The ScoMo Government

[SirRumpole]

Yet with constantly increasing cost of living, there has to be enough of a payment to be able to survive, I have this discussion with my long term unemployed son all the time.
There isn't an easy answer, that is for sure.

The assumption seems to be that the majority of people on Newstart are young, healthy, single & childless and ready to start work at the drop of a hat anywhere in the country.

What we really need is more granular data and if we had it I think we would find a large proportion of Newstarters are older and/or have family responsibilities and for whom picking up and moving everything would be a substantial stress.

On another thread somewhere I quoted an article that said that 80% of jobs created in the last 12 months were in the public sector.

Maybe governments could show some compassion and give some of those jobs to people who really need them like older workers and those with families and let the young and single be catered for by the gig economy.

 

[chiff]

I was lucky enough to visit Norway recently Chiff, check out their tax system, I know you wouldn't be drinking on their welfare, 3 beers and a glass of red $90 Australian.
It will have to sorted one way or another, but no matter how much money you give people, unless they manage it well, they will be just as poor.
I suppose the question is what level should newstart be? The same as the age pension?
Or adequate to live comfortably? Without requiring to work?
If it is enough to rent a house in Sydney, buy food, pay the electricity for cooking and heating, buy clothes run a car. What would that be?

I will expose myself-I am of Norwegian heritage,my father died in Norway.I have nephews in Norway and other relatives.I have never bought an alcoholic drink in Norway because the cost is prohibitive.One of my nephew's sons is on welfare-pensioned off an early age.One area where they live cheaper is housing-much cheaper.Except for Oslo and maybe a few of the other larger cities -
those around a 200,000 inhabitants-a house on ,or very near, a fjord would be around 100k-basic food -bread and cheese is comparable to here.Electricity(hydro) is much cheaper,as is internet.If you are lucky enough to live near the Swedish border supplies are cheaper there with the EU closer.Having said all that,I am quite happy where I am....I think we have it better.For those on Newstart I do not believe that is the case.

 

[chiff]

A few detrimental expensive facts about Norway-when last there about three years ago
A kebab fourteen dollars.Petrol roughly twice the price of OZ,they sell 95 and 98 unleaded only whenever we filled up.Our $40 large pizza was a bit expensive-but I cannot remember having a better one.If you must dine out try to see where the pensioners go.A ferry ride across a fjord with your vehicle is expensive...only rivaled by the ferry to Kangaroo Island.

 

[sptrawler]

The Government is going to build a fabrication plant in Queensland, to produce Army reconnaissance vehicle's, at last hooray rather than buy in military equipment that could be produced here.
The Morrison Government will keep Australians safe with an unprecedented investment in our Army including: A $5.2 billion project to build over 200 new Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles in Queensland and creating 1,450 jobs .

 

[SirRumpole]

The Government is going to build a fabrication plant in Queensland, to produce Army reconnaissance vehicle's, at last hooray rather than buy in military equipment that could be produced here.
The Morrison Government will keep Australians safe with an unprecedented investment in our Army including: A $5.2 billion project to build over 200 new Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles in Queensland and creating 1,450 jobs .

This is the device in question.



Looks good.

 

[IFocus]

Is war on the cards here? Wonder what the cost is in terms of our commitment when the shooting starts?

Australia looks to access US fuel reserves to shore up supplies amid Persian Gulf tensions


Australia is eyeing off the United States' tightly guarded fuel reserve as it seeks to overcome having less than a third of the stocks it should.

Key points:

• Australia has less than a third of the fuel supplies it is required to under an international agreements
• Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the Coalition was eyeing off America's tightly guarded reserves
• It comes as Australia considers sending vessels to the Persian Gulf amid escalating tension

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-05/australia-looks-to-buy-us-oil-amid-reserve-concerns/11384196


It comes as Australia contemplates sending vessels to the oil-rich Persian Gulf amid escalating tension on the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia holds just 28 days' worth of fuel imports,

 

[SirRumpole]

Is war on the cards here? Wonder what the cost is in terms of our commitment when the shooting starts?

