And for good measure.. check out a selection of recent cartoons
Pictures often say much more than words. The infographics below provide a great deal of food for thought If the slides are moving too fast, click pause at the top left of the images. And for good measure.. check out a selection of recent cartoons
4 Comments
Australia abandoned the death penalty decades ago, but as with all things LNP... they have taken us back to the 1950's and delivered a large number of 'Dead Men Walking'. The Napthine government is terminal. The Newman government looks terminal. The NSW government is critically ill and has several more appointments with ICAC in the hope of removing several large tumours. The Abbott government is already terminal (although it did arrive with a horrendous birth defect... Tony Dumb Dumb's cabinet). So how did it come to this? In short, by Tories being Tories. Arrogance, proposed asset sales, gross incompetence, lies and fabrications being exposed, and buyer's remorse on the part of the electorate. The rest of the LNP government in Qld have told "Shambles' Newman they want him to stop picking fights with everyone, and start presenting the positive 'Can Do' image, despite the fact that it was always a sham. And 'Cock Up' Campbell's response to Queenslanders after they indicated their displeasure with him... 'I'm the guy who saved you' from natural disatsers (the Brisbane floods, the Gap storms, got people off roofs in Bundaberg). Sadly Newman is also the person who delivered unnatural disasters in the form of mass sackings, fights with Doctors, fights with the judiciary, fights with motorcycle riders, and fights with Clive Palmer. The assessment of Independent MP Peter Wellington... the Newman government is 'Dead in the Water'. The relentless demise of the Abbott government is mulit-factorial. The latest polls have the Abbott government sinking, significantly in areas where his support had previously held up. Abbott's support is down in Qld and WA, and is down with older voters. He also trails as preferred PM by 4 points. The budget has been a significant problem, and is still sparking national protest. The independent advice of Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz was that Hockey's budget (of which he is immensely proud) is a disaster. But as bad as things are now for Abbott, many predict them to get worse. The new Senate will provide significant problems... both for what they will allow through and for what they will block. Everyone from Al Gore to Joseph Stiglitz to Ross Garnaut agree that removing a price on Carbon is a big mistake. Economists agree it has not had any negative impact on the economy. In fact 59 Australian economists have gone to the trouble of writing an open letter to the Abbott government imploring them not to repeal the price on Carbon. They, like most others know that having a price on Carobn has led to a drop in the Carbon intensity of our electricity and a drop in emissions. Removing the price on carbon will not just put this at risk, it will also have a profound effect on our economy. For starters, it has deprived us of new investment in renewable energy. Solar thermal is the future for Australia, but as 4 corners reports, Solar reserve will not be bringing pioneering Solar technology to Australia which would benefit the average consumer as a result of the current government's policy settings. On top of that we have Abbott's (and Seeney's) love of the coal industry. All the problems we are currently facing - falling employment levels, falling levels of investment in new technologies, falling business and consumer confidence, the prospect of asset sales, massive spending on 20th C infrastructure (roads, coal fired power stations) -are the work of the LNP at state and federal level. The LNP will pay heavily for their incompetence and their mismanagement. They may also pay for the murmurings of corruption swirling around a number of high profile Tories, which in time may be proved. The LNP are in big trouble, and the first indication of how badly they will be stung will come at the Stafford By-Election this month. While we wait for that... enjoy Clarke and Dawe below by Mark Enders
The reckless abandonment of policies in favour of the common good, and the adoption of policies in favour of the extremely wealthy is what characterises this LNP government, at state and federal level. The first year of this much hated Abbott government has aligned with the third year of the equally loathed Newman government reminds me of the Sir Joh LNP days in Queensland where corruption was rife and only ended with the Fitzgerald Inquiry. It seems appropriate to hear Tony Ftizgerald speaking out again. This nation desperately needs a leader or leaders with a positive vision for our future, leaders with innovation and progress in mind, leaders who can think outside of the square and initiate new technology ideas and simplify our lives instead of adding confusion and fear. Sadly we find a reluctance to discuss vital policy areas by communicative politicians and balanced journalists. I site as examples the savage cuts to CSIRO and the fast broadband that the NBN once promised, and has now been shelved in favour of a slower and less expensive version, a false economy. Alone these two regressions will cost Australia dearly in the future. The nobbling of the previous government’s vision for the NBN and the cuts in research handed to the CSIRO will cost us dearly into the future, especially in the north where an enquiry into local soils would have been vital to the proposed development of northern Australia. The poverty stricken are feeling the