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://theaimn.com/2014/04/25/budget-emergency-or-a-gambler-in-trouble/

  Budget emergency or a gambler in trouble?

During those first few weeks after the election, as over half a nation sat there in shock contemplating what had just happened, presumably flushed with joy at having the keys to the safe, Joe Hockey made the astonishing decision to borrow $8.8 billion to give to the Reserve Bank.

Hockey tried to sell this as crucial to our economy in giving the Reserve Bank a buffer zone to address future crises. What a load of hooey.

The RBA deputy governor, Philip Lowe, said the level of the bank’s capital reserves had not been keeping him awake at night. The board had wanted to rebuild the capital level over time but the government wanted to do it immediately.

In a speech at a Sydney investment conference in October, Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens backed up comments by the RBA deputy governor that the bank was happy to rebuild its capital reserves over time. The RBA certainly didn’t ask for Hockey’s $8.8 billion capital injection and didn’t think it was necessary.

At the current five-year commonwealth bond yield of nearly 3.4 per cent, the borrowed $8.8 billion will cost taxpayers about $300 million a year.

There were two reasons that Hockey did this and they have nothing to do with stability.

[boris1gary]

[boris1gary]

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coalitions-emissions-reduction-fund-poses-m...

  Coalition's emissions reduction fund poses more questions than answers

From the subject of prime ministerial launches promising solutions for the moral challenge of a generation, to a lonely minister holding an afternoon press conference in the shadow of the nation’s most revered public holiday: climate change policy has fallen so far in Australia’s political life that the government gives a good impression of hoping we ignore it.

The Coalition’s ‘‘direct action’’ policy, by contrast, looks like a solution to a different problem - something shorter term, of much less magnitude and inherently political.

Its goal is to help reach the emissions target of a 5 per cent cut by 2020, though no funding has been committed beyond the next four years and at least two analyses have found it is unlikely to be equipped to achieve it.

The emissions reduction fund white paper released on Thursday, four years after the policy was first announced, raises more questions than it answers.

It proposes to allow businesses to bid at a reverse auction to be paid by taxpayers to cut emissions. The lowest-cost bids would win a subsidy from the fund worth $2.55 billion over four years, with most of the cash available at the back end.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt promises a committee will be set up to ensure the proposals have integrity and the cuts are delivered. He expects the cuts to come from a list including making buildings and industrial sites more energy-efficient, reducing emissions from power plants, planting trees and storing carbon in soil.

But the policy does not require big industry to cut emissions. And the crucial question of how the government will make sure the cuts it buys are not undone by other businesses increasing emissions is deferred.

[boris1gary]

http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/is-australia-run-by-compulsive-liars-p...

Is Australia run by compulsive liars? Part three: Will Bill lie like Tony to be PM?

To gain office, Bill Shorten has been urged to emulate Tony Abbott’s successful strategy of three word slogans, character attacks and barefaced lies — but will he do it? Alan Austin completes his stunning series.

The fledgling Abbott Government has already broken more than 25 commitments which were well within its power to keep.

That’s more than three a month.

There were only about three such avoidable broken pledges in the entire six years of the Rudd/Gillard governments.

This series on blatant lies – a category of moral failure far more damning – has documented an even greater disparity.

[fourandsixpants]

It is really pathetic, the whole show, ALL Australian parties are just a plain embarrassment in recent times.

The blatant LYING that they all engage in and put SOOO much effort into - instead of just getting out there and DOING, leading by example.....even  - Doh!

Talk is cheap.....or is it?

Time is money.

Money talks.

But talk is cheap.

So time is cheap.

But time is money.

So money is cheap.

Which it's not.

...this is how I see JH, our 'treasurer':

[fourandsixpants]

reply to donnashuggy,

i am still undecided if (willful) ignorance and stupidity deserves to be punished (what i mean is: do the (not rich) australians deserve what they voted for?).

Admitting mistakes is a problem for most people, both highly educated and not terribly bright people will try and kid themselves and justify things. I don't believe anyone should be punished for who they vote for, unless making them look silly is punishment, in that case I agree!

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Australian_federal_election

If you take an average of the polled (on 8th April 2014) voters that were 'UNCOMMITTED' to either Abbott or Shorten it is 61%

[icyfroth]

There really was no choice but Tony Abbott even though he was never popular.

The alternative would have been Mr. Rudd and it was unthinkable to continue with the shambolic Labor Party .

[boris1gary]

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/rebel-mps-defy-tony-abbott-and-george-brand...

Rebel MPs defy Tony Abbott and George Brandis on race hate laws

Coalition MPs are secretly defying Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Attorney-General George Brandis by drafting an alternative proposal for changes to the race hate laws.

NSW backbencher David Coleman, who has a law degree, is understood to be drafting the alternative proposal. Supporting him is a rebel group of backbenchers intent on overturning the controversial law changes proposed by Mr Abbott and Senator Brandis. The draft policy – as it currently stands – weakens protections against racial vilification and would allow virtually any racist speech if it is in the course of a "public discussion".

[boris1gary]

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/6-bulkbilling-fee-hits-poor-spares-rich-20140425-zqzmy.htm...

what a surprise......

  $6 bulk-billing fee hits poor, spares rich

A new $6 fee for visits to bulk-billing doctors would fall most heavily on Sydney's poorest residents, who could pay up to $30 million more a year in total than those in the city's wealthiest areas, a Fairfax Media analysis has found.

The average bulk-billing rate for GP visits in Sydney’s 10 poorest electorates is 96.05 per cent, compared to 74.8 per cent in the ten wealthiest electorates, according to the latest Department of Health data.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's northern beaches electorate of Warringah, the third wealthiest in Sydney, has the city’s lowest bulk-billing rate at 61.3 per cent. Chifley, a western Sydney seat held by Labor MP Ed Husic, had the highest rate with 98.9% of all GP attendances bulk billed.

If implemented in full, Mr Barnes’ proposal would see the residents in Sydney’s poorest suburbs pay up to $67.8 million more in health costs a year – twice as much as those in the ten wealthiest suburbs.

Health groups have attacked the idea, warning it will hit the poor and sick hardest and place additional pressure on already stretched emergency departments.

[boris1gary]