Australia looks to access US fuel reserves to shore up supplies amid Persian Gulf tensions


Australia is eyeing off the United States' tightly guarded fuel reserve as it seeks to overcome having less than a third of the stocks it should.

Key points:

• 
  
  
  • Australia has less than a third of the fuel supplies it is required to under an international agreements
  • Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the Coalition was eyeing off America's tightly guarded reserves
  • It comes as Australia considers sending vessels to the Persian Gulf amid escalating tension

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-05/australia-looks-to-buy-us-oil-amid-reserve-concerns/11384196


It comes as Australia contemplates sending vessels to the oil-rich Persian Gulf amid escalating tension on the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia holds just 28 days' worth of fuel imports,

Another bleak reason why our politicians are the incompetent oafs we always suspected they were.

Letting our reserves get to a disastrously low level in the first place shows that they aren't up to running the country

I don't agree all that much with Jim Moylan, but he was warning about this years ago.

 

[sptrawler]

Another bleak reason why our politicians are the incompetent oafs we always suspected they were.

Letting our reserves get to a disastrously low level in the first place shows that they aren't up to running the country

I don't agree all that much with Jim Moylan, but he was warning about this years ago.

How long has smurf being going on about it?

 

[SirRumpole]

Is the government finally seeing sense about a gas reservation policy ?

Maybe but they are doing it very slowly, like they won't be making any decision until 2021.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/federal-government-to-consider-domestic-gas-reserve/11385596

 

[Smurf1976]

How long has smurf being going on about it?

I claim no special brilliance, just an awareness of history and the ability to identify risk.

For a major oil disruption the consequences are in the "catastrophic" category since it disables large sections of the economy and, in a worst case, that extends to disabling emergency services, food production, utilities and the military. At the very least it would almost certainly put the economy into recession.

The probability of such an occurrence is "plausible" given that the circumstances which lead to a disruption of imports has happened before and there are credible scenarios under which it could happen again.

Putting those together and we have a plausible catastrophe.

Anything of that nature warrants attention and in that context Australia with its 28 days' reserves falls a very long way short of the 90+ days maintained by every other developed country and which we agreed to maintain 40 years ago. In the past we also had far greater levels of domestic oil production and refining and considerably lower consumption but now we're massively exposed.

That puts Australia as the most obvious sitting duck in the entire world so far as this one is concerned.

 

[sptrawler]

Is the government finally seeing sense about a gas reservation policy ?

Maybe but they are doing it very slowly, like they won't be making any decision until 2021.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-06/federal-government-to-consider-domestic-gas-reserve/11385596

Because it wasn't introduced early in the LNG development phase, it becomes difficult to credibly introduce it retrospectively, a bit of the old sovereign risk thing.
Companies should have certainty as to how their investment is treated, but it was crazy for the East Coast not to follow W.A's lead when it was introduced here, now it becomes an issue because it in effect is nationalising some of their investment and profit.
Unfortunately in reality it has to be done, especially if they are going to commence fraking and uncover 'new' sources of gas, that haven't been contracted for sale.
Just my opinion.

 

[SirRumpole]

Because it wasn't introduced early in the LNG development phase, it becomes difficult to credibly introduce it retrospectively, a bit of the old sovereign risk thing.
Companies should have certainty as to how their investment is treated, but it was crazy for the East Coast not to follow W.A's lead when it was introduced here, now it becomes an issue because it in effect is nationalising some of their investment and profit.
Unfortunately in reality it has to be done, especially if they are going to commence fraking and uncover 'new' sources of gas, that haven't been contracted for sale.
Just my opinion.

Companies have to accept that governments change in democracies and sometimes things happen that might reduce some of their investment's earning potential.

As Australia is the only gas exporting country not to have a reservation policy, companies must have realised it had to happen sooner or later.

 

[sptrawler]

Companies have to accept that governments change in democracies and sometimes things happen that might reduce some of their investment's earning potential.

As Australia is the only gas exporting country not to have a reservation policy, companies must have realised it had to happen sooner or later.