pinch and due to the lack of government investment their ranks will swell. Our economy will fall from 11th place (under Labor) to goodness knows where under the current government. If only for a government with leadership and vision! In Townsville, a perfectly reasonable and sensible upgrade of the waste disposal system might be on the radar if we weren’t (and hadn’t been) under the influence of conservative forces for years now. I hope it does not stop creative people thinking and dreaming of efficiencies that better serve the common good. Instead of good ideas getting the go ahead, I see the green light given to big business and vested interests. This leaves the interests and concerns of the ratepayer largely ignored. I don’t believe we’ll see any change until we vote for different players, people who are prepared to close the “club” and do the right thing by us all, open all departments to more scrutiny and more analysis of the most cost strategies - in relation to processing waste as well as all other council functions. Over 2 years into their 3 year period of government, and after belting ordinary Townsville families with cost of living increases, finally they (LNP) get around to “looking” at the homeless situation in Townsville. Housing Minister Tim Mander has done very little for the homeless in the past and is certainly not in a desperate hurry to help them now. The NGOs do what they can but here again the government has cut funding which makes it even tougher to provide care for society’s unfortunates. Bring on March 2014, we desperately need a change in George Street, these unAustralian no hopers will be swept from office and hopefully replaced with a kinder, gentler more caring style of government. If “all” the savings from the demise of the price on carbon is passed on by the energy companies my humble family stand to gain $4.31 per week, we are beside ourselves with this newfound affluence which according to Abbott will unshackle economic growth. I won’t be holding my breath. Clive Palmer’s policy to crush the price on carbon is obviously more in the national interest than in his own self-interest. Rumour has it the member for Fairfax is losing support in his own electorate, one wonders why? Many of the former lifters who are now aged or disabled are increasingly concerned that the leaners in corporate Australia are avoiding paying their fair share of taxation and won’t be chased for their fair contribution to our nation. We want the return of the Aussie ‘fair go’ to apply to ‘all’ Australians. I doubt very much that the average Australian approves of the ideology of the LNP at either level of government, or in local government for that matter. I choose to believe that the average Aussie is eagerly awaiting a strong leader from the centre-left of the political spectrum to lead us out of the abyss created by the current governments. Aussie ‘mateship’ is legendary forged in the hardest of times We have seen a swift turnaround in the Australia we used to know, an Australia that encouraged people, an Australia that supported people compassionately; we are now down to being consumers in a business environment, no longer people in a caring society under the cruelty of the LNP. This is not the Australia that I know where mateship once thrived and anything could be done for a carton of beer by your mates. Have we really become just another State of the United States of America, I thought we were so much better than that. by Shaun Newman
While we all believe we know what democracy means, if you searched for a definition of a 'democratic nation' you would find a number of variations on a similar theme. The one I prefer and the one I'd like to use for the purpose of this blog entry is - democratic nation: a country with a government that has been elected freely and equally by all its citizens I like that definition because it strikes me as fair, equitable, and the most appropriate structure under which we should be happy to be governed. I'd also suggest that the last federal election was constrained by a great deal of mis-information - removing the 'free' choice of the people tasked with electing the government. Such a proposition seems to be borne out by the fact that the Abbott government had no honeymoon period, quickly became widely unpopular, and at latest polling has seen its support drop by 10 points since the election. People feel duped. And there is plenty to suggest they were. People can be convinced to buy a great many things they don't want or don't need by a good advertising campaign. Good advertisers know how to push our buttons, which brings into question the idea of a government that rides to power on the back of propaganda or a slick advertising campaign being freely chosen. This underpins the case for publicly funded election campaigns.. limiting campaign spending and creating a more even playing field. Big pre-election advertising spends are effective. That why the Liberals regularly outspend Labor and it's why Clive Palmer outspent everyone in the recent re-run of the WA senate election. You can argue that Clive can do what he pleases with his money, but there are questions circulating about whose money Clive actually spent. This should all be answered by the Supreme court in Brisbane. The voting behaviour of the PUP senators will perhaps be more indicative of whether they are serving the purpose of a democratic nation The idea that government representatives are equally elected is also drawn into question by the mere existence of our new senators. Ricky Muir in particular is particularly unrepresentative having attracted primary support of 0.51 per