Australian Politics thread [merged]

[tiger101]

Gillard already playing politics on the NDIS by using it as a political campaign for her election.

TONY Abbott has challenged Julia Gillard to legislate her national disability insurance scheme before this year's election, after the Prime Minister declared she would go to the poll arguing for a 0.5 per cent income tax hike to help pay for the scheme.

He said he wanted to see an NDIS legislated in this parliament, and if the government came up with a “responsibly-funded” proposal, he would vote for it.

“My hope, and I'm sure the hope of the millions of Australians who want to see a national disability insurance scheme introduced as soon as possible, is that the Prime Minister will put the legislation into this parliament,” Mr Abbott.

“If she thinks she knows what she wants, let's get the legislation in the parliament and I am very happy to deal with it in the four weeks after the budget.”

The challenge is a clear attempt to draw out the Prime Minister on exactly how she will fund the full NDIS, which Mr Abbott is committed to introducing if he wins the election.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/treasury/julia-gillard-plans-to-put-ndis-funding-plan-to-voters-but-tony-abbott-says-lets-do-it-now/story-fn59nsif-1226633101967

Would say going by that article so is Tony Abbott

How will Tony & Joe fund it? Oh thats right by abolishing the income tax cuts for low income earners that canme in last July 

Windsor, Oakeshott and The Green's have already voiced support for the levy so it will pass but yet Gillard hold of and play the NDIS card for her election campaign instead of at least getting part of the funding legislation passed. The income tax changes was due to the carbon tax which revenue is unsustainable once it links up to the EU. This government has crewed the budget for the next decade real cuts and tax bracket changes are going to be needed to get the budget back in shape.

[WilliamPowell]

. The income tax changes was due to the carbon tax which revenue is unsustainable once it links up to the EU. This government has crewed the budget for the next decade real cuts and tax bracket changes are going to be needed to get the budget back in shape.

Know why the tax cuts were bought in

But the reality is they are part of people's lives now, you don't take it away. Folks ( you know those low income earners that all the pollies say they care about) need them.

Do you honestly think that if Tone repeals the carbon tax that it's going to make one shred of difference to electricity prices? Answer is Nope

Cut back some of our over the top unneccesary middle class welfare and thats will get the budget back into shape 

[1965]

Cut back some of our over the top unneccesary middle class welfare and thats will get the budget back into shape 

WP, you keep talking about middle class welfare.

Can you give us some of examples of where you would cut?

 

[Rampstar]

I dont know what WP would do, I think the measures require a more broader view for me:

Government should stop negative gearing on Property
Government should cut 50% from the International Aid Budget
Government should increase company tax to 35% and ditch the Resources Rent Tax and the Carbon Tax
Government should increase the GST to 15% and put it on everything
Government should lower the income tax threshold levels so more people pay more
Government should increase Medicare Levy to 3%
Federal Government should try and get rid of State Governments and State Bureaucracies leaving on Federal & Local Governments to run the show.
The only people of Disability Support Pensions should be people who were born with serious Disabilities everyone else should be on the dole.
Everyone should only have the ability to have up to 3 years in total on the dole during your working life. When you go over the 3 years (you are indeed a BLUDGER) then your payments should be cut by 50%
Only People with serious illness should get access to PBS Medications. Things like Blood Pressure tablets etc. people should be made to pay for in full.
And a myriad of other stuff that can be done to fix the mess the ALP have put the country in.

 

[Crazy_Ivan]

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

[tiger101]

. The income tax changes was due to the carbon tax which revenue is unsustainable once it links up to the EU. This government has crewed the budget for the next decade real cuts and tax bracket changes are going to be needed to get the budget back in shape.

Know why the tax cuts were bought in

But the reality is they are part of people's lives now, you don't take it away.

You can say the same argument over welfare payments being part of peoples lives. Tax brackets and welfare payments will both need to be addressed because the carbon tax and the compensation which went along with it which includes tax cuts have put the budget in a unsustainable position due to the price/revenue going to fall once its linked in with the EU.

[Gigantor]

Phew, glad some of the people on here aren't running the country...

[WilliamPowell]

Cut back some of our over the top unneccesary middle class welfare and thats will get the budget back into shape 

WP, you keep talking about middle class welfare.

Can you give us some of examples of where you would cut?