It has to happen, if they want to replace coal generation in the short term, also I guess it will put a bit of a flame under the fracking issue. IMO

 

[basilio]

So the US wants to start a shooting war with Iran that would almost certainly disrupt international oil sales.
They want Oz to show its hand and demonstrate its support .

And meanwhile we have FA oil supplies in Australia and will be practically paralysed within a few weeks of disruption. Crackers...

 

[Humid]

And then it dawned on them that their cars dont run on franking credits

 

[bellenuit]

And then it dawned on them that their cars dont run on franking credits

For many a retiree they do.

 

[Humid]

Catch a bus
Got plenty of time

 

[basilio]

It will be interesting to see how Old Age Pensioners and their families respond to the prospect of arbitrary BS robo debts being generated by Centre Link and having to somehow "disprove" their liability. Could be some very serious conversations between constituents and back benchers I think.

Robodebt could target pensioners and 'sensitive' groups, leaked documents show
Exclusive: Coalition needs to include over 65s and other disadvantaged welfare recipients to hit $600m budget plan

The Morrison government could target thousands of pensioners and other “sensitive” welfare recipients under a proposed expansion of the controversial robodebt scheme needed to achieve a promised $2.1bn in budget savings, according to confidential documents seen by Guardian Australia.

The documents, stamped “PROTECTED CABINET”, show the scheme would fall $600m short of its required budget savings unless it is expanded to hit “sensitive” groups originally quarantined from data matching.

This would include people considered “sensitive” by the department: those aged 65 and over, those living in remote areas, and others considered vulnerable by Centrelink, including people who are homeless and those who have disabilities.

“Estimated savings over the forward estimates cannot be achieved without undertaking sensitive cohort reviews,” says the early draft ministerial submission for the government services minister, Stuart Robert.

According to the documents, the department would need to carry out an additional 1.6m income reviews over the next three years to reach the promised savings, including 350,000 debt-recovery reviews among “sensitive” or vulnerable groups.
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-pensioners-sensitive-groups-leaked-documents

 

[SirRumpole]

It will be interesting to see how Old Age Pensioners and their families respond to the prospect of arbitrary BS robo debts being generated by Centre Link and having to somehow "disprove" their liability. Could be some very serious conversations between constituents and back benchers I think.

Robodebt could target pensioners and 'sensitive' groups, leaked documents show
Exclusive: Coalition needs to include over 65s and other disadvantaged welfare recipients to hit $600m budget plan

The Morrison government could target thousands of pensioners and other “sensitive” welfare recipients under a proposed expansion of the controversial robodebt scheme needed to achieve a promised $2.1bn in budget savings, according to confidential documents seen by Guardian Australia.

The documents, stamped “PROTECTED CABINET”, show the scheme would fall $600m short of its required budget savings unless it is expanded to hit “sensitive” groups originally quarantined from data matching.

This would include people considered “sensitive” by the department: those aged 65 and over, those living in remote areas, and others considered vulnerable by Centrelink, including people who are homeless and those who have disabilities.

“Estimated savings over the forward estimates cannot be achieved without undertaking sensitive cohort reviews,” says the early draft ministerial submission for the government services minister, Stuart Robert.

According to the documents, the department would need to carry out an additional 1.6m income reviews over the next three years to reach the promised savings, including 350,000 debt-recovery reviews among “sensitive” or vulnerable groups.
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-pensioners-sensitive-groups-leaked-documents

I guess they are banking on the fact that a lot of old people have memory problems and they will forget this stuff by the next election.

 

[basilio]

I guess they are banking on the fact that a lot of old people have memory problems and they will forget this stuff by the next election.

Possibly.. But IMV if they or their families start dealing with the trumped up rubbish that the Robo debt processes delivered to New Start recipients there will be some very concerned back benchers.

Just make up a "debt". Send it out. Demand that the recipient disprove the debt (how exactly ?) or otherwise pay it or they send in the debt collectors.

Delightful way to win friends and influence people - not..

Personally I just think the most appropriate response is a piece of 4x2