cent. And although David Leyonhjelm attracted a much more representative primary vote of 8.89 per cent, questions were asked about the effect of him being placed first on a very large senate ticket, and the potential confusion among Liberal voters who may have unknowingly voted Liberal Democrat instead. Leyonhjelm himself even admits their vote was higher than it likely should have been. Based on a recent profile on Leyonhjelm, it is hard to believe he is representative, even of the close to 9% of New South Welshmen who voted for him - David says John Howard 'deserved to be shot' for introducing stricter gun laws in 1996, he admitted “I had lots of semi-automatic rifles… every now and then I would take them out and pat them…bit weird. He has claimed the murders of Jill Meagher and the children at Sandy Hook school could've been avoided if we had more gun-toting citizens, and that the Greens should be tried for “crimes against humanity” for their advocacy against genetically modified food. He also believes current restrictions on smoking should be lifted (which supposedly has nothing to do with his party accepting donations from the tobacco industry). In the next 6 years there may well be legislation that succeeds or fails based on the vote of Leyonjhelm - and in the interim we'll pay him $1.2M for his unrepresentative opinions. Another sign our democracy may not be all we would wish it to be. And if our capacity to have free and equal elections wasn't sufficiently compromised, the Liberal party has recently voted to move to make it even less free and more unequal. Following the lead of the 'Shambles' Newman government, the Liberals have moved to push voter identification laws across the country. Electoral fraud is not a significant problem in Australia, and the suggestion that it is will now be used by Liberal governments at state and federal level to drive the need for voters to provide ID at the time that they vote. The only reason for such a move is to prevent certain groups from casting a vote. Such a move would have a disproportionate effect on the young, Indigenous people, the poor, migrants, and people with disabilities.... demographics which less likely to vote conservative. I wonder what is motivating such a move? The best move we can make to protect our democracy is vote out Liberal governments at the next available opportunity, and don't even consider voting them back in until they drop this particular policy. For an interesting take on how the new senate will work, check out First Dog on the Moon. by Mark Enders
Below is the next installment from Shaun Newman and how he saw the events of the past week. Why is it that our Local Government Minister, like others in his party, persists in perpetuating the myth that coal fired power stations are the only way to provide affordable power to North Queensland, when science suggests exactly the opposite? The Snowy River Hydro Electricity Scheme was a nation building project from last century that continues to provide affordable electricity in NSW. Sadly North Queensland had a similar opportunity with the Burdekin Falls Dam Hydro Electricity Project until the rights were sold off by the Newman government to the New Zealand government. The LNP seem not to mind public enterprise provided that it is not Australian public enterprise. In our sun drenched region where households are installing solar heated water systems and solar panels in response to the horrendous price rises of this LNP government (the latest being 13%), one would think that modern technology had caught up with even the LNP. But it seems that old money have their investments in “old” technology, technologies that pollute and contribute to global warming/climate change as North Queensland goes into yet another very mild winter. The LNP have never been a party of innovation, but now that we know that this old technology is damaging our health and our environment, this is not acceptable. Townsville Enterprise chairman (Kevin Gill) asks for more support for Sun Metals due to its “spiralling power costs”, the general public are asking for the same kind of relief and the only answer that the LNP can come up is old, dirty, and not very cost-effective technology - coal. What’s next, kerosene lamps? I share in the frustration of many in what seems like a closed shop mentality in relation to outside input into the Townsville city plan. I doubt whether there is any proof of corruption, but we do seem to have ‘preferred developers’ in our region. We are told that Australia is open for business, but until these “agreements” are sufficiently open and transparent doubt will always linger in the minds of the public as to whether or not proper competitive processes have been followed. The case of a non-preferred developer wanting to spend $2 billion on a development and pledges of public infrastructure, springs to mind. The Australian public continues to complain about the federal budget, a full 6 weeks after its reading to the parliament. No surprise given it is the worst budget ever been presented to the Australian people. It robs the many to pay the few. Attacks on ordinary Aussie families, cuts to public health and education, the robbery of concessions to pensioners are disgraceful. This has led to LNP politicians believing they need to hire bodyguards. The anger is palpable, but all we really want to do is to vote them out. Another old LNP project has returned to bite them on the bum. The Port Hinchinbrook and the squalid Williams Corporation development that the public has paid for many times over and looks set, under the State LNP government, to pay for again. This