By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:03 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says he is opposed to means-testing the baby bonus and family benefits, but he will not block the Government's plans.
The Coalition will use its Senate majority to block Labor's tax hike on pre-mixed drinks and changes to the Medicare surcharge.
There has been some confusion over the Opposition's stance on denying wealthy families the baby bonus and Family Tax Benefit B.
Brendan Nelson has told Macquarie Radio he does not agree with the measures, but he will not vote against them.
"As a matter of policy, we don't support means tests on these things," he said.
"We're not going to block those measures but nonetheless we don't support them.
"We believed that the Family Tax Benefit B was to recognise mothers who stay at home to raise children."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/16/2246 675.htm |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:05 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
"As a matter of policy, we don't support means tests on these things," he said.
"We're not going to block those measures but nonetheless we don't support them."
HUH?? So when is a policy not a policy? |
|
By: andreihicks
16/05/2008
1:07 pm Yahoo! Profile:
andreihicks Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
| Give Rudd enough rope.... |
|
By: aaronzig
16/05/2008
1:13 pm Yahoo! Profile:
aaronzig Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Why is Nelson happy to block certain changes that he doesnt agree with, but wont block ALL the changes he doesnt agree with?
One would think that it would make sense to try and block ALL the changes that you think are bad for the country. Not just SOME of them.
And, is it just me, or does anyone see a coincidence in the fact that he wont vote against the baby bonus changes - which are popular with the electorate - but is more than happy to vote against the changes that the electorate doesnt like?
Obviously, all he's doing is trying to use this issue to bolster support for himself with the public, rather than doing what he sees as good for the country. Nice. |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:17 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Nothing to do with enough rope.
Nelson is expousing unrealistic policies which would be canned as soon as they took office.
At the same time he's trying to have a foot in both camps on issues which he sees as being popular with the electorate, but which might hurt his wealthy powerbase.
Thank Christ he's only the night-watchman. |
|
By: andreihicks
16/05/2008
1:24 pm Yahoo! Profile:
andreihicks Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Since when were the baby bonus changes popular with the electorate?
None of my friends agree with it and nobody any of the offices near me think its good either.
So much for popular! |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:25 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Mr Rudd said Dr Nelson had admitted to putting together his budget reply without costing the coalition's proposals.
"This is an essential requirement for national political leadership," Mr Rudd said.
"If you are putting together a budget you've got to cost it - you can't just hope one day that it might all add up."
Mr Rudd said the overall impact of the government's tax changes, education refund, childcare rebate and benefits for pensioners and carers totalled around $46 billion.
"These are all significant additions to the family budget, therefore we believe that's the responsible way to go," he said.
"What Dr Nelson has done instead is say: `I'm about to, on behalf of the Liberal Party, trash the Liberal Party's economic credibility by raiding the surplus to the tune of $22 billion, all in the cause of economic populism'."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/080515/2/16vmf.html |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:27 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
So much for popular?
The majority of voters want the baby bonus and other family payments withdrawn from higher-income earners and would forego tax cuts to avoid another interest rate rise, a new poll reveals.
The poll findings come one day before the Rudd government will release its first federal budget.
The Newspoll, conducted for The Australian, found 65 per cent of voters want the baby bonus means tested and 64 per cent felt the same way about the benefit paid to stay-at-home mothers regardless of household income.
The baby bonus is worth $4,258 and will rise to $5,000 on July 1.
Most voters polled want the means tests to kick in at household incomes between $70,000 and $100,000, which are lower than what the Labor government has been publicly prepared to argue for.
About 66 per cent were in favour of tax cuts but that figure plummeted to 36 per cent when voters were asked if they still supported tax cuts if they could lead to another interest rate rise.
http://news.theage.com.au/national/voters-want-bab y-bonus-means-tested-20080512-2d52.html |
|
By: andreihicks
16/05/2008
1:28 pm Yahoo! Profile:
andreihicks Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Nobody that I know thinks it is a good idea.
In fact everybody I know thinks Wayne Swan is laughable. |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:34 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Nobody that I know thinks it is a good idea.
