That non-existent Morgan poll discussed in the previous post has now shown its face four days behind schedule. The phone survey of an unusually small sample of 618 respondents supports last week’s Newspoll finding that some of the gloss has come off Labor’s lead, which is at 47 per cent to 37 per cent on the primary vote and 58-42 on two-party preferred. This is down from 62-38 at the Morgan face-to-face poll published the previous Friday and 62.5-37.5 at the previous phone poll from mid-April, and is on both measures Labor’s weakest result since the election.
In other news, News Limited reports that Alexander Downer is “expected to quit Parliament within days”, having “delayed his departure until after Treasurer Wayne Swan tonight outlines Labor’s first Budget in 12 years, so as to avoid distracting from the Coalition’s response to it”. This of course will mean a by-election for his South Australian seat of Mayo.
Can someone please explain why anyone in there right mind would take out private health insurance (except for tax penalties) ?
How many people with private health insurance deny that they have insurance when they attend a public hospital emergency dept?
$3 billion a year in subsidies for the private health system? Crud. 🙁
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There was a good chinwag on the health insurance at Larvatus a couple of days ago.
I agree. It’s actually lost me some financial penalties over the years to not sign up. I’d rather have my number not counted in the private column under the current system – they don’t deserve it and the last government didn’t need any more statistical ammunition.
On Medicare, I think it a rather clever way of forcing the Heath Funds off life support. On a neglected issue, the Medicare Safety Net, still in favour of the rich. My friend who spends a vast amount on prescriptions cannot even reach the ceiling, unlike those in Turnbull’s electorate, who can
On pensioners, it would have been good to see them chucked an immediate boost to compensate for the loss of real income. That would not have hurt.
On singles, a little chat on ABC Radio this morning about how long can the Government employ working families as a slogan, when singles constitute a safely ignored but highly proportionate segment of the population. Giving by singles has always been considered a fine thing, you know, helping out, but where does it end? Especially when we, that is I, are giving personally, anyway.
That probably ties in to the singles moving into pensioner age. The question was asked, and it something I have considered, if I had the energy, when may a Singles Party emerge. Vera, acknowledged about maybe the Carers Alliance, but it works, doesn’t it? Especially when the Opposition jumps on board.
On Work for the Dole, breaching etc. Especially in regard to the effect on causing homelessness. Or exacerbating an existing plight. Applies to Austudy, age of dependency, 25 years indeed! This needed and does need a very quick fix, along with Centrelink rules and by now ingrained attitude towards their ‘customers.’ Sorry, dears, but Centrelink employees are our servants. Public servants. A good start would have at least provided seating arrangements instead of standing queues.
Is there any reason why the Government, once it assesses the Budget impact, should not deliver a mini Budget? Correcting anomalies in light of say, inflationary pressures.
On Quokkas, cannot resist. The Member for Vasse Deferens.
Western Australian Liberals definitely need a member for Vasse – ectomy
Let’s not make any bones about it, the three investment funds for infrastructure, education and health are great initiatives that will build Australia’s productive capacity for the future. Compare this with the 11 years of failing to invest and mismanagement of the Howard government.
Swan has been so impressive over the last two days. It was Costello who was the luckiest treasurer of all time. Tip was given a budget surplus after being in the job for 5 weeks and then wasted billions – riding on the back of Australia’s economic growth over 11 years.
Sky News reports that Malcolm Turnbull (aka “Albull” to his many friends on this site) is to deliver the Opposition’s Right of Reply.
[Sky News reports that Malcolm Turnbull (aka “Albull” to his many friends on this site) is to deliver the Opposition’s Right of Reply.]
WHAT!? That would mean the end of Nelson’s leadership.
Allbull is the only arseclown with enough ego to get up and spout the crap he’s been on about this week. He’s fighting for the less educated and rusted ons, in spite of the intelligent; hardly a way to spruik for donations from the top end of town in the current environment. He’s either raving lunatic or has the ego of Gordon Gekko at this point.
Crikey
I noticed yesterday in question time that Lindsey Tanner had dropped the “working families” and was saying working people. Don’t know if the rest will follow suit any time soon though.
Toomany balls is to deliver the Budget reply? Gawd almighty. They’re totally screwed. No understanding at all. Flying by seat of pants on fire. Buggered, both with and without quokkas.
You know if people did not listen to Mitchell he would not be on radio.
Stop listening to the dill.
The damage being done to the economy Charles is not by the Unions it is done by big business people who speculate their brains out and continually buy imports from overseas, union bashing is a typical business line, workers cannot have a payrise but ceos’ can and a massive one at that.