is all about “privatize the profit, and socialize the debt”. If we re-elect LNP governments we will surely see much more of this unfairness perpetuated for the good of the few and at the cost of the many. In North Queensland we know we will receive very little from the Newman government’s proposed privatization of our assets with the bulk of the sale proceeds benefiting the South East. The LNP are currently wasting more of our money on propaganda that tries to convince us to cut our own throats. Their ‘consultation’ process told them the people preferred that they raise taxes on the rich, mining barons and their ilk, rather than to sell our public infrastructure. They have completely ignored what they were told. If we foolishly vote these people back into office their “plan” will go into operation. It is lazy. It is not an appropriate response the true state of our financial affairs, and it panders to the mining industry who provide little revenue through mineral royalties. At one time I was comforted by the high integrity of all three tiers of Australian government, these days, I am not so sure. The North Queensland chapter of the LNP is in a shambles, squabbling among themselves about issues as diverse as insurance to the proposed development of Northern Australia. Add to that a long term LNP NQ Senator threatening to vote against his own party and you have a collection of party office holders out of touch with their constituents. The Abbott government’s claims of a mandate were lost as soon as Treasurer Hockey delivered the most unfair and disgraceful budget in Australian history. The farce of the “debt & deficit disaster” has been well and truly debunked. It is clear the austerity measures are not required and that the only part of the budget that needs repair is revenue. Upward of $60 billion in private profits are hidden in overseas tax havens annually. To cut $80 billion from health and education whilst leaving open taxation loopholes for unscrupulous companies is both inadvisable and immoral. The federal LNP are ably assisted by their Queensland State counterparts in the “war against the poor”. It’s time to rid ourselves of this LNP scourge as soon as possible. by Shaun Newman
There is no argument that the 'Shambles' Newman is every bit as bad as the crooked Bjelke-Petersen government which oversaw conditions that led to the Fitzgerald inquiry and turned Queensland into the police state which made us a national pariah for decades The law and order crack down on bikies seems to have delivered all the political capital it was ever likely to, so Captain Cock-up has resorted to other tactics to seemingly give his shambles of a government some kind of relevance. There is the tired old Tory tactic of a commission of audit which was botched by Costello (our worst federal treasurer since John Howard). This then trumpeted a budget emergency (which didn't exist) and comparisons to the economy of Spain (which were completely ridiculous), and then the faux-consultation in the Strong Choices snow job. We are now paying for the privilege of paying for adds which are interupting world Cup football coverage in the vain attempt to sell another LNP lie... that Queenslanders want asset sales. Even the ACCC has voiced concerns about state asset sales. Labelled by many as Wrong Choices, it is important to note it includes - an $11m advertising campaign to sell off public assets and get Campbell Newman re-elected; it leaves Health care looking sick; contains asset sales which will hurt regional economies; and will lead to increased prices and less public revenue to fund services. If, as we're told repeatedly, the age of entitlement is over, it seems there is a great deal more scope to end business and wealthy individual's entitlement in a way that won't damage industry or manufacturing, and won't hurt lower income earners. By addressing superannuation tax relief, private health insurance rebates, negative gearing and fuel tax credits, there are savings of $150 billion to be made by 2016-17. But that would target the wrong demographic - those more likely to donate to the LNP and vote for them. The Strong Choices campaign carries on the Tory tradition of targeting the the less well off and delivering cheap assets for private interests. It is clear it was never about what was best for all Queenslanders, just the select few. If the LNP government was interested in balancing the books, they might take a look at the kind of subsidies they offer to the highly profitable mining industry. This has amounted to $9.6B over the last 6 budgets and is the highest across all Australian states. Added to that we have the on-going program spearheaded by Jarrod Bleijie of turning our state back into the Queensland of Joh Bjelke Petersen. By nobbling the corruption watchdog. By appointing the seemingly politically tainted and underqualified Judge Tim Carmody to the post of Chief Justice. It appears to have been a captain's call by 'Trainer Wheels' Bleijie who did consult with senior legal representatives, but completely ignored all their advice. Carmody's appointment has been labelled a throwback to the corrupt era of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen by Civil libertarians. The Australian Bar Association has warned the independence of the judiciary is “under threat” in Queensland. Carmody's appointment prompted the resignation of the head of the Qld Bar association. It has attracted criticism from senior legal figures such as Tony Fitzgerald and former justice George Fryberg. Queensland Court of Appeal judge John Muir called on Tim Carmody to withdraw from the position. And Carmody's