------------------------- ------------------------- ----------
Oh. Well that seals it then. Newspoll and every other polling co are wrong and you're right. |
|
By: peterjpearson01
16/05/2008
1:36 pm Yahoo! Profile:
peterjpearson01 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
"None of my friends agree with it and nobody any of the offices near me think its good either."...andre....
-------------
Correct me if I'm wrong, andre.
Couldn't help but notice the latter part of this sentence.
"...and nobody any of the offices near me..."
Why are you wasting your employers time by being on these boards all day??? |
|
By: andreihicks
16/05/2008
1:39 pm Yahoo! Profile:
andreihicks Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
My employers are based in the United States, I work to deadlines not 9am - 5pm.
My workload would make a lot of these lower income people burst into tears.
However I work beyond 5pm whilst your everyday person who will still get this baby bonus clears off 10 to 5pm |
|
By: aaronzig
16/05/2008
1:40 pm Yahoo! Profile:
aaronzig Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
Nobody that I know thinks it is a good idea.
In fact everybody I know thinks Wayne Swan is laughable.
-andreihicks
Yes, but, as difficult as this maybe to believe: The circles in which you move are perhaps, not quite representative of the entire Australian population. |
|
By: aaronzig
16/05/2008
1:44 pm Yahoo! Profile:
aaronzig Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
My employers are based in the United States, I work to deadlines not 9am - 5pm.
My workload would make a lot of these lower income people burst into tears.
However I work beyond 5pm whilst your everyday person who will still get this baby bonus clears off 10 to 5pm
-andreihicks
Truly, a prince among men. |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
1:46 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
| So stop going around the other offices annoying them with your baby bonus survey already! |
|
By: peterjpearson01
16/05/2008
1:50 pm Yahoo! Profile:
peterjpearson01 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
"My employers are based in the United States,..."...andre...
--------------
I see.....
What the eye does not see, keeps the employee in a job.
I have no doubt that you are remunerated well for your long hours. |
|
By: peterjpearson01
16/05/2008
1:52 pm Yahoo! Profile:
peterjpearson01 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
I think we've found ourselves another slr, here.
LOL |
|
By: denrose9
16/05/2008
2:50 pm Yahoo! Profile:
denrose9 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
| I think all welfare should be means tested but on a sliding scale. So those at the bottom receive full benefit and it gradually reduces as you get more income. To put a difinitive figure on it will always be open to bias, ridicule and constant carping like we have on these posts. Many families have two incomes and that would be part of the sliding scale but when the wife has the baby or single mum she loses her/their income which brings them down the sliding scale and any with half a brain can see that. In this day and age with highly effective computer experts and programmes it would not be hard to do. |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
2:51 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
| Yep, I could go with that Denrose. |
|
By: larkhill50
16/05/2008
5:19 pm Yahoo! Profile:
larkhill50 Did this message offend you?
Sign in to report abuse |
Reply to this message |
PETER COSTELLO may have been the longest-serving treasurer in Australia's history, but when he tried to give the Liberal Party some advice on this week's budget, it seems nobody listened.
From his experience of compiling a dozen budgets, Costello had a very good idea of the likely size and shape of the budget that the Rudd Government delivered on Tuesday.
"There's no chance there will be massive spending cuts in this budget," the former treasurer told this correspondent two weeks ago in a conversation he agreed yesterday to put on the record.
Yet, at the same time, his colleague, Malcolm Turnbull, the shadow treasurer, was warning that the Rudd Government was planning massive spending cuts.
Costello was right. Total net spending in the first Rudd budget is up by about 4.5 per cent or, after adjusting for inflation, by 1.1 per cent.
Costello and Turnbull spoke at length, by phone, in the same week, and we can reasonably assume that the Liberals' former first economic officer gave the benefit of his advice to the current one.
If Turnbull and his leader, Brendan Nelson, had heeded Costello's advice, they would not have needed to execute high-speed backflips when the budget was tabled on Tuesday night.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/message-for-tu rnbull/2008/05/14/1210444530165.html |
|
By: johnenochpowell
18/05/2008
12:58 am |
Message deleted. Reason: Breach of terms of service |
|
By: johnenochpowell
18/05/2008
2:06 am |
Message deleted. Reason: Breach of terms of service |
|