Swanny is making Cock&Bull look the complete arse that he is
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/swan-outflanks-turnbull/2008/05/14/1210444517954.html
yee hah – Jules is taking on Simple Tony.
He must have got a discount on blame at the local factory outlook and he’s trying to pass if off on another simpleton.
Bzzzzt – she’s more than a bit smarter than you Tony.
Direct quote: “Tony, you’re trying to create a world that doesn’t exist in reality…”
It’s a neat lesson, but I doubt Tony will be able to add it up. I’d love to see a 6 year old chess champ have a crack at him and smear him all over the table.
that’d be factory OUTLET (dill)
The media in this country are a joke, and put simply is Conroy going to do anything about them and their bias coverage… No he is busy trieing to find a brain.
Turnbull and Nelson are at complete odds and are making a mess of it but little coverage.
This budget to me was unimpressive and to say the rich are being hit is like hitting a elephant with a feather.
The budget does nothing about climate change, our rapidly expending foreign debt, housing affordablity and in the long run inflation will continue to increase and so will interest rates. A visionless waste all about getting back in government and doing what the libs do hold back on spending until the final year and do so in marginal seats. Put simply it is about looking after themselves.
Any of the summit ideas in the budget?
Rudd should not try to be too careful. Respect is earned by those who enter a fight, fight well, even if they lose it. Rudd needs to get into some scuffles and soldier on do some unpopular things and stick by his guns.
Tony’s job in the face of someone like Julia is very challenging. Maybe the loss of Maxine has put undue pressure on the little TV journalistic talent or decisive questioning permitted to the ABC.
Tony is hardly a dope, and has always done great questioning, but don’t forget, he remains under the pressure of management and the Board…and I typed this just before Julia said whatever she said about ABC pressure (good) … intimations, perhaps.
Great to see Julia out there again, responding in her intelligent, reasoned and articulate way to the questions. Particularly on the Health cover issue.
PS. Her hair looked great. As did she. As did and does Maxine.
Loved it on the 7.30 Report when Turnbull acused Swan of running a pork-barrelling racket with the Budget.
Is this the same person who gave $12,000,000 to a personal campaign contributor during the caretaker period for a gizmotron that supposedly produces rain out of thin air?
Talk about a Turnbull in a China shop.
Sadly, Kerry did not point out the ridiculousness of the Turnbull pot calling the Swan kettle black.The Budget coverage (what I have seen of it) has been diabolical. From Turnbull’s Fantasyland to Chris Uhlmann alleging that – after being given billions of dollars worth of free laptops – some parents may have to fork out a few pennies out of their own pockets to hook them up.
The sheer bloody-mindedness of it all is truly exasperating.
And did I read about that Sarah Murdoch was weighing in on the Baby bonus?
Fer Chrissake! Enough already!
The wealthy are getting big tax cuts and a nice child care rebate plus private health rebates, and private school help and can still get their negative gearing rebates and can narrow their tax base through superannuation and they are whining… pathetic.. pathetic that a government has not the guts to rip into them.
Sure, and you are correct, Bushfire Bill, as to Kerry’s failure to pounce. Rain making, sheesh! The favours, the bill, the squandering!
Now, Uhlmann on the other hand, is a product of the management under Howard; not the faintest idea. The very thing the Board hopes to attain. (Can’t even mention Sarah Murdoch, for what the?)
Kerry, I believe, has not been subdued to idiomation merely because he plays golf, with whomever, though that is a possibility. Reckon again the major player is the Board.
My son alerted me to this – http://www.thoughtzone.net/the-king-is-dead/ – enjoy
Yes indeed, Possum has summed up the situation nicely yet again, domestic bliss must indeed be reigning in your household Poss:
“Undoubtedly there will be some of those in the future – the not quite so root and branch tax review springs to mind, but there’s a whole lot more going on in this budget below the headlines and the PR management. We might all need to start thinking in more complex ways on how government initiatives interact with one another if we are to get to the bottom of the broader sweep of government policy direction – because Kevin Rudd and his government certainly are.”
The more I see of this Rudd Govt the more I am impressed by their strategic view, it is like a cosmic chess game. He has left the so-called opposition and their media scrum floundering and looking increasingly ridiculous by the day. We have Turnbull and Horatio issuing contradictory statements regarding means testing, taking different views on inflation etc depending on the day of the week. Don’t they realise that they are just SO IRRELEVANT! Do they really think Joe Public cares that the rich can no longer get a brat breeder bonus?