response - He went onto radio 4BC to publicly defend his own appointment, as it seems no one else will. He is also quoted as saying of Tony Ftizgerald's criticisms - "What does [Mr Fitzgerald] think - I'm still a law clerk and he's still the big boss? He's retired now. Everyone has their term. And can I just say - cometh the hour, cometh the man." He seems to have the ego for the job. Time will tell if he has the capacity. It seems that the LNP in Queensland has many friends and knows how to look after their interests. If a company had made a large donation to your political party and they find themselves in legal trouble with a state government department... what can be done. After two meetings with the head of the company in question, it seems the best thing to do is to change the pesky legislation. In a case that was recently aired on ABC's 7.30 program, it seems legal trouble with the Department of Natural Resources and Mines is easy to head off... by passing a legislative amendment by sneaking past the opposition to ensure the retrospective changes protect Karreman quarries, coincidentally a good friend of the LNP. This unusual action has nothing to do with the fact that the company have donated $75,000 to the LNP in recent years. And even though Karreman was the only quarry which was facing prosecution for mining without a licence, the changes were put in place to protect numerous others who Seeney hasn't named and and equally hasn't indicated whether or not they are also LNP donors. Pull the other one Jeff, it plays the Last Post... for your government! And to further underline the incompetence and the stupidity of this LNP government we have both Campbell Newman and Jeff Seeney being sued for defamation for saying that Clive Palmer had tried to act corruptly following the LNP's 2012 election win. This claim is being used to defend the outrageous and seemingly corrupt lengths Seeney went to protect the interests of a large LNP donor. It seems it's time to kick another corrupt conservative government out in Queensland in order to allow the state to get back on track. by Mark Enders
When we hear a term like 'Budget Black Hole' most of us would think of unexpected gaps in the budget, but the analogy doesn't really stack up in relation to the spacetime phenomenon. Out in the universe black holes are not fully understood, they are of unclear size and depth and they seem to suck and draw in nearby celestial bodies until they disappear, never to be seen again. The analogy is a much better description of the budget Hockey recently delivered. No one in the government has been able to get their heads around what is included and excluded, and how it will affect people. People who try selling it, like Smokin' Joe himself find themselves in a hole and the more they try to dig themselves out, the more they dig in and the bigger and harder to define the hole gets. And Hockey's budget seems to be sucking in those who are standing too close by (like members of the government) and with a bit of luck ... they will be swallowed by the political black hole created by the budget and never seen again. It is interesting to note that Julie Bishop (known within Coalition circles as the Cockroach because she seem able to survive anything politically) hasn't come within a country mile of any attempt to sell the budget. But Smokin' Joe has ploughed on. He has tried to turn his hopeless defense of the budget into an attack at the Sydney Institute - claiming we spend too much on welfare. The general public clearly disagree. But then so does the research. New figures demonstrate that working age Australians have become far less dependent on welfare payments since 2001 (when the Coalition was previously in government). Flavio Menezes, economics professor at UQ in a well written piece on The Conversation website demonstrates:
Flavio suggests that shouting ever louder that the budget is both in the national interest and fair is unlikely to be effective against evidence and a widespread acceptance that it is not... but Joe seems likely to persist with his misguided belief. Yet another example of the budget's unfairness is the fact that the young and unemployed (whose numbers have surged in the latest figures) will need to apply for 40 jobs a month for the 6 months that they are not eligible for unemployment benefits. As well as being unfair, such a provision would also suggest the policy is completely unworkable. Abbott has labeled the rise in the fuel tax is a 'Carbon tax on steroids' - but Joe will keep trying to sell it with his head buried deep in the sand, as he remains 'immensely proud' of the budget. But unlike a price on Carbon which was aimed at the biggest polluters (and has been extremely effective), the petrol excise will disproportionately affect the poor and will not have a big impact on emmissions as it will (reportedly) exempt road transport. Meanwhile the savings that will flow through to consumers from removing the price on carbon will be negligible, certainly far less than the $500 Abbott was flinging around pre-election Looking at fairness (from another angle) - Coalition electorates benefit at a ratio of 3 to 1 to non-Coalition electorates - three quarters of the new infrastructure spending is happening in Coalition electorates. According to Professor Currie from Monash University this level of pork barreling is unprecedented. Labor's Andrew Leigh points out that Hockey's assertions at the Sydney Institute are ideologically driven rhetoric which brings him into line with the thinking of failed Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In time he will go the same way