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]

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@lal-au0 wrote:

the peak of longevity has already been reached. the people who are now making it to 100 years didn't eat junk food and didn't sit in front of a computer/tv all day. people who are in their 20's and 30's now have a lower life expectancy than people who were born 80 years ago.

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I agree with that. Lifestyles have changed for the worse.

I watched one epsiode of the (UK?) documentary - Honey, we are killing our kids..  These families lived on junk food and the parents were told they could outlive their children because of the childrens bad diet &  lack of exercise.

It was unbelievable what these children ate for meals... one  mother took her son for breakfast -  a cup of coffee, and a pack of wine biscuits, to his room, where he was parked at his computer. Because that is what he wanted to eat/drink.

Another family had a person come in and show them how to cook healthy meals, even a 'more healthy pizza' with vegetables on it.

As soon as that person finished working with them, they went straight back to eating double high fat meat, double cheese brought pizza's, for most of their meals.

[debra9275]

Just to add further.. The IMF report is referred to as the IMF report, not the fake IMF report

[cherry*135]

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gleee58 wrote:

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Abbott and the childmen continue to act against the interests of the people.  

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/06/coalition-ban-on-second-term-for-labor-appoint...

There appears to be a “brutal” rule that directors of federal government agencies appointed under Labor will not get another term, the outgoing CSIRO chairman Simon McKeon has said.

“The reality is that, yes, there is a rule that no one on the board of a federal government agency has been reappointed,” McKeon said when asked about the Labor board appointees at an Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) function on Thursday. “It’s an issue that many people are finding worrying.”

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Disgraceful

More on this:

THE AUSTRALIAN

by ALAN KOHLER 

Abbott must stop sacking Labor appointees

HERE is one barnacle that the Abbott government needs to get rid of immediately: the rule that any director on a government board who was appointed by the previous Labor government will not be reappointed.

The decree, apparently issued by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and/or his chief of staff Peta Credlin and binding on all cabinet ministers, was publicly confirmed yesterday by the chairman of CSIRO, Simon McKeon.

He was speaking at an Australian Institute of Company Directors lunch that I was hosting. I asked the question of him because I had heard about the rule from the chairman of another federal government commission.

That chairman had told me he had attempted to get three members of his board reappointed this year, telling his minister that in each case they were good directors who contributed much to the organisation.

The minister apparently apologised, but said his hands were tied: they could not be reappointed because they were Labor appointees.

McKeon, a former Australian of the Year and Macquarie Group veteran, yesterday confirmed that, because he had been appointed chairman of CSIRO during the ALP’s term of government, he had been told that he would not be reappointed when his term ends in June.

Dr Nora Scheinkestel, a director of Telstra and a member of the Takeovers Panel, also confirmed the existence of this rule at yesterday’s AICD lunch.

Both Scheinkestel and McKeon said they disagreed strongly with this practice, as did the other company director on the panel, Graham Kraehe, chairman of BlueScope Steel, and a former director of NAB and the Reserve Bank.

And indeed, it is a totally ridiculous idea — childish even — and is becoming a growing problem between the Coalition and the business community.

“After all,” said Simon McKeon, “Labor was in power for six years. Virtually everybody currently serving on the boards of government bodies was either appointed or reappointed while Labor was in power. If Abbott persists with his policy, there will be a full clean out of directorships.”

More and more directors of government bodies are now coming up for reappointment — many of them supporters of the Coalition, and often doing it for philanthropic motives — and instead they are being booted off for no other reason than they happened to be appointed during a Labor government.

They are, understandably, offended at the suggestion that they are partisan in any way, or that they are ALP fellow travellers.

If Tony Abbott doesn’t drop this rule soon, relations between his government and the director community will break down irretrievably.

Apart from the offence caused to the directors, it confirms that the PM and his office are consumed with some kind of medieval notion of reprisal, or that they think that the world is comprised only of allies and enemies, and that anyone who appears to be a friend of their enemy must be an enemy.

