2013 Federal Election: 7 September 2013

[johenmo]

That's if you must have any sort of scheme. I'd prefer to see it all junked: no baby bonus, no parental leave, minimal subsidy of child care. I don't see the having or raising of children to be the responsibility of the State, but reluctantly acknowledge that it is a reality.

+1 many times. We accepted one income to raise our kids & still doing it. Left a job open for someone else who needed it, not just wanted it. Yes we are financially worse off than 2 incomes but all our children have said they appreciated one being home. And I read today that in Ballarat, some of the schools have 1 in 3 starting school unable to read. Paras 5 and 7. And please don't say that's what school is for.


http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1726180/ballarat-imagination-library-becoming-a-reading-city/?cs=62

 

[Calliope]

Well done Bunyip.. But now our great leader has taken time off from his busy campaign schedule to return to Canberra to sort out Syria.

I am sure world leaders are waiting on his words of wisdom.

 

[MrBurns]

Well done Bunyip.. But now our great leader has taken time off from his busy campaign schedule to return to Canberra to sort out Syria.

I am sure world leaders are waiting on his words of wisdom.

He has worked out the best he can do for the campaign is not to appear in it.

Why would you give that fool briefings on Syria ?
Is he trying to appear responsible and worldly ?

OR just trying to line up a diplomatic roll for after his sacking.

 

[drsmith]

The face of a bully.

View attachment 53988

Certainly he has Bill Shorten scared.:hide:

Bill Shorten looks very worried in that image.

He has good reason to be. With the political skin coming off Kevin Rudd like a banana being peeled, Labor could find itself in a worse place by election day than if it had kept Julia Gillard as leader.

 

[sails]

Well done on the poem, Bunyip. Here's a clever and very funny short clip on "cut, cut, cut" I found on Bolt's website:




http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/cut_it_out/

 

[bunyip]

Well done on the poem, Bunyip. Here's a clever and very funny short clip on "cut, cut, cut" I found on Bolt's website:




http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/cut_it_out/

The good thing about it, Sails, is that Rudd is cutting his own throat every time he opens his mouth to chant his boring CUT CUT CUT mantra. And the silly bugger just can’t seem to see it.

The way this is going, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trying to bring Gillard back into the fold! I’m only joking of course, but the wheels are well and truly falling off the Rudd wagon. It even looks like he’ll lose his seat here in Queensland – a delightful prospect if ever there was one!
Just imagine the blow to Rudd’s pride is that happens!

 

[bunyip]

I read today that in Ballarat, some of the schools have 1 in 3 starting school unable to read. Paras 5 and 7. And please don't say that's what school is for.


http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1726180/ballarat-imagination-library-becoming-a-reading-city/?cs=62

Hang on a minute – what’s so bad about kids being unable to read when they start school?
I couldn’t read when I started school, and there’s nothing wrong with my reading and writing skills now.
One of my kids is a medical student and was top of her school year for ten years in a row in a private school that was the fourth highest academic achiever in Queensland - and she couldn’t read when she started school either.

- - - Updated - - -

Well done Bunyip.. But now our great leader has taken time off from his busy campaign schedule to return to Canberra to sort out Syria.

I am sure world leaders are waiting on his words of wisdom.

I was thinking the same thing – the world will undoubtedly be waiting with baited breath for a response from a statesman of the caliber of Rudd The Dud!

 

[bunyip]

I am not a Rudd supporter and believe Abbott will win for sure.

I am an avid Abbott critic having followed his diabolical political career when he started out as a complete thug / dick head and really worried we are going to have a complete tosser as PM.

So who are you going to vote for then, IFocus? Neither Rudd nor Abbot has your support. And surely you’re not silly enough to waste your vote on Christine Milne and her bunch of idealistic, unrealistic twits.
So what are you going to do – vote informal by drawing a big line through your ballot paper?

 

[sails]

Well done Bunyip.. But now our great leader has taken time off from his busy campaign schedule to return to Canberra to sort out Syria.

I am sure world leaders are waiting on his words of wisdom.

But not before he flew a taxpayer funded jet to Brisbane for a cooking show on the ABC during the afternoon before arriving in Canberra around 6pm...


Read about it here: Rudd’s goose is cooked

 

[bunyip]

This is an ideal opportunity to get stuck into negative gearing on residential property, would have a twofold benefit. residential property would come down in price mainly at the lower end, for new homebuyers and the Govt would have a source of revenue.

One of the governments changed the rules on negative gearing a few decades ago (can’t recall if it was Labor or conservative). Apparently it resulted in a shortage of rental housing due to investors leaving the residential rental market, with rental prices rising substantially as a result.
The long and short of it was that within a few years the government abandoned the changes and reinstated the old negative gearing laws.

 

[moXJO]

One of the governments changed the rules on negative gearing a few decades ago (can’t recall if it was Labor or conservative). Apparently it resulted in a shortage of rental housing due to investors leaving the residential rental market, with rental prices rising substantially as a result.
The long and short of it was that within a few years the government abandoned the changes and reinstated the old negative gearing laws.

Labor did it and rents went crazy. I still remember the headlines on how bad it was suppose to be in sydney and that waiting lists for public housing blew out about 20 years.

 

[medicowallet]

One of the governments changed the rules on negative gearing a few decades ago (can’t recall if it was Labor or conservative). Apparently it resulted in a shortage of rental housing due to investors leaving the residential rental market, with rental prices rising substantially as a result.
The long and short of it was that within a few years the government abandoned the changes and reinstated the old negative gearing laws.

