Flood Levy - Do you agree?

[Julia]

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

That says it all. So cynical, if you genuinely believe Gillard & Co "won' the election, you are utterly naive. What it came down to was which side had to cope with the greatest level of pre-existing bias from the independents who actually made the decision as to who would govern.

The political and personal baggage of loathing carried by Windsor, Oakeshott, and Katter, plus the Green affiliation of the other two made it a slam dunk for Labor.

But again, as others have observed, Tony Abbott has yet to demonstrate that he would be an adequate leader. If your PM survives, it will alas be no testimony to her personal or political charms, but rather a reflection of the inadequacy of the opposition.

 

[IFocus]

Howard made plenty of mistakes but kept a pretty firm handle on things.

I really like John Howard....... I had to after all he spent $100s mil telling us how good he was with overt political advertising using your money.

Then of course there was the minor matter of $9bil of give always for his last election.

Surely you mean Costello kept a firm handle on things........


sorry for being off topic

 

[IFocus]

Ross Gittins take on it

Floods expose national loss of loyalty and respect for leaders

It's a pity Julia Gillard announced her flood levy after Australia Day rather than before it. Instead of spending the day telling ourselves what wonderful people Aussies are, we could have reflected on our darker side - why we're developing a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...y-and-respect-for-leaders-20110201-1acbw.html

 

[moXJO]

I really like John Howard....... I had to after all he spent $100s mil telling us how good he was with overt political advertising using your money.

Then of course there was the minor matter of $9bil of give always for his last election.

Surely you mean Costello kept a firm handle on things........


sorry for being off topic

No I meant once he made a decision he shafted you up the backside with it whether you liked it or not. He stood pretty firm by his decisions once he made them. Not saying they were always good.

 

[moXJO]

Ross Gittins take on it

Floods expose national loss of loyalty and respect for leaders




http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...y-and-respect-for-leaders-20110201-1acbw.html

First few replies sum up what a lot of people are thinking.

Labor has trashed its own brand by itself with no help from anyone. The PM who said she never wanted to be PM sits in Canberra. The Keanelly still gang runs loose in NSW raiding whats left in the public purse. Backflip Bartlett has gone home to look after the kids in Tassie ten months after being elected premier. Even Anna the heroine of the floods in Queensland has only recently finished selling off the family silver after a calling a sneaky election. The list of failures, backflips and looney schemes goes on and on. And yet we're meant to believe throwing away all of this political capital is Mr. Abbott's fault. Give us a break Ross.


SteveH. - February 02, 2011, 7:23AM

My 'pathological objection to paying more tax' is because our governments seem to have a pathological need to waste more money.

Child care rebates, first home buyer grants, BER, insulation schemes, paid maternity leave for $150K per year mums, failed submarine programs, useless secondhand US helicopters for the navy, funding programs for whatever vocal minority takes the news of the day.

Both sides do it, and we're sick of it. Get your hands out of my pockets nannies. When you've stopped wasting what you have, THEN and only THEN do you get to ask for more.


Perhaps to reason we are reluctant to accept a mandated Gillard Government levy is that we have seen the waste that occured under the Rudd Government of which Gillard was an integeral part.
The Home Insulation scheme, the BER , the various Green loans and schemes and while not directly related to the Federal Govt there is now news coming out about the poor administration of the Victorian Bushfire Recovery Fund.
Perhaps Australians would follow the leader if we trusted the leader.
To gain that trust the leader needs to at least appear to be competent.


Allan | Monaro - February 02, 2011, 7:29AM

I think that Ross overlooks the impact of modern technology and a more sophisticated population. People these days know far more about the quality of government decision making, and governments are often found wanting. I suspect the trend to question the quality of government spending really gained widespread public awareness in 1991, with the publicity given to Kerry Packer's appearance before a Senate Sub Committee where he said that "anyone in this country" who did not minimise their tax "wants his head read" because governments did not spend wisely enough to warrant taxpayers "donating extra".


FAIR GO | Queensland - February 02, 2011, 7:30AM


I donated, money that is and I want to give more. My issue is not so much a Government levy, it is that the bureaucracy will not change and a levy is to mop up much of their negligence. It is public servants who made the effect of the floods so much worse. They ignored warnings and legislated to build on flood plains. They are back to work now, doing it all over again so that it will be worse next time and the time after that. I would prefer a levy to fund a Royal Commission into planning so that bureaucrats will be forced to admit their negligence and so that we can rebuild to reduce the destruction caused by flooding rather than building to increase the destruction.


Sean | Sydney - February 02, 2011, 7:34AM

You simply do not get it. It is not about the money, it's the method and the questionable delivery if any Firstly you have the greatest mob of serial liars and economic incompetents wasting billions on bull**** feel good projects to appease the Greens and any other drongo that thinks they have a cause eg. Insulation schools cash for clunkers the NBN etc Then you have the 8 Plus Billion dollars in aid given for example in this case to Indonesia since christmas 2004/5 and all without a levy/tax why a levy/tax now. It boils down to this given of your own free will it is a gift or an act of charity taken by mandate by way of levy.tax with no option and then selectively and discriminatingly applied it is theft ...IT IS REALLY THAT SIMPLE having been forced by the Government to contribute I will now not lift a finger or donate a zac. It is me who works for and pays excessive taxes on my money and me who decides where it will go not some illegitimate Government led by an equally illegitimate Prime Minister trying to justify their position with no real claim to it all the while trying to buy votes to strengthen a very weak electoral position

Same sentiment that has crept in now, was the same that kicked the Keating government out all those years ago.