Speaking of oppositions, have they appointed a shadow minister for Quokkas yet? Might be fertile ground there.
The Qld Libs state council are meeting tonight.
“Opponents hoped to scuttle the merger at the Liberals convention on May 30 before a vote by rank-and-file members on a final proposal could go ahead.
They also wanted to dump Mr Spence in favour of former federal MP Mal Brough.
However, merger supporters will tonight attempt to prevent this at a meeting of the powerful state council by delaying the convention until after the plebiscite of members.
Liberal leader Mark McArdle and deputy Tim Nicholls yesterday wrote to members saying because of the costs they would support the general convention being held at the same time as a constitutional convention scheduled for July 26-27.
The move would ensure members voted on the merger and would delay the election of the party president.”
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23698877-3102,00.html
Our ABC (or should that be the Liberals’ ABC) is putting in the extra effort to discredit the Budget.
Two threads devoted to the topic on the Unleashed blog, both disparaging:
Budget won’t ease interest rates
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2244277.htm
Budget tug of war
[David Barnett says Wayne Swan’s first budget was stuffed with spin.]
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2244116.htm
Nelson has reversed Howard’s thinking on Queensland merger. Now it will not need Federal approval.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23700860-5006786,00.html
Now woudn’t it be funny if in 12 months rates and inflation came down.
We shouldn’t forget there will be another budget next year that will join a few more dots.
RX
Yep, it’s THEIR ABC (not our anymore)
Just saw the midday news which started off saying there was going to be a $3bil hole in the budget because their wonderful opposition would block the bad alco pop tax. Then we heard 10 second grabs from 4 Libs, one after the other bagging the budget, then Feilding with his mini trolley of groceries ( he seems OK though, comedy relief at least) and Bob Brown complaining about the enviroment. Next we cut to Nelson ranting about hidden taxes, then another 3 Llibs saying what a wonerful job Brenda would do with his reply and how his leadership was safe.
The only Government person to get to have a say was the assistant treasurer who said Nelson had to say how he woulds fight inflation.
Not what you’d call balanced reporting, Coalition 8, ALP 1, Greens 1 and Independants 1.
Feck! I want my 8 cents a day back, come on Kev that can be your next cut, why should I be forced to contribute to the Coalition slush/advertising fund?
Gee, the share market hated the budget – NOT.
My guess is that most people are already past the budget and getting on with life.
Good to see that Labor are going for the jugular on the Liberals stupid sugestion to oppose the budget cuts. The assistant treasurer has just said that the budget reply speech will be a test of the opposition’s inflation fighting credibility:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/15/2245536.htm?section=justin
He is right, and I hope they pursue this line vigorously. It really buries the myth of Howard’s economic management credibility (not that he ever had any for those of us who remember his time as treasurer under Fraser). Politically, it will surely damage the coalition in any by-elections in seats with mortgage holders. It will show that, even after losing the election, and the risk of recession growing in the United States, the Liberals still have no intention of doing anything to control interest rates.
Vera (#179) I have seen so many ad pointers on ABC-TV for the Opposition’s Budget Reply that it has been just ridiculous. What with the slanting of the reporting, and copious publicity for the Liberals, it does indeed look like that party owns the ABC. As you say, it looks like their ABC.
I thought free-market types eschew public broadcasting?
In QT today we had the Torago Tax – some poor family complaining about the fact that they need a Torago because they have 6 kids.
Nice try – but only one model would attract the tax, the Ultima that costs $72,490 shot themselves in the foot again.
http://www.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/RangePage/0,5141,3925_902,00.html
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How much extra will it cost? Is the tax applied flat?
ie $72,500/1.25 x 1.33 = $77,140?
This is a link to some old and new prices.
http://carsguide.news.com.au/site/motoring-news/story/car_tax_how_much_will_you_pay/
May maths may be a bit wonky but I think the increase would be about $1080. Multiply the old price by 0.014901935316274840888427068450448 seems to work. 😛
So seriously piss bugger all – less than the price of “dealer delivery”, 1.5%, and the realm of bargaining, or less than the average weekly wage.
Back to the alcopops I say.
[Back to the alcopops I say.]
Speaking of which.
[Opposition’s health spokesman Joe Hockey took pink champagne and a pre-mixed drink into Federal Parliament today to attack the Government’s tax.
Mr Hockey told Question Time the champagne and alcopop cost the same amount of money but are taxed differently.
