Flood Levy - Do you agree?

[Julia]

Ms Bligh may be in a bit of trouble with her decision to put the $700K interest from the Cyclone appeal into her Premier's flood appeal. A mayor from the affected cyclone area is protesting that they still have damage up there for which the money could be used, and further that he should have been consulted about what should happen with the $700K.

Seems entirely reasonable.

 

[Dunger]

I disagree with the levy to rebuild infrastructure.

Gillards only reason that she's given so far is to ensure the 12/13 budget in surplus. Governments aren't here for budget surplus/deficits, they're here for the people and only for the people.

The floods haven't really worried the financial markets - the Egypt turmoil is causing more concern.

 

[gav]

An interesting article in yesterday's SMH:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/drowning-in-gillards-flood-levy-spin-20110129-1a8yr.html

Unbelievable that the govt quietly announced the start a $3.2B "Automotive Transformation Scheme" on the very same day that this flood levy was announced.

 

[IFocus]

Everyone remember this

Milk Levy

http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2008/09/25/milk-levy-to-be-abolished-prices-to-fall-11c-per-litre.html

Introduce 2000 by the Howard Government abolished 2008 by the Rudd government.

11 cents per litre for 8 years

$240 million a year for 8 years

1.92 Billion dollars

Paid to around 13000 businesses.

Who paid? every Australian who drinks milk, young and old, rich and poor, sick and healthy.

Who gained?

During this period the Howard government had the opportunity to use surpluses or debt to fund the programs this levy funded or cut the programs all together.

The reduction in milk price would have been beneficial to all Australians equally.

But they kept the levy whilst handing out tax cuts to middle and upper income earners; they also doled out middle class wealth fare at a rate of knots.

Really a Levy that lasts just one year, has a start and finish dates and is used to reconstruct the infrastructure of one of the countries economic powerhouses makes much more sense than this Howard/Abbott era National Party Vote Catcher.

 

[moXJO]

Everyone remember this

.

Grocery watch
Petrol watch
Skill training centers
2020 summit
Taxes up
IR stuff ups
GP Super Clinics
screw it I'll google a list

1. 2020 - 1,000 B&B; minds, $2+m = 9 useable ideas.


2. Save the whales – FAIL


3. Fight Inflation Genie – Oops GFC


4. Taxes up (Gas, Diesel, Transport, Alco pops) – inflationary


5. Fuelwatch - cost $21 million – FAIL


6. Grocery Watch/Choice – June, 2009 abandoned $13 million election promise – FAIL


7. Arresting Iranian leaders – Stunt


8. Bank Guarantee - still over 200,000 bank accounts frozen from September 2008 - $25B of savings locked up for possibly 4 years.


9. Laptops


10. National Broadband Network (from $4b, to $7b to $43 billion) – Experts are now saying it will cost in the region of $20,000 PER CONNECTION


11. Cash Splash 1 – borrowed


12. Cash Splash 2 – also borrowed = $42 billion


13. Work Choices /Fair work – Will cost jobs Awards Back flips – special dispensation for Tourism/Food industry. Horticultural Industry warning new awards will put farmers out of business, eg, casual pickers weekend rates. - No response from Gillard yet.


14. Immigration/Refugees/Asylum Seekers how many boats so far? Need I even mention the Oceanic Viking?


15. Defence - cut expenditure & increase weaponry?


16. Homeland Security Department – “a non-core promise” broken Nov 28, 2007


17. The buck stops with me – so where are you?


18. Securing water on the Murray/Darling


19. IVF Program – cuts - the caring ALP.


20. Medicare/Private Health – rebate not to be touched - key election promise - outright lie


21. Dental Scheme – gone – the caring ALP


22. Cataract Surgery – costs doubled – the caring ALP


23. Superannuation – the government needs it more than you.


24. Home Savers Grant - a fizzer, not enough people saving


25. First home Owners grant – increased, not aimed to generate building, inflating house prices


26. One Stop Super Childcare Centres


27. GP Super Clinics - $275 million borrowed – 1 open Palmerston NT, ALP stronghold – FAIL, 3 approved SA – Noarlunga, Playford North, Modbury , all ALP safe seats