The practice does neither the government nor the country any credit, and needs to be abandoned immediately.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/abbott-must-stop-sacking-labor-appointees/story-fnp...

[cherry*135]

Tony Abbott’s poll bounce could turn out to be a blip

THE political recovery for Tony Abbott’s government has started, but is it a dead cat bounce?

The term, which originated in the 1980s, usually refers to a small recovery in the financial markets after a substantial decline in trading stocks. In political terms the question being asked is whether the recent improvement in polls is anything more than a bounce interrupting what has been a steady decline in recent months — a bounce the Prime Minister may not be able to sustain.

...But despite the improved party vote for the Coalition, the Prime Minister’s personal numbers have remained poor. Abbott’s net satisfaction rating is near record lows and he continues to trail Bill Shorten in the preferred PM stakes, notwithstanding a narrowing of the margin.

Nearly seven out of 10 voters remain dissatisfied with the job Abbott is doing.

Next week’s Newspoll will be an important indicator as to whether the recovery is an aberration or the beginning of a tighter electoral climate.

...Highly critical of the way in which Kevin Rudd sought to man­ipulate the news cycle to his advantage, Abbott and his inner circle wanted to repel such an approach in government.

However, short-termism has become a necessary evil, largely because of Abbott turning a tin ear to internal discontent for a long time. The Prime Minister let problems build up to a point where the discontent went public. He now lives from poll to poll.

Abbott gained significant political mileage from the leadership dysfunction on the other side of politics during the life cycle of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments, as ministers like to refer to Labor’s six years in office.

Yet now leadership tensions have engulfed Abbott, with the broader expectation internally that notwithstanding the polling recovery of the past two weeks, the May budget and its aftermath will lead to a return of tensions at the top — if they have ever really faded from view.

....Abbott: I say congratulations and thank God that bastion of old-fashioned chauvinism has finally collapsed like the walls of Jericho at the trumpet cry of the Liberal and National Party.........................

The main take-out from the exchange was that “Abbott has found his mojo”, as one minister put it, finally giving his colleagues something to cheer about. But there is a further symbolism in the religious reference to Jericho the PM may not have thought about.

While a woman, Rahab, certainly did play a key role in securing victory for the Israelites, it was not before a leadership change at the top. God wouldn’t let Moses enter Jericho, despite all his efforts after leading the Israelites during those wilderness years.

Instead he waited for a weakened Moses to die before charging another, Joshua, with the responsibility to take them to the promised land. At least his name wasn’t Malcolm.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/tony-abbotts-poll-bounce-could-turn-out-to-be-a-blip/s...

[debra9275]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-06/lnp-womens-day-event-tattersalls-raised-eyebrows-fiona-simpson...

Cross-dressing protesters barred from Tattersall's Club ahead of Brisbane women's lunch

A small group of cross-dressing protesters have sought access to the men-only Tattersall's Club in Brisbane for the LNP's International Women's Day lunch.

Female protesters donned knitted beards and ties outside the club, and were joined by men wearing dresses and carrying irons.

The women approached the club and tried to seek membership but a Tattersall's spokesman told them they were not welcome.

this story made me laugh today 

[vicr3000]

A bit of a pointless protest isn't it ?

What does it acheive ?

[polksaladallie]

This morning I thought I heard Hockey saying that "it might be that in the future there will be 80 year olds who will want to rejoin the work force".

So I have just listened again, and it was so.  It is said in the first minute of the audio.

That can be said only by a relatively young man who has no close connection with 80 year olds.  Most 80 year olds that I come across can barely walk comfortably.  They are slow, they have been slowing down for ten years.  They have been getting tireder for ten years.  They have been developing the aches and pains of age for ten years.  Many have brains that are slowing down.  Many give up driving at 80 or soon after.  We can't stop this process.  When you are younger, you just don't know.

This sort of thinking is very distressing to me, and it is another example of attacking the most vulnerable, those who have done enough.

