Australian Politics thread [merged]

[1965]

I love my daily read of the Left Today with my first morning coffee.   

Do you think the taxpayers should be funding Tony's Sporting pursuits?

He certainly does. Most other Pollies are repaying their claims but not Tony.

 

[Smokey]

I'm pretty sure he did repay all of them except that one so to me that suggests he does believe that it was official business and in some way it's probably not a lot different to going to other local events such as fete's etc - they are all about engaging with the local community as he said.  Weddings on the other hand........

I'm not condoning it '65 but don't use it to say one side is better than the other - in this area both are as bad as each other.

[WilliamPowell]

How hard would it be to make all pollies apply for official travel, have it approved by a non-partisan Public Service authority under set guidelines and then receive a set allowance - meals, accommodation, fares etc, like they make every other Public Service Officer do.  It's just the same as their unique superannuation scheme - 2 sets of rules.  And this cuts across all parties, none of them are fair dinkum when it comes to travel entitlement claims, as history has shown time and time and time again.

All pigs are equal.............

Personally I reckon it's a great idea and perfect solution to the pollies clearly rorting the system

But I think both sides will want a parliamentary enquiry though, can't let common sense get in the way of all sides of politics wasting taxpayers money 

[1965]

I'm pretty sure he did repay all of them except that one so to me that suggests he does believe that it was official business and in some way it's probably not a lot different to going to other local events such as fete's etc - they are all about engaging with the local community as he said.  Weddings on the other hand........

I'm not condoning it '65 but don't use it to say one side is better than the other - in this area both are as bad as each other.

Wrong

From the Age

Abbott's claims
 
To compete in the Port Macquarie Ironman in 2011, Mr Abbott claimed $941 for flights and $349 for overnight accommodation for an event he described as ''official business''. Mr Abbott said the Ironman was a ''community event'' in a marginal seat and he did not travel ''simply for sporting events''.

The Prime Minister also claimed travel allowances to cycle in the Pollie Pedal charity fund-raiser each year, saying it was a ''serious act of community engagement'' rather than a ''frolic''. Labor backed the cause as worthwhile.

A Fairfax Media analysis shows Mr Abbott claimed more than $23,000 on trips associated with the 2012 Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge, the 2011 Bathurst V8 Supercar Race, the 2010 Melbourne Cup, the 2010 Boxing Day Test match at the MCG and the 2011 Birdsville Races

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/mps-trip-up-on-travel-claims-as-labors-attack-backfires-20131008-2v6ef.html#ixzz2hBFd901V

[1965]

and from the same article

How he can have taxpayers  fund his charity work escapes me.

[1965]

Fast becoming the worst government in history


Joe Hockey's L-plates are there for all to see
 
October 9, 2013 - 12:42PM

Michael Pascoe
 
Time for Joe Hockey to provide some balanced comments on the economy.

First the new Prime Minister gaffes big time over a free trade agreement with China with his “whatever we can get” kowtow. Now the new Treasurer is promoting old Australian growth figures from the International Monetary Fund as fresh bad news for the economy. The L plates are being worn large this spring.

Overnight the IMF got around to adopting the existing Reserve Bank and Treasury forecasts for Australian economic growth, which is what it routinely does. In cutting its forecast for Australia's 2013 GDP to 2.5 per cent, the IMF was catching up with what the RBA was saying five months ago in its May statement on monetary policy. Treasury took a little longer to revise its more optimistic budget night forecasts, but by the August monetary policy statement and Treasury economic statement, the numbers were all aligned and pretty much what the IMF produced two months later.

Treasurer Joe Hockey didn't treat it that way, issuing a statement to tell us the IMF had downgraded its expected growth rates for the Australian economy by 0.5 per cent. More bemusingly, the Treasurer said: "Worryingly, the IMF forecasts Australia's unemployment rate to rise from 5.6 per cent in 2013 to 6.0 per cent in 2014.”

It seems poor Joe has been in negative opposition mode for so long, he doesn't recognise possible good news when he sees it. That IMF unemployment forecast is an improvement on what the RBA and Treasury have been saying. The budget back in May guessed unemployment would be 6.25 per cent by June and the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook forecast it would stay there for another year.

Maybe Joe not only didn't believe treasury's figures, maybe he didn't read them.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/joe-hockeys-lplates-are-there-for-all-to-see-20131009-2v752.html#ixzz2hCA5eRIJ

[Smokey]

and from the same article

How he can have taxpayers  fund his charity work escapes me.