28. No compulsory University Union Fees – an outright lie voted down


29. Worker Share Options, June 2009 – on, off, on, off, on like a light switch – blunder


30. Carbon emissions reduction - LPG conversion subsidies being phased out l – June 2009


31. Carbon Emissions reduction Part 2 - Household Solar Rebate axed 9/6


32. Schools Stimulus/? Infrastructure Program – Subject to AG inquiry.


33. Ruddbank


34. Federal takeover of hospitals by mid 2009 if no improvement. – EPIC FAIL


35. Reduce consultancies by $112 million = increase to $800 million (6354 consultancies)


36. Govt will pay small business invoices on time = takes a lot longer


37. No nuclear Waste Dump NT – election promise – broken June 2008


38. $15 million to rural research & development corporations – election promise – broken May 2008.


39. A - E reporting on childcare standards & universal pre-school for 4 year olds – election promise – broken June 2009


40. ALP Uranium Policy/stance – in tatters. Garrett approves uranium mine.


41. Diplomacy – Japan – biggest customer – FAIL. India – Uranium contract – FAIL . USA – conversations (real/imaginary) released to media. China, May 2009 – “difficult to deal with” Australia led Asia Pacific Body – thud.


42. Boost funding for aboriginal Legal Aid – lie – actuality = cuts to funding in first budget.


43. Scale back Intervention – ignored review recommendations.


44. Homes /renovations for indigenous – not one shovel lifted to date


45. Digital TV –Conroy, 2008, slash $22m from costs of changeover, figures make no sense – original estimate $16m now to cost $66m


46. Cheaper Better Childcare – Govt regulations will see Childcare costs going up by about $1500pa on July 1, 2010


47. SORRY! Feb 8, 08. K Rudd
“We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.”
Aug 22, 09 The Australian
“WELFARE workers have swooped on the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge in northwest NSW, removing more than 40 Aboriginal children from decrepit homes in shanty towns........
Aboriginal women, stunned by the removals, say it amounts to a “modern-day Stolen Generation”, but the most recent statistics on child removals show Aboriginal children are being taken from their parents in numbers much greater than the Stolen Generations.”


48. Skills Program, Sept 2009, The Australian – “Kevin Rudd’s $2bn skills plan in disarray”


49. More affordable Housing – October 2009 – prices forecast to go up 20%


50. Cheaper Books for Australians – back flip to protectionist policies


51. ETS, Versions 1&2;–FAIL senate.


52. 2007 Rudd promises a new era in cooperation between Federal Government & States. 2009 Rudd loses patience with NSW ALP, Qld Traveston dam.


53. Copenhagen conference - EPIC FAIL – CLASSIC COMEDY


54. “Ian McPhedran July 26, 2009 11:00pm
WHEN it comes to chalking up VIP jet bills, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Governor-General Quentin Bryce leave their predecessors in a $5.8 million wake.
During the six months from June to December last year, the PM Kevin Rudd and Governor-General Quentin Bryce team hit a record of $17.2 million in taxpayer-funded VIP flights – which equals $716,000-a-week.” – Kevin Rudd – Our “Stay at home prime minister”


55. Relaxed restrictions on foreign ownership elevate house prices.


56. FOI review/results. – Open and transparent government promised 2007 by 2009 promise = increased FOI requests and increased rejections of same = markedly increased secretive Government.


57. Blunder – superannuation cuts for ADF personnel. Combet claims difficulty in straitened times = tough luck.


58. “Obscene” homelessness numbers = War on Homelessness = increased Homeless numbers for 2010.


