[Decky]

If they can't afford to look after their children why did they have them?

[GandalfTheGrey]

wow great contribution there Decky

[Rejn]

You're unlikely to need to apply for a birth certificate several times a week - which is what many families need to do with GP visits.

Consider a family with 4 kids, all getting sick at the same time, and likely have to make several visits to the GP - just for that one bout of illness. How many times will that happen during the year? Suddenly that $6 fee per visit per family member becomes an enormous financial burden for a low income family.

I'm willing to bet that children will be exempt from the copayment.

[Swagman]

The budget deficit was produced by sub-prime mortgage cheats in the USA, driving down our tax revenues. Not the fault
of the Australian Labor Party's fault

It is when they didn't budget reduced expenditure to match the reduced revenue and introduced enterprise retarding taxes whilst spending like drunken sailors.

You're unlikely to need to apply for a birth certificate several times a week - which is what many families need to do with GP visits.

Consider a family with 4 kids, all getting sick at the same time, and likely have to make several visits to the GP - just for that one bout of illness. How many times will that happen during the year? Suddenly that $6 fee per visit per family member becomes an enormous financial burden for a low income family.

I believe it's to be capped at 12 per year so do the math. $72. Less than the cost of 1 x birth cert....

[GandalfTheGrey]

not quite swag - thats $72 cap per patient. Meaning a family of say 6 - and its 72 x 6 (presuming children are not exempt)

[Swagman]

not quite swag - thats $72 cap per patient. Meaning a family of say 6 - and its 72 x 6 (presuming children are not exempt)

Apparently the proposal is that families get the first 12 visits free and pensioners and concession card holders are exempt. Source

A family of 6 would get a schitt load of FTB and would in a lot of cases be tax neutral or even tax negative as well unless their household income was too much and then they can afford it anyway.

Why should it be totally free? Bizzare

[redcarpet]

To ensure a budget deficit would logically have required massive tax increases and massive indiscriminate funding cuts. That's what governments did during the Great Depression. But it didn't end it, just prolong it. Nor were they obliged to try. It was a choice, and their choice had majority population support, no doubt. Increasing taxes in difficult economic times, growing inequality and reduced private profits, ah.....that's almost insane. You'd only make things worse. Just as indiscriminate cuts in public spending, as opposed to only ending waste or the occasional corrupt/bad contract being terminated.

[at946]

I doubt I'll live long enough but wouldn't it be refreshing to have the incoming government say of the previous government " They left us in a Great position ".
I think this lot before the Election had their own auditors to check the Treasury on the financial state of the Nation ,then bugger me they add $65 million to the forwards estimates and blame the last Government . Successive Governments have not taken advantage of the resources boom by courting the upper and middle classes by giving rebates for childbirth and unsustainable income tax cuts . Blind Freddie could have forecasted the situation we eventually would have been in even without the Global meltdown

[pugsville]

The Budget crisis such as it is is mainly about declining taxation revenues in the main causes by companies and individuals increasing taking advantages of various provision and loop holes in the taxation system and have over the recent period reduced the amount of tax paid. The economy had recovered from the recession by tax revenues have not recovered similarly.

The Abbot government has talked up the "crisis" both before taking power as a means of creating the image of incompenet labour Governments that is just an out of control meme in the public consciousness. It has massively exaggerated the budget position and actively increased the deficit to around double to create a situation to justify many measures that are not popular with the public but which they wish to do for ideological reasons. And directly contradicting many statements made by liberals in the election campaign.

The Rich have reduced their taxation payments. The public will receive less services from the government. It *IS* class warfare. The Vested interests have prepared the ground well. They know exactly what they are doing.

[Swagman]

I doubt I'll live long enough but wouldn't it be refreshing to have the incoming government say of the previous government " They left us in a Great position ".

Unless you are 6 years old you should have witnessed that Kevin Rudd's incoming Govt inherited a great position.

[GandalfTheGrey]

Kevin Rudd's incoming Govt inherited a great position

A monstrous lie.

Howard had the greatest boom our economy has ever had, and what did he do? Pissed it away on middle class welfare and used it as an opportunity to cynically create a permanent structural deficit that will haunt us for decades to come - all for short term gain (get elected). Every Norwegian today is a fucking millionaire because of the sovereign wealth fund the country set up during their resources boom.

[mum]

Why is everyone pretending that there is some sort of significant difference between any PM we have ever had in recent history ?
They are all the same, always will be.

[pugsville]

Of course there are differences. The Tactics and Corruption are much the same with both Labour and Liberal.
Though the Labour Party and the Liberal Party have come closer in general policies. The Liberals are now the Party of Change, Labour now the Party of Status Quo.

This Government has lied much more extensively on the campaign trail than any other Government we've had (though the trend is increasing, so the latest Government might always been the most lyingest , but also because the Liberals are seeking more change they have more to lie about, the Labour status quo/small changes just has not got to obscure it's real agenda so much)

[mum]

You basically just agreed with me

[pugsville]

no this abbot government is creating new lows of honesty.



during election big sign, tony stands in front of.

no cuts to education.
no cuts to health
no changes to pensions
no cuts to sbs or abc

signed tony abbot.

and they still dont admit to breaking pre election commitments.

the degree and extent of basic honesty is missing from this government is a new low.

no surprises.... abbot is dishonest at level we have not seen in politics in this country.

[Rejn]

no cuts to education.
no cuts to health
no changes to pensions
no cuts to sbs or abc

signed tony abbot.

Can we have exact quotes for all of these pre-election (within say 90 days of the election so that it may be called an "election promise"), as well as examples of the above occurring post-election?

[pugsville]

http://loonpond.blogspot.com.au/2014/04 ... 3IqmqJA3VE

massive big sign , abbot selected the quotes , his signature.

or the video
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013 ... sbs-abbott
.

[GandalfTheGrey]

Looks like someone just superimposed that text over the original pugs.

The original is about legislating to scrap the carbon tax:

http://images.smh.com.au/2013/06/22/451 ... 20x349.jpg

[pugsville]

hmm i dont think 9i sw picture before the election but it my hve been photoshoped then) but donest matter see video. he said it repeatedly during the campaign. it was his chosen soundbyte. the abc, sbs, smh and the age ,all carry reports on this statement. he clerly said these things.

[unbalanced zealot]

Howard had the greatest boom our economy has ever had, and what did he do? Pissed it away on middle class welfare and used it as an opportunity to cynically create a permanent structural deficit that will haunt us for decades to come - all for short term gain (get elected). Every Norwegian today is a fucking millionaire because of the sovereign wealth fund the country set up during their resources boom.

This reads like the truth.

What we have from Howard's boom economy era are some of the highest residential property prices in the world.