claims have been put directly to staff."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/scott-morrison-announces-review-into-claims-of...

[boris1gary]

perfect

[polksaladallie]

I think I recognise those two in the fourth pic.

[boris1gary]

Opinion is one thing, facts are another

Treasurer Joe Hockey has been caught out – by John Howard no less.

In 1998 the Howard Government passed the Charter of Budget Honesty Act. It required the Department of Finance to publish a "Final Budget Outcome" by September 30 each year.

It is an excellent act. It follows former Labor Attorney-General Gareth Evans's observation that anything making government more open has to be done early in a new government's term, before it has secrets to hide. Unfortunately, this Government has had secrets to hide since about Day One.

In any event, the 2013-14 Final Budget Outcome has just been published. Of course, treasurers can put whatever spin they want on the document. In Hockey's opinion the document is "a report card on the previous Government's irresponsible fiscal and economic management".

Well, Hockey is entitled to his own opinions, but he is not entitled to his own facts. The facts are different. So different, indeed, that the aura that conservative governments are better economic managers is now exposed as myth.

In Opposition, the Liberals carried on mercilessly about Labor's spending blowouts and rising government debt. But what about the facts? The last report under Labor in August 2013 showed projected year-end debt of $178.1 billion. It remained the same for the next four months – the first four months of Coalition Government.

Then, in December 2013, it rose to $191.52 billion and stayed at that till rising in May 2014 to $197.85 billion. And now in September it is $202.5 billion – up 14 per cent on Labor's debt level.

So now you have it, the Coalition is as bad at running up debt as Labor.

Australia has a potential debt problem. It is manageable now, but could easily get out of hand. Tony Abbott was quite right to highlight the matter before the election. But since then he has made it worse – on both sides of the ledger. His government has made wasteful spending decisions and has given away revenue.

The revenue side is critical. Australia must fix its tax base if it is to deal with increased health and education costs.

Yet this government abolished the mining and carbon taxes. It is absurd that we allow mainly foreign-owned mining companies to dig up and take our minerals paying virtually no company tax and very little royalties.

Smart countries like Norway taxed their main resource – North Sea oil – at 78 per cent and built up a vast sovereign fund. The tax did not deter the miners. 

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/opinion-is-one-thing-facts-are-another-20141002-10ogp4.html#...

[debra9275]

That chief of Medibank will be laughing all the way to the bank

[cherry*135]

The revenue side is critical. Australia must fix its tax base if it is to deal with increased health and education costs.

Exactly, which is why Hockey's budget was a FAIL. 

[boris1gary]

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/03/australias-investment-in-renewable-energy-slum...

Australia's investment in renewable energy slumps 70% in one year

The Coalition’s review of the Renewable Energy Target has caused investment in clean energy to drop below that of Algeria, Thailand and Myanmar

Australia’s investment in renewable energy projects has slumped below that of Algeria, Thailand and Myanmar, new figures have shown, with the sector “paralysed” by the government’s review of the Renewable Energy Target.

Just $193m was invested in new large-scale clean energy projects in the third quarter of 2014, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Investment in the year to date is $238m.

This represents a massive 70% slump on 2013 investment and has resulted in Australia slipping from the world’s 11th largest investor in clean energy to 31st in 2014.

This ranking is below Algeria, Myanmar, Thailand and Uruguay. By comparison, Canada has invested $US3.1bn in large clean energy projects so far in 2014.

The slowdown in renewable energy investment is pinned squarely by Bloomberg on the government’s review of the RET, which mandates that 41,000 gigawatt hours of Australia’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2020.