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]

accelerated depreciation tax deduction for small business

But the newly ebullient Treasurer has conceded one of his budget's key stimulus measures, the accelerated depreciation tax deduction for small business, has had to be funded out of general revenue despite earlier stipulating that all new spending would be offset by new and equivalent savings.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-joe-hockeys-growth-message-is-spen...

[monman12]

A somewhat minimal C&P without  any comment.  What do you actually  think of the  (abbreviated) excerpt A3?

"despite earlier stipulating that all new spending would be offset by new and equivalent savings."

It would be possible  for that to eventuate if possible savings were not blocked by the unrepresentative "swill", to the point that the  ALP:

Fact check: Labor blocking $5 billion of its own savings measures

The verdict  ABC

While Labor says it has good reason for blocking the legislation, each of the three areas had been identified by it as an appropriate way to find savings, regardless of how the savings would be applied.

In any event, Senator Cormann is not making a claim about why Labor is blocking legislative changes that it proposed first, only that it is.

The measures that Labor is opposing would save the budget more than $5 billion.

Senator Cormann is correct.

Oh  gosh it is so easy to do a C&P.  Sorry about the added comment!

[cherry*135]

What do you actually  think of the  (abbreviated) excerpt A3?

No comment to add.

[cherry*135]

---

@am*3 wrote:

accelerated depreciation tax deduction for small business

But the newly ebullient Treasurer has conceded one of his budget's key stimulus measures, the accelerated depreciation tax deduction for small business, has had to be funded out of general revenue despite earlier stipulating that all new spending would be offset by new and equivalent savings.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-joe-hockeys-growth-message-is-spen...

---

Treasurer, not Cormann.

Treasurer who conceded.

[tezza2844]

Fact check: Labor blocking $5 billion of its own savings measures

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-28/labor-blocking-five-billion-of-own-savings-measures/5684750

If you read the whole article-

The explanatory memorandum published by Mr Hockey repeats the wording of the explanatory memorandum previously published by his predecessor Wayne Swan.

Both documents say the change "better targets the R&D tax incentive to businesses that are more likely to increase their R&D spending in response to government incentives, delivering a greater return for taxpayers".

Both say that restricting the tax concessions to companies with under $20 billion annual turnover would save the Government $1.1 billion over four years.

However, Mr Hockey's memorandum does not repeat the following paragraph in Mr Swan's memorandum under the heading 'Context of amendments': "Part of the savings from this measure will be used to fund other Government priorities, including reforms announced in the Government's Industry and Innovation Statement, 'A Plan for Australian Jobs'."

Three weeks later, Labor MP Tony Zappia told Parliament that there were "major differences" between the Labor and Coalition proposal to reduce R&D tax concessions which meant Labor would not support it.

"The proposition from the previous government was tied to a whole host of job-creating initiatives that would have been directly funded as a result of the savings made...This legislation does not do that. It simply makes the cuts, and I assume the funds go into general revenue," he said.

[cherry*135]

The admission that the 100 per cent instant asset write-off for small business paid for by borrowings – given the deficit currently sits at $41.1 billion - came as Mr Hockey used his post-budget address to the National Press Club to hammer the theme of confidence, defending an increased tax-to-GDP ratio which will climb to a seven-year high of 24 per cent in 2015-16 while imploring Australians to get out and spend.

From the same link as my previous post. May, 2015

...However Australia Institute executive director Richard Denniss has warned small business people to be cautious of taking advantage of the scheme before it passes Parliament — if it does at all.

"The scale and generosity of this proposal is unprecedented and, while the Treasurer has announced that it will begin [on budget night], history suggests he shouldn't take the Senate for granted," Mr Denniss said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-13/budget-2015-small-business-tax-break-explained/6466066

[cherry*135]

Membership reforms see recruits rally to Labor cause

Party reform, coupled with the unpopularity of Tony Abbott, has seen the ALP enjoy a resurgence in membership over the past 18 months.

Under Bill Shorten’s leadership, the party’s rank and file has grown by more than 10,000 members to almost 54,000.

Labor’s closely guarded membership figures, obtained exclusively by The Australian, reveals NSW remains by far the biggest state, with 18,304 members, followed by Victoria (14,969) and Queensland (9328).

Liberal Party sources told The Australian their membership had plateaued in most states in recent years, and was suggested by one party figure to be about 40,000-45,000 nationally. In the 1950s, Liberal Party membership reached over 150,000. This halved by the 1980s.

,,The party’s [Labor] membership is the highest it has been since the 1990s, when it boasted more than 50,000 members.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/membership-reforms-see-recruits-rally-to-labor-caus...

[debra9275]

[debra9275]

this is just a little satirical piece I came across that I thought was funny.  I'm going to do an MM12 and not post where it came from 

Hockey Postpones Budget Emergency Until Next Labor Government

The Budget Emergency that has wreaked havoc on the Australian economy over the past eight years has been put on hold and will not be brought back until the Coalition is next in opposition.

“The Emergency has done a great job over these past few years, but we’ve come to a point where there’s no longer a need for it, at least not right now,” Treasurer Joe Hockey explained.

He said that while he could not find a place for the Emergency in this year’s budget, he had made allowances for its return in the future. “The Budget Emergency is there in the forward estimates,” he said.

Mr Hockey said the Budget Emergency had served the Government well. “I’d like to thank the Budget Emergency for the work it has done to date, and I look forward to working with it again in the future”.

[debra9275]

http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015-joe-hockeys-growth-message-is-spen...

Federal budget 2015: Joe Hockey's growth message is spend, spend, spend

But the newly ebullient Treasurer has conceded one of his budget's key stimulus measures, the accelerated depreciation tax deduction for small business, has had to be funded out of general revenue despite earlier stipulating that all new spending would be offset by new and equivalent savings.

And as the details of the budget become clearer, the government has also found itself on the back foot over tightened eligibility for paid parental leave.

The admission that the 100 per cent instant asset write-off for small business paid for by borrowings – given the deficit currently sits at $41.1 billion - came as Mr Hockey used his post-budget address to the National Press Club to hammer the theme of confidence, defending an increased tax-to-GDP ratio which will climb to a seven-year high of 24 per cent in 2015-16 while imploring Australians to get out and spend.