Politics aside, QLD will need a hand to get back on its feet after this latest disaster.

 

[Logique]

Great post moXJO,
another press apologist called on his insular, 'Golden Book Stories' view of the world. We're smarter than that Mr Journalist.

My 'pathological objection to paying more tax' is because our governments seem to have a pathological need to waste more money.
Child care rebates, first home buyer grants, BER, insulation schemes, paid maternity leave for $150K per year mums, failed submarine programs, useless secondhand US helicopters for the navy, funding programs for whatever vocal minority takes the news of the day....Get your hands out of my pockets nannies. When you've stopped wasting what you have, THEN and only THEN do you get to ask for more...
...Allan | Monaro - February 02, 2011, 7:29AM

 

[Mofra]

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

It was a response, rather than a precipitor.
Who's a bit precious?

 

[Knobby22]

The government could easily make the money be removing negative gearing from existing homes and having it only on new stock. it doesn't even have to be backdated.

Many people are screaming for this in the letters columns of newspapers and by economists as 1st home buyers can't get into the market but funnily no politician, whatever the colour, will entertain the idea.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Im with tech.

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

I'm probably the poorest person on this forum (poorest 20% anyway) and i don't have an issue with the lousy 150 or whatever its gona cost me....and if the tables were turned id be more than happy to pay 2K if i had an income of 200K.

What is it about money and perspective?

Well SC, it looks as if the Gumnut clan will now be eligible for the bikkies.

During Yasi the three ex Mrs Gumnuts and a gaggle of misanthropes and children of mine, fled back to casa Gumnut, which is built better than the bloody Pentagon.

We had 24 here for Yasi, and at the height of the blow, I managed to convince them to allow me collect the money from Centrelink on Monday, when it opens.

There were 18 over 18 and 6 under.

That is $18000 plus $2400, which I believe is $204000.

I'm still against it in principle.

As Groucho said.

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."

gg

 

[Julia]

What is the allowance from Centrelink actually supposed to be for?
I wouldn't have thought, given your earlier post about how well you survived the cyclone, you really had a need to claim anything from the taxpayer, gg?

Perhaps I haven't properly understood your situation.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

What is the allowance from Centrelink actually supposed to be for?
I wouldn't have thought, given your earlier post about how well you survived the cyclone, you really had a need to claim anything from the taxpayer, gg?

Perhaps I haven't properly understood your situation.

Exactly my point Julia, and I agree.

According to Gillard's guidelines, moi and the motley queue are entitled.

p.s. Sorry the previous post overestimated my windfall, it should be $20400

gg

 

[trainspotter]

Where is the money coming from for the cyclone relief to pay the Garpal Gumnuts of QLD? Now before all the bleeding hearts begin the FLAME ON about me being uncaring and not wanting to help the esteemed GG's of the world.

Wasn't this the same government that was crowing how well Australia was doing on the global macro economic front and implementing all these wonderful schemes to keep us "moving forward" (billion here, billion there, pretty soon we will be talking in real money)

Now we find out the tin is empty and we have to have a "flood levy" to assist in rebuilding QLD. This was announced BEFORE cyclone Yasi. Me thinks this "flood levy" will turn into a "natural disaster fund" to get through parliament and will become a permanent fixture of taxation ........ "moving forward" that is.

 

[So_Cynical]

That says it all. So cynical, if you genuinely believe Gillard & Co "won' the election, you are utterly naive. What it came down to was which side had to cope with the greatest level of pre-existing bias from the independents who actually made the decision as to who would govern.

The political and personal baggage of loathing carried by Windsor, Oakeshott, and Katter, plus the Green affiliation of the other two made it a slam dunk for Labor.

That's a very long winded way of saying she won ... matters little how that was achieved.

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

p.s. Sorry the previous post overestimated my windfall, it should be $20400

gg

Ok now that upsets me a little.

 

[trainspotter]

Are these insured ?? Or is it "flood damage" and not "water ingress" ?? HUH?

 

[Julia]

What's noticeable in that photograph is, despite the pile up of water craft, the adjacent buildings seem quite unharmed. Says a lot about the force of water.

 

[Tink]

I get annoyed with these things, when people should be insured. Isnt that what its there for?

People have donated money and now they get told they have to donate again through levy -- thankyou very much.

What happens if the house was rented, do the owners still get this help even though they werent there?

 

[IFocus]

People have donated money and now they get told they have to donate again through levy -- thankyou very much.

Tink the donations go to people (hopefully) levy to rebuild roads bridges etc (hopefully)

 

[-Bevo-]

Well I could be wrong but apparently because I lost power for more than 48hrs (actual loss was 60 hours for me) due to cyclone yasi all I have to do is go to centrelink and collect $1000 dollars and don't have to pay the flood levy either, the food I threw out from the fridge was probably about $50 I rent and suffered no damage to personal items, during cyclone tessie 10 years ago lost power for 5 days and got nothing.

 

[Tink]

Yep, I understand that IFocus.

When we had the fires here in Vic, we had quite a few trying to rort the system, unfortunately.

I just dont understand why people dont insure themselves, bottom line.

 

[Calliope]

Yep, I understand that IFocus.

When we had the fires here in Vic, we had quite a few trying to rort the system, unfortunately.

I just dont understand why people dont insure themselves, bottom line.

A lot of those who did have insurance are complaining loudly that "they" didn't cover me for "flood", "tidal surge'" etc. What they mean is "I didn't cover myself".

They don't seem to understand that you get what you pay for. If you pay for an inferior product, that is what you get.