59. Big Australia - “I actually believe in a big Australia I make no apology for that. I actually think it’s good news that our population is growing” Rudd 2009. “You asked specifically whether this is my target or not. I don’t have a view on that, to be quite honest.” Rudd on the 730 report 28/1/2010


60. 2010 – 8 boats & 630 IMAs as at 2/2/2010.

The reason more people are more pissed at labor then the libs is simply from mismanagement or pretty idiotic policy ideas. It only takes a few acknowledgements from the lists above for people to begin to form ideas that they are getting ripped off. Howard made plenty of mistakes but kept a pretty firm handle on things.
And I'm sorry but I don't support taxes from either side. In fact Abbott lost my vote from his attempted paid maternity leave (simply to outgun labor). Well that and Hockey as treasurer.


And I noticed Gillard has the jitters about how the carbon tax will be recieved

PUTTING a price on carbon is crucial to ensure the nation prospers beyond the latest mining boom, Julia Gillard has declared in a major economic speech today.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/julia-gillard-says-a-carbon-price-will-be-the-key-reform-to-drive-economic-transformation/story-e6frg6xf-1225998138895

 

[drsmith]

Julia Gillard will have more immediate concerns than a carbon tax such as the tropical cyclone from hell bearing down on the north Queensland coast.

Then there's the amount of rain it could subsequently dump over central Australia and possibly southeastern Australia.

The flood levy might well be doubled by this time next week.

Wain Swan said during the election campaign that a carbon tax would not be levied during this term but that did leave open the option of legislating it for introduction beyond the next election. Labor will thus have to survive an election campaign before it's introduction. Assuming the Coalition are not foolish enough to attempt a great big new tax of their own a second time, I suspect the ALP will dump the policy for electoral survival. This was, after all, the fate of the greatest moral challenge of our time.

 

[Julia]

Grocery watch
Petrol watch
Skill training centers
2020 summit
Taxes up
IR stuff ups
GP Super Clinics
screw it I'll google a list

The reason more people are more pissed at labor then the libs is simply from mismanagement or pretty idiotic policy ideas. It only takes a few acknowledgements from the lists above for people to begin to form ideas that they are getting ripped off. Howard made plenty of mistakes but kept a pretty firm handle on things.
And I'm sorry but I don't support taxes from either side. In fact Abbott lost my vote from his attempted paid maternity leave (simply to outgun labor). Well that and Hockey as treasurer.

Wow, moXJO, how quickly we forget. Thank you for the long reminding list of all they have ****** up.

Abbott also lost me totally with his ridiculous tax on business to fund his maternity leave proposition. But even if he hadn't come up with that, he's just in pretty much all other respects simply not a leader.

Here we have an abysmally incompetent government totally ripe for being thrown out.
But as long as Abbott and Hockey are the lynchpins of the opposition, Gillard & Swan could even hold onto their jobs.

Any chance they could be brave enough to give Malcolm Turnbull another chance?
His demeanour, appearance etc is that of a leader. It's something Tony Abbott will never achieve.

 

[sails]

...Any chance they could be brave enough to give Malcolm Turnbull another chance?
His demeanour, appearance etc is that of a leader. It's something Tony Abbott will never achieve.

Agree his speech is better articulated and definitely more of a statesman than we have in Abbott, Gillard or Rudd.

But the nagging questions IMO are: is Turnbull another Windsor who came from a conservative background and yet now seems to be labor to the core? Why was Turnbull so willing to side with labor over the awful ETS which was clearly being rejected by many conservative voters?

Isn't there anyone else in the LNP ranks that could to a good job as a future PM or are the pickings really this lean?

 

[Logique]

Agree his speech is better articulated and definitely more of a statesman than we have in Abbott, Gillard or Rudd.
But the nagging questions IMO are: is Turnbull another Windsor who came from a conservative background and yet now seems to be labor to the core? Why was Turnbull so willing to side with labor over the awful ETS which was clearly being rejected by many conservative voters?
Isn't there anyone else in the LNP ranks that could to a good job as a future PM or are the pickings really this lean?

