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.
Can I have a link to the story that the ABC copied from the DT please?
You may: ABC and if you check you will find it is not a "copy", because if it was, the source author would have been credited. However, try researching by typing into a search engine an excerpt from a posted quote.
"So the ABC wrote a story on what neswcorp printed, I assume from another one of newscorps "un-named sources"
Never assume, because a lot of what is written here is "codswallop" unresearched.
The ABC story was from the ABC's " chief political correspondent Emma Griffiths"
Joel Fitzgibbon states that this may be a first, ie minister's being shut down from speaking out. However, he may have forgotten Kennett in Victoria placing a ban on all ministers debating or speaking with the media in the run up to the election which he resoundingly lost.
Joel Fitzgiggon
It is worrying that ministers such as Joyce don't just stand up to Abbott and declare that they will not be told what to do. Joyce has his white paper to sell and being silenced to a national audience is going to hurt.
One can only wonder that Abbott is running scared that questions may be asked and answers given that he is not happy about so the best way for him to deal with it is to shut it all down. It is a very infantile way to manage his ministers and shows he has little respect or trust in them.
"Joel Fitzgibbon states that this may be a first, ie minister's being shut down from speaking out."
"may be a first" (note the qualification: may) I suppose he also has trouble researching, but is wise enough to avoid a definitive statement, that could well prove to be codswallop upon investigation !!.
Silly me thought the childish "ban" was apropos only appearing on the watched by "millions" Q&A
I must admit the rest of the post earlier that included this as an example had me chuckling:
The polling shows cutting the ABC's funding was popular with Liberal voters in the three seats, with 56 per cent of Liberal voters supporting that decision. But 63 per cent of undecided voters across the three seats were opposed to the cuts.
How man undecided voters were there as a percentage of the electorate is important, because they would not represent a large number, why not express all numbers as a percentage of the total electorate?
Then the answer:
"polling by the progressive Australia Institute".
"On the left of politics, the desire to influence debate and political outcomes is no less evident. The problem - as even leading proponents agree - is that the broad left movement in Australia has lost direction since the collapse of communism in the West and many Labor Party views appear indistinguishable from the Coalition."
"Hamilton, an environmental economist, says he formed the Canberra-based Australia Institute - regarded as the only successful left-oriented think tank - in an attempt to fill "a yawning policy vacuum".
By the creed that rejects the DT, this somewhat unknown but "biased" AI poll will be also be judged!
Abbott needs to tread very carefully with this so as not to be seen to be vindictive. This could all backfire monumentally if any of his ministers decide to go against his instructions. It is also making headlines overseas so the fallout could be interesting to say the least.
Q&A boycott: Barnaby Joyce warns of 'chaos' if Tony Abbott disobeyed
Deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has warned of chaos if frontbenchers disobey Prime Minister Tony Abbott's wishes for his frontbench not to appear on Q&A, in comments that will intensify pressure on Malcolm Turnbull to explain whether he will join a boycott.
Mr Joyce confirmed that Mr Abbott had instructed him not to appear on Monday night's episode of the ABC program as fallout from former terror suspect Zaky Mallah's appearance a fortnight ago continued.
Deputy Nationsl leader and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce: "It is by deference to the Prime Minister that when an instruction comes through it is obeyed." "The Prime Minister of Australia is precisely that: the Prime Minister of Australia," Mr Joyce told the National Press Club. "It is by deference to the Prime Minister that when an instruction comes through it is obeyed. Otherwise the whole process of cabinet becomes chaotic.
"Do I think it would have been good to know a little bit earlier? Yes, it would be nice. But that's life, you take it on the chin."
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not commenting on whether he will appear on Q&A next week as scheduled. Photo: Rob Homer
Mr Turnbull - who has previously said he would not boycott the program - is scheduled to appear on next week's episode of Q&A. The Communications Minister is not commenting on whether he will keep the commitment.
And a pair of Coalition backbenchers, Senator Cory Bernardi and Queensland MP George Christensen, have also weighed in to the debate, challenging Mr Turnbull and other members of the frontbench to obey Mr Abbott's edict.
"Ministers are responsible to the Prime Minister," Senator Bernardi said.
"A request has been made by the Prime Minister - I don't think a minister should ignore that. "I would expect at the very least for the ministry and hopefully the backbench to go along with it [the request] ... If they don't want to accede to the request that's up for them, but I don't think we should go on."
Senator Bernardi, who has been a persistent critic of the ABC but has appeared on Q&A himself, said the Liberal Party was "not a Stalinist party, but it's a reasonable request".
Mr Christensen questioned the balance of the show and said that all cabinet ministers should follow the edict because "we are not happy with what they [Q&A] have done".
"If the Q&A audiences were reflective of the Australian public, you would have to wonder how any Liberal or National was elected," he said.
"The whole thing needs to be looked at before another minister sets foot on the show again."
Asked if Mr Turnbull should publicly declare he planned to join the boycott, Mr Christensen said: "No, he just shouldn't go on it, the Prime Minister has given a directive."
A spokesman for Mr Abbott said on Monday: "Given the ABC is undertaking an inquiry intoQ&A, it isn't appropriate for Minister Joyce to appear tonight."
The ABC's editorial audit into Q&A, to be conducted by television veteran Ray Martin and former SBS managing director Shaun Brown, is expected to take eight to 12 weeks to complete, meaning the program could be without a government minister for three months.
It is understood the Prime Minister's boycott instruction does not explicitly apply to backbenchers, though they may be frowned upon for appearing on the program.
Coalition MP Ewen Jones, who last week said boycotting Q&A "smacks of petulance", said he maintains his view the government shouldn't cede the program to the left.
"I agree with the Prime Minister 100 per cent that it is a lefty lynch mob but if you void the area, if you cede the space then someone else will take up the space," he said.
"As a matter of principle I believe we should be out fighting the good fight and we have good people who can do that. As a matter of principle, I think we should have people there [on Q&A]."
Mr Jones added that Mr Joyce would not be in any "physical danger" by appearing on the program.
@monman12 wrote:Can I have a link to the story that the ABC copied from the DT please?
You may: ABC and if you check you will find it is not a "copy", because if it was, the source author would have been credited. However, try researching by typing into a search engine an excerpt from a posted quote.
"So the ABC wrote a story on what neswcorp printed, I assume from another one of newscorps "un-named sources"
Never assume, because a lot of what is written here is "codswallop" unresearched.
The ABC story was from the ABC's " chief political correspondent Emma Griffiths"
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-16/note-taking-banned-in-cabinet/3833336
Rumours of serious divisions in the senior ranks of the Federal Government have been fanned by confirmation that some members of Cabinet "would be uncomfortable" with colleagues taking verbatim notes of meetings.
News Limited is reporting Prime Minister Julia Gillard banned ministers from taking notes in Cabinet in October, after a leak to a newspaper apparently quoted discussions almost word-for-word.
But Senator Conroy went on to say the News Ltd story was a "complete and utter beat-up".
sounds like a lot of codswallop to me too, and has absolutely nothing to do with abbott ordering his ministers not to appear on Qanda
