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.

[debra9275]

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/tony-abbotts-national-security-address-a-siren-call-to-the-nation-2...

For a moment, let's give Tony Abbott the benefit of the doubt.

Let's set aside briefly what we all know – that he is a failing leader trying desperately to recover. And consider his much-touted speech on national security on its own merits.

On an emotional level, it was a speech that began by inspiring fear, moved on to anger and ended with resolve. It's an old formula.

"People are anxious about the national security threats we face," the Prime Minister noted. And he made sure of it.

"By any measure, the threat to Australia is worsening," Abbott said. "The signs are ominous. ASIO currently has over 400 high-priority counter-terrorism investigations. That's more than double the number a year ago." And so on. This may be factually correct, but is it a prime minister's job to engender fear among his people? Isn't that the terrorists' job?

[cherry*135]

 

Here is  the rest of it, for those who have comprehension issues

It turned out the national statement was shorter on details than the leaks themselves. This might have led to questions.

Questions could have proved awkward.

Considering all those chieftains of the acronym-heavy secret world, it seemed likely that - apart from the massed ranks of journalists - Mr Abbott may have known less about national security than anyone there.

Still, this was a Prime Minister talking about a national emergency. Australians could relate to it, and he had facts and figures and the national memory of the Lindt cafe to give it gravitas.

A Prime Minister less concerned about his personal emergency, however, might have addressed the nation from the parliament

But for Tony Abbott, this is a search for a way out of a dark age, and you need only count the flags to know it.,

[debra9275]

someone on twitter said this. which pretty much sums up how I feel too

Lindt Cafe reports says we ignored all the warnings you gave us so we need greater snooping powers, please. Sorry what?

it is true that lots of warnings were given about the Lindt gunman, but no-one took any notice

[gleee58]

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@vicr3000 wrote:

Thanks for proving Glee wrong by posting that article.

As shown, more than just journos chatting about the flags before the speech.

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Not wrong, that's what they were doing.  The news stories are today's news with flag comment included. 

The accusation was that they talked about the flags not the content of the event, which is unture.

[vicr3000]

Glee

WRONG, again, but that's expected. But you are never wrong in your eyes.

They did talk about the flags and not the content. I have read at least 4 items which included twitter posts,

more focus on the flags and NONE on the content in some of them.

[debra9275]

there's nothing wrong with talking about the flags and the setting anyway.  It was an unusual setting  because

National statements by prime ministers are by convention delivered from the floor of parliament house.

[cherry*135]

Abbott was dumb to try and present the content the way he did and at  the location he chose and no questions.

[debra9275]

I think it may have given him a bit of a temporary boost in the polls, which is what he needed, not sure yet

[gleee58]

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@debra9275 wrote:

there's nothing wrong with talking about the flags and the setting anyway.  It was an unusual setting  because

National statements by prime ministers are by convention delivered from the floor of parliament house.

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And that's why the conversation started and probably why it made it into today's news stories as well.  

You only have to look at the live blogs to see the sequence.   

[debra9275]

yep,,, exactly