as Romney. But critics abound. Tristan Ewins sees through hockey's attempts at division, at playing one disadvantaged group off against another in order to drive through his un-Australian (anti-egalitarian) measures. While this is a government who are having great difficulty in hiding the truth from the Australian people - In an interesting piece in Inside Story, Rodney Tiffen discusses the secrecy and the reduction in transparency that has been a hallmark of the Abbott government. Despite launching two clearly politically motivated Royal Commissions with the stated intent of openness and transparency, it is clear this is something they reserve for others. Among the telling omissions in this year’s budget papers was the data comparing Australia’s deficit and debt with those of other countries, presumably because it showed Australia in a relatively good position. All budgets since 2005, when Peter Costello introduced the practice, have included a table showing how different family types on different incomes will be affected by the spending and taxing decisions outlined. This year, that table was missing. On the spending side, the sharpest cut was to foreign aid. In the past, governments have released a “blue book” outlining precise aid allocations; this year, for the first time in much more than a decade, the document didn’t appear. The positives about this horror budget have been that it has reinvigorated the national conversation about fairness. Rather than being led by our PM, the Mad Monk and his band of cronies has started the discussion by trying to drag us (kicking and screaming) in the opposite direction. As Michelle Grattan says The budget has breathed new life into the wider debate about fairness and equality in Australia. The final word on the horror budget that Hockey won't kill and won't let die goes to First Dog on the Moon. Now that Tony Dumb Dumb has returned home and parliament is sitting again... keep an eye out for even more incompetence from the most inept government in this nation's history. by Mark Enders Shaun Newman reflects on another week of tyranny endured by Queenslanders and Australians at the hands of the LNP. Protests continue against both grossly unfair LNP budgets (Nicholls and Hockey) as Australians have seen the true colours of the extremists who are steering us into troubled waters. With business confidence high and consumer confidence low it is only a matter of time before both these worlds collide, and it won’t be a pretty site for small business especially. The consequences of our government cuddling up to Japan (militarily) could be economic. If China decides to place sanctions on Australia’s coal industry in favour of accelerating their own renewable energy push, we could see many more Australian jobs lost. International diplomacy is an art form Julie Bishop and David Johnston have certainly not mastered. I have never before witnessed governments so unprepared to govern, including the cruel federal LNP with their “war against the poor” and the Queensland LNP with their fire sale of assets. Australian’s voted for a government who promised “no cuts to health or education” then proceeded to cut $80 billion from State funding, “no cuts to the ABC or SBS” and now $1.1 billion cut from the ABC alone. Newman promised “no asset sales before an election” and “that public servants had nothing to fear from an LNP government” we now have the Townsville and Gladstone ports and the Mt Isa to Townsville rail line up for a 99 year tender, which is tantamount to privatization, and 15,000 public servants sacked. They simply can’t be believed. There has long been the potential for the ultra-right wing faction to take control of the LNP, and now it has occurred. Our only protection is people prepared to stand up and protest on our behalf, and thankfully hundreds of thousands in the past 10 months have done so. Hockey has resorted to turning Australian against Australian by quoting fuzzy welfare figures. His policies of cutting pension concessions, applying a great big new GP Tax on top of an increased Prescription tax are simply not fair. Hockey has inadvertently revealed that only 12 corporations in Australia pay approximately a third of all corporate tax. When we are told we all need to share the heavy lifting, surely there should be many, many more. It is abundantly clear from Hockey’s speech to the Sydney Institute that he has no concept of fairness. Mr Hockey once again tried to divide. In the 30 years I was able to work before becoming disabled I took pride in my work and my ability to pay tax because I knew my small contribution was helping to build this great nation and to assist my fellow Australian who was doing it tougher than I was. For those who can afford it, the payment of tax is a privilege which provides egalitarian progress for Australia for all citizens. Until fairness is restored in revenue Australia will certainly have a budget emergency on the revenue side of the ledger. The amount of fear and stress, anxiety and depression struck into the hearts of some of Australia’s poorest people by the LNP budgets cannot be underestimated. Most of us have had knots in our stomachs and have been unable to sleep for many weeks. This pre-budget and post-budget period has been a nightmare for us and for our families. We have seen TV reports of increased stress and anxiety which has caused pensioners insomnia and other stress-related symptoms. Let me reiterate some of the financial pressure points on our small pension incomes: the GP Tax, the Prescription Tax, the extra $200/ fortnight costs faced by over 50’s pensioners (according to research out