If this dream is what he is basing Australia's IGR on, he is delusional. 

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2015/03/bst_20150306_0752.mp3

[debra9275]

I think it's silly too Polks, not only that but he hasn't taken into account how difficult it is even for over 50's to find work. I bet lots of people up to the age of say 70 would be quite happy to work if only someone would give them a job. No matter what he's saying ,no-one is prepared to give older people jobs and that is a sad fact.

[monman12]

I think perhaps straight C&P's (complete) would be useful.

Gittins only a little pink, and he makes some good observations, BUT:

No if's, no buts, no little bits... Ross Gittins is an economist, and has been for a very long time, unlike any posters here.

Very good article written by him (as usual). I suggest you look at  some political threads that quote facebook posts (rumours) to back up arguments, plenty of opportunity there for critical analysis.

I agree with all of it, especially this bit in red.

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

"And these guys think it's all our fault"

If you bothered to read, my "BUT" was qualified to matters outside of Gittins expertise, "climate change" which he decided to mention:

""One demonstration of the report's lack of genuine concern about our future is its dismissive treatment of climate change. The biggest risk we face in 40 years' time is the budget deficit?"

When he obviously overlooked (conveniently?)  this from the Report :

"Australia will meet its Kyoto target for 2020 and will join with the international community to establish post-2020 targets with the aim of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions,...."

You might also have noticed my comment regarding your  "Gittins is an economist"

Bearing in mind Australia's ability to have any noticeable effect upon anthropogenic warming, is nil,  perhaps Gittins should stick to economics.

Of course you agree with this:

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

I notice it is myopically  selectively red, of course it is.

BUT (again) as it is Gittins the economist  "who you agree with", all of it,  I would reproduce the quote thus:

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

I wonder what the value of the fraction was?

[monman12]

Gittins only a little pink, and he makes some good observations, BUT:

No if's, no buts, no little bits... Ross Gittins is an economist, and has been for a very long time, unlike any posters here.

Very good article written by him (as usual). I suggest you look at  some political threads that quote facebook posts (rumours) to back up arguments, plenty of opportunity there for critical analysis.

I agree with all of it, especially this bit in red.

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

"And these guys think it's all our fault"

If you bothered to read, my "BUT" was qualified to matters outside of Gittins expertise, "climate change" which he decided to mention:

""One demonstration of the report's lack of genuine concern about our future is its dismissive treatment of climate change. The biggest risk we face in 40 years' time is the budget deficit?"

When he obviously overlooked (conveniently?)  this from the Report :

"Australia will meet its Kyoto target for 2020 and will join with the international community to establish post-2020 targets with the aim of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions,...."

You might also have noticed my comment regarding your  "Gittins is an economist"

Bearing in mind Australia's ability to have any noticeable effect upon anthropogenic warming, is nil,  perhaps Gittins should stick to economics.

Of course you agree with this:

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

I notice it is myopically  selectively red, of course it is.

BUT (again) as it is Gittins the economist  "who you agree with", all of it,  I would reproduce the quote thus:

"........ The Howard government went mad with tax cuts and middle-class welfare and Rudd and Gillard were a fraction worse with their unfunded schemes to help disadvantaged school kids and the disabled."

I wonder what the value of the fraction was?

[monman12]

My how posts vary!

We have one post which comprises of just:

"http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/pm-snubs-holden-to-buy-62m-fleet-of-bmws-that-can-withstand-t... (not a leftie paper)"

And then there is this one, headed:  (Tony Abbott’s poll bounce could turn out to be a blip) which (not unusually) is  nothing but a large C&P from an approved source,  sans any comment.

But wait there is more, the large C&P solely from the  Contributing editor of the Australian, Peter vam Onselen,  is then awarded a Kudos, from the minimalist C&P author.

Would that  be for Onselsen the editor, or the well honed expert in C&Ps?

Of course not,  just Kudos tagging/swapping!