Sorry getting a bit off thread topic, but I have to say I agree. Too many view MT through the rose-coloured glasses of wishful thinking. And it's about more than just dropping the carbon tax. Malcolm has an inner city electorate, close your eyes and throw a stone, you'll hit a Green. And I doubt he would be any less generous on paid maternity leave. He was out-manouevred by Howard on the republic.

Simply put, he belongs in the Labor party. I would never voluntarily accept him as leader of the Libs.

Abbott's achilles heel was that he came off as the tough straight-talker, which many conservatives responded to, but then came the bizarre one-upmanship on maternity leave policy.

 

[Mofra]

Any chance they could be brave enough to give Malcolm Turnbull another chance?
His demeanour, appearance etc is that of a leader. It's something Tony Abbott will never achieve.

Cath 22. Turnbull is a leader with vision and a proven record of success in the private sector, intelligent and capable - but he hasn't got a campaign record.
Abbott is a head-kicker campaigner, speaks entirely in the sort of soundbites the media love as it's easy to edit snippets of his speaches.

The choice is - do the Libs go for someone who could actually lead the country but doesn't play the political game with enough "venom", or stick with someone who enjoys the cut and thrust of the poltical game but has zero vision and is a social luddite?

 

[drsmith]

WA Nationals MP Tony Crook backs Gillard flood levy plan

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...-flood-levy-plan/story-fn59niix-1225998889949

Mr Crook agreed to support the plan after learning infrastructure projects in WA would not be delayed as a result of the floods response.

Me thinks poor old Tony doesn't have a clue.

 

[sails]

WA Nationals MP Tony Crook backs Gillard flood levy plan

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...-flood-levy-plan/story-fn59niix-1225998889949


Me thinks poor old Tony doesn't have a clue.

And methinks he will be out on his neck at the next election...

Could there be a bit more pork barrelling going on to buy his vote on this that is kept under wraps? Ms Gillard seems hell bent on getting this tax through.

 

[drsmith]

Could there be a bit more pork barrelling going on to buy his vote on this that is kept under wraps?

Tony Crook has given the government the government a reason to renig on WA infrastructure as that will make him look like a fool.

As for the more well known Tony, it seems he's lost the plot alltogether bearing in mind a somewhat large tropical weather system bearing down on the north Queensland coast.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/02/3128336.htm

 

[Sean K]

Will the rest of Australia have to pay a Cyclone Levy now that Nth Queenslanders have taken a hit?

 

[drsmith]

Will the rest of Australia have to pay a Cyclone Levy now that Nth Queenslanders have taken a hit?

Julia being quick off the trigger with the flood levy now has one less option should Yasi be a major disaster.

Politically, the farce is very much with us, from both sides.

 

[So_Cynical]

Grocery watch
Petrol watch
Skill training centers
2020 summit
Taxes up
IR stuff ups
GP Super Clinics
screw it I'll google a list

1. 2020 - 1,000 B&B; minds, $2+m = 9 useable ideas.


2. Save the whales – FAIL


3. Fight Inflation Genie – Oops GFC


4. Taxes up (Gas, Diesel, Transport, Alco pops) – inflationary


5. Fuelwatch - cost $21 million – FAIL


6. Grocery Watch/Choice – June, 2009 abandoned $13 million election promise – FAIL


7. Arresting Iranian leaders – Stunt


8. Bank Guarantee - still over 200,000 bank accounts frozen from September 2008 - $25B of savings locked up for possibly 4 years.


9. Laptops


10. National Broadband Network (from $4b, to $7b to $43 billion) – Experts are now saying it will cost in the region of $20,000 PER CONNECTION


11. Cash Splash 1 – borrowed


12. Cash Splash 2 – also borrowed = $42 billion


13. Work Choices /Fair work – Will cost jobs Awards Back flips – special dispensation for Tourism/Food industry. Horticultural Industry warning new awards will put farmers out of business, eg, casual pickers weekend rates. - No response from Gillard yet.


