This week seemed to be all about the Budget and the Commission of Audit, which meant quite a bit of information, so if I miss something, I apologise.
So, the Commission of Audit (in 1000 pages) has made 80 recommendations, some of which are:
- Having people pay more for medication and seeing a GP and charging people for going to Emergency
- Getting more “well off” people to buy private health insurance
- A reduction in the minimum wage, if not getting rid of it
- A reduction in family tax benefits – cutting Family Tax Benefits A and B and replacing it with one benefit
- Forced relocation for young people on the unemployment benefits if they can’t find a job after 12 months
- Abbott’s Paid Parental Leave max payment should be $29,000 (half of what the Government is suggesting) and funnel what money is saved from that into childcare
- Higher retirement age (up to 70 by 2053) and making means testing tougher for those on the aged pension
If you have 10 minutes to spare, this ABC 7:30 story summarises the key points and has visuals as well.
I can understand that in the future, Australia is going to be spending a lot of money, as things get more expensive as we go along. So yes, being cautious when it comes to spending does have its benefits. However, while I may not study business, finance or economics, I do know that getting on the wrong side of the people means you get kicked out of government, and if the Coalition want to stay there, they need to be very careful when it comes to deciding what to cut or change in the budget. Especially these days when news programs can easily retrieve footage from the election campaign where you are saying “No new taxes,”.
It is also an issue when economists and business leaders pop up on the news and start telling people that Australia is not having an economic or budgetary crisis right now, despite what the government is saying. They do suggest that putting some preventative measures in place will be beneficial so there is not a crisis in the future. But when the people with degrees directly related to economics, finance and business say things like that, then one should be a little concerned about the governments motives.
We also saw Tony Abbott cancel – at the 11th hour – a diplomatic trip to Bali this week. The government’s official line is that Abbott is doing Budget related things, despite the fact he hasn’t appeared on the news in days, other than for a COAG photo-op. The ABC suggests it has something to do with “on-water operations” to do with Operation Sovereign Borders – essentially, the navy is most likely in the process of intercepting and turning a boat around and they don’t want to embarrass the Indonesian President. The real reason is still unclear, though, and the Opposition has been asking the government to “please explain,”.
Also this week, the decision was made to call off the aerial search for MH370 – it doesn’t mean they are stopping altogether, just that there is now almost no chance of seeing any wreckage from the air, so they may as well spend the money on the undersea search. It may take a long time to find the plane though, and the underwater search is going to be expensive.
The Palmer United Party has spread to the Northern Territory, where three former Country Liberal backbenchers have joined the party. There does seem to be some concern within the two major parties though, with Queensland Premier Campbell Newman suggesting that Clive Palmer may have paid them or in some way sweetened the deal for them, which Palmer denies.
And finally, Ian Ross, a newsreader and journalist for both Channel 7 and Channel 9 over a 50-year career, passed away this week after battling with pancreatic cancer.
Tweet of the Week
The Independent Commission Against Corruption in NSW has meant that several NSW State Ministers have had to quit.
https://twitter.com/JezNews/status/461364753927921665
Things I’ve Been Reading/Watching/Listening etc
How Important is a Promise in Politics? – ABC Radio National
Tony Abbott cancelling his Indonesia trip has made the news in Hong Kong – South China Morning Post
A browser plugin that switches Tony Abbott’s image for those of cute cats seems to have caused a stir in the PM’s office – SMH
Kara L 