It was Labor,

Sure let's always use the same excuse to never touch the people's cash cow..

At the very least, cut it back substantially, and make it only apply to new properties.

Australian housing has got out of control, hence the "need" for paid parental schemes, negative gearing, and dual incomes.... a bit of a blight on the previous few government's abilities to plan for the future.

MW

 

[MrBurns]

Negative gearing on residential property has inflated prices so that young families are saddled with impossible debt so that those with plenty of cash can enjoy tax breaks.
Shameful

 

[sydboy007]

Labor did it and rents went crazy. I still remember the headlines on how bad it was suppose to be in sydney and that waiting lists for public housing blew out about 20 years.

That is really a myth

IIRC rents increased in 4 capitals and decreased / stagnated in 4.

So if the removal of NG had been the cause of the rent increases it would seem strange to only affect some cities and not others?

Also, if 90% of IP loans are written to purchase existing properties, then how does the current NG system help with supply?

If the removal of NG causesd a reduction in investor demand then either current investors sit tight - no change in rental supply - or they start to sell - since no new investors willing to buy then you would have to think FHB would step in.

The current NG system does NOTHING to increase rental supply

 

[sydboy007]

Negative gearing on residential property has inflated prices so that young families are saddled with impossible debt so that those with plenty of cash can enjoy tax breaks.
Shameful

I'd argue it would be cheaper to build public housing - similar to Singapore - than the current massive drain to the tax payer than has grossly distorted the market. Our historically high debts cause many other issues for the community.

As you can see, the halving of CGT is the Howard Costello Gift that keeps on leaching tax revenues. Better to spend $5B a year on building affordable housing than the current NG system. Those not in Govt housing would benefit due to lower prices.

From Macrobusiness - http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013/05/more-negative-gearing-scaremongering/

Between July 1985 and September 1987 the Government “quarantined” negative gearing losses on new transactions, thereby only allowing investors to claim rental expenses against rental income, not other income.

In the event that negative gearing was once again quarantined and a proportion of investment properties were sold, those properties would not suddenly vanish into thin air leaving a large number of people homeless. Rather, these homes would be sold to renters, turning them into owner-occupiers. And while the number of rental properties would be reduced, this substitution of renters into owner-occupiers would simultaneously reduce the demand for rental properties, leaving the overall rental supply-demand balance unchanged.

Perhaps this is why the quarantining of negative gearing between July 1985 and September 1987 had little discernible impact on the rental market, with inflation-adjusted rents rising in four markets and falling in four markets over that period (see next table).

Surely, if negative gearing was such an important determinant of rental market health, shouldn’t rents have risen Australia-wide when it was “abolished” in the 1980s, since negative gearing affects all rental markets equally?

 

[drsmith]

On the topic of gearing, here's some economic voodoo from Clive Palmer,

For example, he would allow people to claim the first $10,000 of home loan payments as a be tax deduction.

The leader of the recently formed Palmer United Party was asked during the hour-long web chat, hosted by Fairfax Media, what he would do to address housing affordability.

Stressing the importance of aspiring to own a home, Mr Palmer said the tax-deduction policy would help people service their loans.

"It'll create a greater demand and encourage construction in this country and also help us in our economic resilience," he said.

People can currently claim a deduction for interest incurred on investment properties, but normally not for a principal place of residence.

Mr Palmer did not estimate the cost of the policy but expressed confidence government revenue would increase in other areas.

"Government will get a lot more money out of GST and actual activity rather than just taxing people out of the ability to afford affordable housing," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...ds-and-money-on-the-table-20130821-2sb52.html

My bolds.

 

[sydboy007]

On the topic of gearing, here's some economic voodoo from Clive Palmer,



http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...ds-and-money-on-the-table-20130821-2sb52.html

My bolds.

Woo Woo. Demand side subsidies with no supply side reforms.

Hello house price INFLATION!

Seems logical for Palmer though. He's in the resource industry. Increasing demand without increasing supply is a great way to wealth

 

[drsmith]

Julia Gillard not attending Labor's Campaign Launch.

Mr Rudd gave a strong impression that Ms Gillard, who is leaving politics, would not attend the ALP launch in Brisbane next week.

“I understand Julia has made plain her position on that question and I respect it. It's entirely appropriate that she should make her own call on this and I respect her decision entirely,” he told ABC TV's Insiders.

I gather from that she's told Uncle Psycho where to shove it.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...campaign-no-show/story-fn9qr68y-1226703598749

 

[Country Lad]

..............Neither Rudd nor Abbot has your support. And surely you’re not silly enough to waste your vote on Christine Milne...................

I have had a look at my candidates and I can't find Rudd, Abbot or Milne among them. Funny how folks say the they will/will not vote for Rudd or Abbot or Milne when they are not candidates in their electorate.

I will do what I always do, vote for the candidate who will best represent my electorate.

Cheers
Country Lad

 

[bunyip]

But not before he flew a taxpayer funded jet to Brisbane for a cooking show on the ABC during the afternoon before arriving in Canberra around 6pm...


Read about it here: Rudd’s goose is cooked

Now now Sails – let’s not be too hard on the Labor Party. You know how important it is for our politicians to get their priorities right in an election year. For PM’s who aspire to re-election, what could be more important than a guest appearance on a TV cooking show, or a costly four hour photo shoot while lounging in a comfy armchair as you knit a pair of booties for the royal baby!