14. Immigration/Refugees/Asylum Seekers how many boats so far? Need I even mention the Oceanic Viking?


15. Defence - cut expenditure & increase weaponry?


16. Homeland Security Department – “a non-core promise” broken Nov 28, 2007


17. The buck stops with me – so where are you?


18. Securing water on the Murray/Darling


19. IVF Program – cuts - the caring ALP.


20. Medicare/Private Health – rebate not to be touched - key election promise - outright lie


21. Dental Scheme – gone – the caring ALP


22. Cataract Surgery – costs doubled – the caring ALP


23. Superannuation – the government needs it more than you.


24. Home Savers Grant - a fizzer, not enough people saving


25. First home Owners grant – increased, not aimed to generate building, inflating house prices


26. One Stop Super Childcare Centres


27. GP Super Clinics - $275 million borrowed – 1 open Palmerston NT, ALP stronghold – FAIL, 3 approved SA – Noarlunga, Playford North, Modbury , all ALP safe seats


28. No compulsory University Union Fees – an outright lie voted down


29. Worker Share Options, June 2009 – on, off, on, off, on like a light switch – blunder


30. Carbon emissions reduction - LPG conversion subsidies being phased out l – June 2009


31. Carbon Emissions reduction Part 2 - Household Solar Rebate axed 9/6


32. Schools Stimulus/? Infrastructure Program – Subject to AG inquiry.


33. Ruddbank


34. Federal takeover of hospitals by mid 2009 if no improvement. – EPIC FAIL


35. Reduce consultancies by $112 million = increase to $800 million (6354 consultancies)


36. Govt will pay small business invoices on time = takes a lot longer


37. No nuclear Waste Dump NT – election promise – broken June 2008


38. $15 million to rural research & development corporations – election promise – broken May 2008.


39. A - E reporting on childcare standards & universal pre-school for 4 year olds – election promise – broken June 2009


40. ALP Uranium Policy/stance – in tatters. Garrett approves uranium mine.


41. Diplomacy – Japan – biggest customer – FAIL. India – Uranium contract – FAIL . USA – conversations (real/imaginary) released to media. China, May 2009 – “difficult to deal with” Australia led Asia Pacific Body – thud.


42. Boost funding for aboriginal Legal Aid – lie – actuality = cuts to funding in first budget.


43. Scale back Intervention – ignored review recommendations.


44. Homes /renovations for indigenous – not one shovel lifted to date


45. Digital TV –Conroy, 2008, slash $22m from costs of changeover, figures make no sense – original estimate $16m now to cost $66m


46. Cheaper Better Childcare – Govt regulations will see Childcare costs going up by about $1500pa on July 1, 2010


47. SORRY! Feb 8, 08. K Rudd
“We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.”
Aug 22, 09 The Australian
“WELFARE workers have swooped on the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge in northwest NSW, removing more than 40 Aboriginal children from decrepit homes in shanty towns........
Aboriginal women, stunned by the removals, say it amounts to a “modern-day Stolen Generation”, but the most recent statistics on child removals show Aboriginal children are being taken from their parents in numbers much greater than the Stolen Generations.”


48. Skills Program, Sept 2009, The Australian – “Kevin Rudd’s $2bn skills plan in disarray”


49. More affordable Housing – October 2009 – prices forecast to go up 20%


50. Cheaper Books for Australians – back flip to protectionist policies


51. ETS, Versions 1&2;–FAIL senate.


52. 2007 Rudd promises a new era in cooperation between Federal Government & States. 2009 Rudd loses patience with NSW ALP, Qld Traveston dam.