Probably the same way Rudd and Combet and Crean can have the taxpayer fund their attendance at Bob Hawke's birthday (including strippers) in 2009 or the same way Gillard can have the taxpayer fund a VIP jet to fly her to her Press Secretary's wedding in Byron Bay in 2012 or the same way Dreyfus can have taxpayer funding for a family skiing trip to Perisher in 2011 or Conroy can have taxpayer funding for his attendance at the 2012 Australian Open or Wayne Swan and his daughter can have taxpayer funding their attendance at the AFL and NRL Grand Finals in 2010 or Gillard can have taxpayer funding a trip to pose knitting for Women's Weekly in 2013 or Gillard's partner can have taxpayer funding for driving around the country in 2007 selling hair product.

And on Abbot's attendance at the Ironman event, he was actually invited there by the McGrath Foundation (whose shirt he wore while competing), he attended the annual dinner and fundraiser for the local hospital (as he has each year he has attended) and visited the local hospital on the evening prior.  I suppose it would have been more acceptable to you to had he attended a local strip show - that appears to the behaviour our previous fine custodians of the public purse deemed appropriate.

People in glass houses..................

[1965]

All good and fine but...

He, Tony, is saying he did nothing wrong.

Everybody else has paid the money back. Tony hasn't.

 

[Smokey]

No, not everybody else has paid it back at all.

That is quite irrelevant to my original point however - I said I didn't like it or agree with it, and I posted a solution that I believe is workable if either side of politics had the moral balls to propose it.  But where you are showing your inability to think outside the 'Left is right' square is by singularly highlighting the failure of Abbott when so many others on both sides have (innocently or otherwise) made claims that don't meet the guidelines.  Kinda makes it hard to reasonably consider your other posts on politics when you have an obvious mental block to the concept that Labor can do wrong because what I know from my time voting and following politics is that no side is right all the time - ever.

 

[1965]

No, not everybody else has paid it back at all.

That is quite irrelevant to my original point however - I said I didn't like it or agree with it, and I posted a solution that I believe is workable if either side of politics had the moral balls to propose it.  But where you are showing your inability to think outside the 'Left is right' square is by singularly highlighting the failure of Abbott when so many others on both sides have (innocently or otherwise) made claims that don't meet the guidelines.  Kinda makes it hard to reasonably consider your other posts on politics when you have an obvious mental block to the concept that Labor can do wrong because what I know from my time voting and following politics is that no side is right all the time - ever.

 

Once again...

I am not pro-Labor

Just anti the hopeless hack of a prime minister we have at the moment.

I would vote for the Libs under Turnbull in a flash.

Abbott is effing hopeless. Fancy telling the Chinese that we would accept any sort of free trade deal that we could get.

 

[1965]

Read if you want, if you don't want then stuff off.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-09/jericho-what-is-said-in-opposition-stays-in-opposition/5009086

[Chuck17]

I'll stuff off thanks

[1965]

Tony thinks he is beyond reproach.

Tony Abbott refuses to bend the rules on MPs' entitlements
 
October 11, 2013

Jonathan Swan, David Wroe
 
Tony Abbott is resisting demands from all sides of politics to rein in MPs' entitlements, with one of his colleagues saying taxpayer-funded weddings and sporting events failed the "pub test".

After repaying expenses that he claimed for attending  weddings and defending using the public purse to compete in an ironman event, Mr Abbott is under pressure to fix the system.

Clive Palmer, who could  hold the balance of power in the new Senate, said Mr Abbott needed to change the rules immediately. Labor, the Greens and the independent Senator Nick Xenophon all warned the Prime Minister not to ignore the need for reform.

Even a member of Mr Abbott’s party, Liberal MP Dennis Jensen, said the rules were too vague and needed to be clarified. Another Liberal colleague, Victorian MP Russell Broadbent, said he did not think attendance at weddings and sporting events passed the “pub test” for legitimate use of public funds.

Under the present  rules, federal MPs are entitled to taxpayer-funded travel anywhere in Australia for ''parliamentary, electorate or official business''.

Mr Abbott used the term ''official business'' to justify billing taxpayers $1300 to compete in the 2011 Port Macquarie Ironman.

Despite repeated requests, Mr Abbott's office has not provided details of any other community events or official business he conducted while in Port Macquarie other than competing in the triathlon.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-refuses-to-bend-the-rules-on-mps-entitlements-20131010-2vbm0.html#ixzz2hMMvW1jI

[Judge Roughneck]

kangaroo poo throwing senator muir

[Chuck17]

Tony is god