of Canberra University), the added fuel costs (which will continuee rising), the flow on effects to the price of food and other commodities. The LNP can’t run an economy for average people, only the obscenely wealthy… it is their “war against the poor.” The majority of voters want Hockey’s blocked in the Senate, including 40% of LNP supporters. I have said repeatedly that our budget issues exist solely in the area of revenue. Our national debt is well under control, and most seem to realise this despite the ongoing rhetoric and scare campaigns. Those who are benefiting from huge incomes are not contributing their ‘fair share’ and never have. We can no longer afford to carry these dead weights and need to see bigger contributions from our highest income earners. Hockey said "everyone" must make a contribution to the heavy lifting. The LNP has attacked ordinary people via the health and education systems, and has attacked the poorest citizens i.e. pensioners. They have always been considered mean & tricky but after this budget fiasco we now see them as “cruel” Why attack the most vulnerable people in our community, while leaving the rich untouched? by Shaun Newman
Australia's worst ever Prime Minister has continued to embarrass the nation internationally on his recent trip overseas. Only someone so clueless could fail to embarrass themselves in the process... but Tony Dumb Dumb has achieved just that. Abbott is the only person who could make Julie Bishop look competent on the international stage. Surely Scott Morrison's new Border Force should begin demonstrating its effectiveness by taking away Abbott's passport. Embarassment for Australia comes at a number of different levels. As Tanya Plibersek has highlighted, Abbott embarasses us with his lack of understanding of the importance of international meetings, especially in the lead up to the G20 we are hosting. It is also interesting (and embarrassing) that his international diplomacy follows the same pattern as his media engagement strategy in Australia.... only speak with friends. And in his absence, Abbott's friends Bolt and Jones have been trying to shore up his leadership against the only person the public thinks (based on the recent Essential poll) could possibly make a better leader (because sadly for the Libs 'I don't know' and 'Someone else' are not actual people). Even before he left for France, Dumb Dumb's YouTube speech was a source of international embarrassment for the disrespectful and ham-fisted way in which Abbott conflated war commemorations and business interests. Abbott's reputation (as Tony Dumb Dumb) precedes him as he makes his first trips as PM to the US and Europe after his widely viewed and very funny profile on US TV. Having cancelled meetings with the IMF and the World Bank, Abbott now has time to visit his good friend Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada. You would be right to assume that trade with Canada does not hold the key to our economic future. Abbott however needs to feel like ;less of an international pariah, and what better way to achieve this than to form an alliance with another luddite and climate change denialist. Sadly for Abbott, this just underlines that, like Stephen Harper, Tony Dumb Dumb is also an international embarrassment. As outlined by Tristan Edis, despite suggesting they are interested in reducing emissions (now that statement is CRAP)... this is nothing more than a desperate attempt by both men to protect the fossil fuel industry. Many see the alliance with Harper as a scheme to undermine Obama's push to reach agreement on carbon trading at the upcoming G20 meeting. There is further analysis of Abbott's strategy has been done by Barry Naughten from the ANU. Abbott is quite simply out of step with International sentiment. While in Ottawa, Abbott begged Canadian fund managers to take stakes in resource companies, toll roads and government guaranteed infrastructure. Tony Dumb Dumb’s view is to deliver infrastructure like the Cahill Expressway or the West Gate Bridge... a strong vision that would suit a nation striding confidently towards the 1970s. As the rest of the world offers tech friendly investments, Australia offers toll roads -- a vision Jack Lang had in 1931. It seems Tony Dumb Dumb is backing the wrong horse.... embarrassing! It seems also that as much as Abbott is dodging credible people, they are also dodging him. Hilary Clinton for one. But prior to embarrassing himself in Canada and the US, Abbott made a fool of himself in France. See the video below. There seems to be a pattern here... whether they are high school or primary school, children have a superior intellect to Tony Dumb Dumb. You do have to feel for Tony Dumb Dumb. Abbott looks like he is out of place on an international stage... that's because he is. No one wants to know him (other than the equally friendless Stephen Harper), and no one is willing to help him... as evidenced by the video below. Working on the theory that every country has to have their 'George Bush' to re-engage people in politics... 