53. Copenhagen conference - EPIC FAIL – CLASSIC COMEDY


54. “Ian McPhedran July 26, 2009 11:00pm
WHEN it comes to chalking up VIP jet bills, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Governor-General Quentin Bryce leave their predecessors in a $5.8 million wake.
During the six months from June to December last year, the PM Kevin Rudd and Governor-General Quentin Bryce team hit a record of $17.2 million in taxpayer-funded VIP flights – which equals $716,000-a-week.” – Kevin Rudd – Our “Stay at home prime minister”


55. Relaxed restrictions on foreign ownership elevate house prices.


56. FOI review/results. – Open and transparent government promised 2007 by 2009 promise = increased FOI requests and increased rejections of same = markedly increased secretive Government.


57. Blunder – superannuation cuts for ADF personnel. Combet claims difficulty in straitened times = tough luck.


58. “Obscene” homelessness numbers = War on Homelessness = increased Homeless numbers for 2010.


59. Big Australia - “I actually believe in a big Australia I make no apology for that. I actually think it’s good news that our population is growing” Rudd 2009. “You asked specifically whether this is my target or not. I don’t have a view on that, to be quite honest.” Rudd on the 730 report 28/1/2010


60. 2010 – 8 boats & 630 IMAs as at 2/2/2010.

The reason more people are more pissed at labor then the libs is simply from mismanagement or pretty idiotic policy ideas. It only takes a few acknowledgements from the lists above for people to begin to form ideas that they are getting ripped off. Howard made plenty of mistakes but kept a pretty firm handle on things.
And I'm sorry but I don't support taxes from either side. In fact Abbott lost my vote from his attempted paid maternity leave (simply to outgun labor). Well that and Hockey as treasurer.


And I noticed Gillard has the jitters about how the carbon tax will be recieved



http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/julia-gillard-says-a-carbon-price-will-be-the-key-reform-to-drive-economic-transformation/story-e6frg6xf-1225998138895

And yet the greatest political accomplishment of all was winning the last election....the only accomplishment that's actually worth a dam, because if your not in power your a side show....a footnote in history while others are making that history.



----------------------------------------

Also good to see the pretence of this thread being about the levy has finally been abandoned by the ASF right and there supporters...and this thread is finally just about whinney liberals...winging and complaining.

 

[drsmith]

And yet the greatest political accomplishment of all was winning the last election....

That was hardly a political accomplishment.

More like a political failure on the Coalition's part.

 

[So_Cynical]

That was hardly a political accomplishment.

More like a political failure on the Coalition's part.

Its a brilliant political achievement...politics is about winning, second place in a 2 horse race is last. moXJO listed 60 reasons why they should of lost (according to him, the author and about 80% of ASFers) and yet its Julia sitting in the lodge, its Julia enjoying the NYE fire works from the front lawn of Kirribilli House.

Julia is making history while the whinny Liberals lead by one vote Tony sit and watch and pretend to be relevant...in a political reality that has passed them by.

lets look at the political achievements of one vote Tony....well he won the coalition leadership by 1 vote and err he lost the election.....lol cracking stuff hey.

 

[drsmith]

Its a brilliant political achievement...politics is about winning, second place in a 2 horse race is last.

And being in government is about competent management and leadership. On many aspects of this, the ALP has failed abysmally.

In saying that, I'm not saying that the Coalition would have been any better under Tony Abbott. The majority of voters obviously didn't think so, even though the ALP couldn't manage their own party during the campaign.

The election result is more a reflection of the sorry state of politics in Australia than anything else.

 

[moXJO]

And yet the greatest political accomplishment of all was winning the last election....the only accomplishment that's actually worth a dam, because if your not in power your a side show....a footnote in history while others are making that history.



----------------------------------------

Also good to see the pretence of this thread being about the levy has finally been abandoned by the ASF right and there supporters...and this thread is finally just about whinney liberals...winging and complaining.

Is it a prerogative of all lefties to be emotive trolls
God talk about precious. :