“I say to you, Prime Minister, isn’t your alcopop tax just a tax grab?” he asked.
“It does nothing about binge drinking given that the major competitor to an alcopop is taxed at half the rate, half the rate and has twice the amount of alcohol.
“It just shows this is a tax-grabbing con.”
But the Prime Minister has told Federal Parliament, the tax increase has wide support from medical and alcohol support services.
“Those opposite, I am sad to say, now pit themselves against the respected public health authority and the repeated concern of police commissioners and others across the country, to act in this area of critical need,” he said.]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/15/2246137.htm?section=justin
Fools.
The government should have raised the tax on cigarettes to bait the Liberals into opposing that!
Wilson Tuckey tried to make a point of order during QT today saying that the “Tax loophole” on pre-mixed drinks was something to do with wine based drinks.
So it looks like the alcohol lobby got their way when the GST was introduced and wine producers got favourable treatment.
The answer in simple – tax alcohol by volume. It does not matter if it is beer, wine, spirits. Tax it all the same.
Jovial Monk may see an increase in sales of home brew stuff. 🙂
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what’s the bet that that nice little prop Hockey is holding (and its 5 mates) are now empty?
Hockey does not belong in the health portfolio.
Hmm, so Half Nelson is going to concentrate on Taragos, Seniors, Small Business and Bacardi Cruisers 🙂
[BRENDAN Nelson’s budget-in-reply speech tonight will focus on relieving cost of living pressures for seniors and help small business.
Coalition sources have confirmed the Liberal leader will unveil new measures to help senior Australians, not simply pensioners, to cope with the rise in petrol and grocery costs.
Accusing the Rudd Government of misleading voters that it would fight to keep price rises to petrol, groceries and mortgages in check, the Coalition will also confirm their plans to block a $3 billion tax hike on alcopops.
Many seniors are on fixed incomes or on tight budgets as self-funded retirees dealing with the impact of rising inflation.
Dr Nelson will also unveil greater support for small business operators, who were hit in the budget with the abolition of the Commercial Ready program, which provided assistance to start-ups and supported entrepreneurs.
The Coalition, which retains control of the Senate until July, is also expected to limit a new tax hike on luxury cars.
The budget-in-reply speech is looming as a key test for the Liberal leader, who has endured record low Newspoll figures as preferred prime minister. ]
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23703758-601,00.html#
Sam Maiden is wrong (as usual) “In Parliament, the Opposition moved to censure Mr Swan today over his first budget ”
It was not a censure motion – it was a motion to suspend standing orders. Sheesh, surely we should expect journalists to know the difference.
ahhhhh yesssss
The news channels have got footage of Emo man (Nelson – thanks Mark B.) lecturing the house on the dangers of alcopops way back in 1996, and with hair containing even more self raising flour than the present.
areseclowns
I term thee Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest (Nelson, Turnbull, Hockey).
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Which channels was this shown on. Not on 7 in Adelaide.
[ahhhhh yesssss
The news channels have got footage of Emo man (Nelson – thanks Mark B.) lecturing the house on the dangers of alcopops way back in 1996, and with hair containing even more self raising flour than the present.]
Just saw it on Ten News, Paul Bongiorno wasn’t very kind on Nelson 🙂
Anyone remember last years budget in reply by Kev – god I thought all the gov (libs) benches had been imbibing alcopops – they were pissed as farts with all their yelling and burping
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SBS national
ABC local, though it was Toolman, so probably got picked up Nationally.
Apparently (AGAIN) no-one in the Liberal party has learnt to use Google yet.
According to wikipaedia they’re quite controversial in most markets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcopop
Choice magazine (yeah – that high taxing left magazine…) has some choice things to say:
http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=106195&catId=100514&tid=100008&p=1&title=Alcopops
The alcohol industry is reasonably open about who they’re targeting:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/alcopops-lure-young-drinkers/2007/08/05/1186252546948.html
and the cops think it’ll have an effect:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/28/2228825.htm
It’s hardly the sort of issue that’s going to split the country in half.
I still reckon Possum’s hypothesis is on the money. Kevin is playing chess rather well and the drongos that pass for an opposition and many of those who claim to be journos in the MSM are playing snakes and ladders. And if they think their respective performances are going to have any real effect on the next election, they are still underestimating Mr. Rudd and co.. The so-called news reporting component of the ABC is an absolute joke, and I’ve temporarily given up complaining. Never got a response. There’s surely got to be a way of doing some citizen generated pressuring for them to lift their game?