'Tony Dumb Dumb' Abbott is our Bush... and then some. The final word on the future prospects for Tony Dumb Dumb and his government goes to the incomparable Clarke and Dawe by Mark Enders The Abbott government is by far the most incompetent this country has ever seen. Incompetent from the perspective of political nous, and incompetent from the perspective of its ability to formulate coherent, productive policy. It is clear they spent their wilderness years playing the man (and woman) and not the ball. It is also clear they have spent decades developing relationships with donors and vested interests which in turn has alienated them from everyday Australians and from the majority. In turn they have spent their political capital (and then some) on achieving nothing. They have however done the nation a great favour. They have awoken a sleepy electorate, made them more politically engaged, and galvanised them... against everything the Abbott government stands for. And the slow motion train wreck that is the Abbott government just keeps giving (to the Opposition), and keeps growing national unity (against it). Hockey, once perceived as the best of the government's performers is now clearly one of its biggest clowns. Bob Ellis takes him to task for delivering catastrophic news for so many Australians with a smug smile on his face, in between puffs on his cigar. Hockey has also been portrayed as a hypocrite... for introducing huge fees to tertiary education after protesting against it as a student. Abbott recently compared the budget situation to one where there was a fire that needed to be put out, but there is remarkably little evidence for this. Productivity is on the rise and in relatively good shape. Wages growth has flat-lined. And everyone knows debt is not an issue. It is a very difficult task to sell a harsh budget (especially one which punishes the poor), when there is no urgent need. All we can conclude is that this is a budget designed to punish those who the Coalition are ideologically opposed to. They are perhaps based on ideology alone. A hard sell, made harder by both Abbott and Hockey who make repeated schoolboy errors, recently demonstrating they don't understand their own policy in relation to the GP tax. This was followed by support for extracting outstanding HELP debts from deceased estates by both Pyne and Hockey, before it was shot down by the Mad Monk himself. They also have the cart before the horse. A Department of Human Services phone line is telling callers that changes to Medicare, including the new $7 GP co-payment, are set to apply from July 2015. Despite the fact that it is yet to pass the Senate. With Clive Palmer the key to this legislation passing it seems that secret meetings are being organised with treasury officials which include Mr Palmer, but seem to sideline the Treasurer. Very strange. Hockey is starting to show the strain - asking photographers to stop taking his picture during an address to ACOSS, an audience where he had no friends. For First Dog on the Moon's take on the budget, follow this link. Morrison is another incompetent, saved mostly by the veil of secrecy he has erected. But despite his careful efforts to 'co-ordinate' and 'align' the investigations, the PNG police have broken ranks accusing Morrison's report on the February riots as being yet another cover-up. Added to this is a recent event which, due to Morrison's secrecy, makes it unclear if further violence directed at asylum seekers on Manus is a high risk. For the perspective of First Dog on the Moon on Morrison's handling of asylum seekers, follow this link. There are voices of reason within the government... but sadly they get nowhere near cabinet. Backbencher Dennis Jensen labels the science policy as incoherent. As reported by Michelle Grattan 'There appeared to be a lack of understanding of how science worked, said Jensen who has a PhD in Materials Science and Physics and worked as a research scientist.' The Coalition has members with talent. People of reason. But no one is listening to them. As sure sign of a dysfunctional government. People's perceptions that this is a government of vested interests is only supported by the revelation that they have shifted funding from the Royal Commission into Childhood Sexual abuse (which has unearthed a great deal of hidden scandal and provided some healing and closure for victims), to the Home insulation scheme royal commission which has achieved relatively little. The government clearly sees value in more money being spent on cheap political point scoring. As the party's popularity is plumbing new depths, it is lucky for the Liberals, ICAC in NSW is currently taking a break. The results of all this madness and mayhem have been: - a massive slump in expectations for Australia's economic growth. - political defections from the Liberal party in South Australia - the steep decent in approval for Abbott. On the last point, it took Abbott in concert with the Murdoch press 3 years of concerted effort to trash Julia Gilliard's reputation. In less than a year Abbott has destroyed his own reputation despite a great deal of sympathetic press from the Murdoch stable. Abbott now rates lower than Julia did just before her replacement by Rudd on measures of Hard-work, Trust, Leadership and Intelligence. And at the same time he rates much higher than Gilliard did on measures of Arrogance, Intolerance, Aggression, Narrow-mindedness, and being out of touch. Abbott.... the Worst PM ever! If you wanted to keep a closer eye on the manifest failings of the Mad Monk, check out the Phoney Tony Abbott website. Or follow the Tony Abbott - Worst PM in Australian history facebook page. The last word on the government (or more specifically Bronwyn Bishop) goes to First Dog on the Moon. by Mark Enders
|
Blog InformationEmail: [email protected]
Other BlogsAustralian Labor Party
Queensland Labor Townsville Blog Antony Green's blog Café Whispers Feeding the Chooks firstblogonthemoon Official LNP NQ blog Only the Depth Varies Pollytics Poll Bludger Readfearn The Failed Estate The Monthly The Stump The Political Sword Media: ABC NQ Magnetic Times Townsville Bulletin Townsville News Online Archives
September 2014
Categories
All
|