 

Obviously firstly I get rid of the baby bonus.

I would then look at every single govt hand out that is currentlyy available and evaluate what is neccesary and what isn't.

Obviously I wouldn't touch the Age pension, I'd increase it to be equal to the weekly minimum wage.

I wouldn't touch disability pension either. Can't agree with Ramps' suggestion that only those born with a disability should get a disability pension. What about those who become physically disabled after and accident? They deserve better than the dole

I would means for test evey single benefit, rebate.  Only allowing those on very low incomes assistance. Giving family benefits to people earning over say $100k is a joke IMO

I'd up the pressure on working for the dole. One the best things ever introduced is working fo the dole

In essence what I am saying is welfare should only be for those need it not those who don't. Sick to death of people sooking about how tough things are on the family budget but you see the very same sooks lining up to feed their famiy at Maccas or KFC

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

 

[DCrane]

There are far too many people on the Disability Pension. Are there really 825,000 people in this country that cannot contribute in society in paid employment. This represents around 8-10% of the adult working population. The bill, which runs into the tens of billions, is very high.
I would agree with a clampdown on the Disability Pension, and the Sole Parent Pension, and any other pension IF, and it is a big IF, there was a suitable plan in place to assist these people. By that I mean education and jobs. But what is really happening in Australia?
-The TAFE sector has been torn to shreds. Labour market programs are being wound back.
-Universities are being stripped of hundreds of millions
-More layoffs in the car industry
-The child care sector is literally in decay
-More public service cutbacks
-You can't even get a job as a farmhand in Shepparton this season- the farmers are ripping out all of their trees
How are pensioners supposed to get back into employment under those circumstances?


 

[1965]

Back in the old days those with disabilities would be taken out into the snow and left there to die.

Nowadays we are a rich just country who can afford to look after our sick and disabled.

It is part of what makes us a civilised society.

 

[WilliamPowell]

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

Credit to Tony Abbott for saying he will support the increase in the medicare levy to fund this crucial scheme. 

Don't agree with him putting other conditions on his support of it, but kudos for backing increase

let's get this thing done, put party politics aside and get it bloody well done

[mightytiges]

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

Credit to Tony Abbott for saying he will support the increase in the medicare levy to fund this crucial scheme. 

Don't agree with him putting other conditions on his support of it, but kudos for backing increase

let's get this thing done, put party politics aside and get it bloody well done

In typical Abbott fashion he says one thing and then to another audience he says something different. On 3aw before midday he said he wants to set up a committee to discuss the NDIS funding because the levy doesn't cover most of the cost of the NDIS but if there is a levy he'll support it but he'll scrap it when the budget is stronger. As if any Government will abolish this increase in the medicare levy in the future . Yep Tony, just what we need more of from Governments of any persuasion - another committee = more talking and more paper-pushing = delayed or no action  .

[WilliamPowell]

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

Credit to Tony Abbott for saying he will support the increase in the medicare levy to fund this crucial scheme. 

Don't agree with him putting other conditions on his support of it, but kudos for backing increase

let's get this thing done, put party politics aside and get it bloody well done

Looks like what the Age was reporting was incorrect and I have gone to early with my praise

 

Stop playing politics everyone and gets thing done FFS 

[tiger101]

The NDIS is the best thing any Govt has done in the past 20yrs.

Credit to Tony Abbott for saying he will support the increase in the medicare levy to fund this crucial scheme. 

Don't agree with him putting other conditions on his support of it, but kudos for backing increase

let's get this thing done, put party politics aside and get it bloody well done

Looks like what the Age was reporting was incorrect and I have gone to early with my praise

 

Stop playing politics everyone and gets thing done FFS 

If this doesn't happen before the election its all Gillard's fault. The independents and The Greens has voiced support for the levy so it can pass even without the liberals support in voting for it. She should put it up for a vote in parliament instead of playing wedge politics through the media.

[1965]

If this doesn't happen before the election its all Gillard's fault. The independents and The Greens has voiced support for the levy so it can pass even without the liberals support in voting for it. She should put it up for a vote in parliament instead of playing wedge politics through the media.

rubbish!

Getting Abbott to commit before the election is the only way of maximising the chance that he will keep it after the election.

It is not about politics it is about a policy that we need to do.