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The Abbott Government

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explod said:
Seriously, is this government?
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This is government.

It has toasted the border security problems resurrected by Labor and then made worse by the Greens influence on office during Julia Gillard's prime ministership and it will toast the Labor/Green carbon tax.
 
sptrawler said:
Alan Kohler, gives his thoughts on the free trade agreements.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-10/kohler-following-keatings-lead-on-reform-finally/5378090
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Considering over 60% of the benefits of the JAPEA are available to Australia by unilaterally removing tariffs on imports, one has to wonder what all the hoopla was all about. When our competitors can take up to 2 decades to just reduce their tariffs on some of our major exports, let alone actually getting them to 0%, possibly we'd be better off pushing the Doha WTO talks along. We're still 3 years away from the AUSFTA from providing any increased access for beef exports, some exports in the KAFTA and JAPEA will still just be getting their full tariff reductions near 2030.

As the ACCI has found from surveying it's members less than 30% of them use the current managed trade agreements due to the onerous paperwork involved, especially surrounding ROOs (Rules of Origin).

Each FTA has it's own ROOs paperwork, so there's a spaghetti bowl effect whereby each FTA you want to take advantage of involves new sets of paperwork to prove your product complies with meeting that particular set of ROOs. Possibly if Abbott wants to have some meaningful red tape reform getting all the current managed trade agreements to having a common ROO architecture would be quite beneficial, and probably should have been part of the negotiations of these managed trade agreements since the AUSFTA.

ROOs compliance is not such an issue for the large multinationals like Toyota / Nissan (Thailand FTA for car imports), Samsung / LG (KAFTA), Sony / Sharp / Mistubishi / every Japanese car marker (JAPEA) compared to the generally quite small Australian companies.

Now if Abbott had been getting managed trade agreements pretty much like what we have with NZ ie close to a common market, then I'd say there's a lot of value in that.

But the truth is, as was shown by Labor in the 80s, that unilaterally removing tariff barriers benefits your economy quite considerably due to the increased competition to formerly protected sectors required to improve their productivity to better compete. Whether that will prove to be the best way moving forward, I'm not sure. With the massively high trade barriers other countries have for a lot of our exports, combined with tens of billions in various subsidies for agricultural products, I'm not convinced it's possible to have a high wage economy without some form of tariff protection.
 
drsmith said:
This is government.

It has toasted the border security problems resurrected by Labor and then made worse by the Greens influence on office during Julia Gillard's prime ministership and it will toast the Labor/Green carbon tax.
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But then they're planning to make changes to the 457 visa program which could see a large influx of workers into the country during a period where the economy is at stall speed in the sense that jobs growth is barely at or mostly below population growth hence the rising unemployment. Factor in the massive amount of underemployment out there and is it a good idea to be allowing employers to bring in as many foreign workers as they please, especially since they may not be required to even have basic English speaking skills?

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@...prodno=6265.0&issue=September 2013&num=&view=

The Underemployed Workers Survey found that of the 11.7 million employed people aged 15 years and over in September 2013:

10.7 million (92%) were fully employed; and
970,100 (8%) were not fully employed, of whom 875,200 were underemployed.

Of the 875,200 underemployed workers (see Tables 1 and 2):
817,200 usually worked part-time, but would prefer more hours and were available to start work with more hours either in the reference week, or in the four weeks following the interview; and
58,000 usually worked full-time, but worked part-time hours in the reference week due to economic reasons (for example no work or not enough work available, been stood down, or on short time).

The median duration of the current period of insufficient work for underemployed part-time workers was 30 weeks, up significantly from 26 weeks in 2012, and back to levels observed in 2010 and 2011. The mean duration of current period of insufficient work in September 2013 was 76.3 weeks compared to 69.0 weeks in 2012

Possibly with the recent increase in hours worked the level of underemployment has decreased slightly, though most of my friends in the services industries are still having trouble getting more than 25 hours of work a week so maybe the increase is fairly concentrated.
 
Syd,

I'm not sure comprehensive English lessons were part of the service offered by people smugglers. That also don't help them swim when the boat sinks.

I also note the attempted change in subject as a response.

A question of curiosity though. Do you work nights ?
 
I take it people wanting the pension dont vote Liberal



Pension changes would break Tony Abbott's election pledges, says Labor

Joe Hockey has sent a clear signal that the coalition government is considering raising the pension age in the looming budget

reasurer Joe Hockey has sent his clearest signal yet that the government is considering raising the pension age in the looming budget in an effort to put commonwealth finances on a more sustainable footing.

But the shadow families minister, Jenny Macklin, on Friday pointed to the numerous times before last September’s election that Tony Abbott had promised not to touch the pension.
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https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/newreply.php?p=821425&noquote=1
 
IFocus said:
I take it people wanting the pension dont vote Liberal






https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/newreply.php?p=821425&noquote=1
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They are talking about raising the pension age in increments over a period up to the age of 67 in the same way the Labor Party's Wayne Swan suggested sometime ago.......now please don't ask me for a link...I am going from memory.

But let us not forget, Labor fazed in the eligible age for women from 60 to 65 over 10 years, moving 6months each year.

But lets be realistic, we are all living longer with modern medical science and stem cell research, so we will have a lot more pensioners on the welfare system which is already overloaded......how are we supposed to pay for it all given the fact Labor left the country with a legacy of $123 billion deficit and a debt of $667 billion.

But we are now moooooooooooving forrrrrrrrrrrrward.

There is also an incentive if you work beyond the retirement age by a part time pension.
 
noco said:
I think you are getting a bit carried away with yourself.

Typical of lefties....may it sound worse than what it really is.
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I expect a revolt from the Bush Socialists over this once the mega Chinese government companies start buying up prime farm land and assets.

Can you point out any other governments that have bought out Australian assets freehold?
 
IFocus said:
I expect a revolt from the Bush Socialists over this once the mega Chinese government companies start buying up prime farm land and assets.

Can you point out any other governments that have bought out Australian assets freehold?
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I like it. Its all about food production. Compared to the Chinese we are amateurs at the game of food production. Same goes with cooking the food.:D
 
Direct Action’s moment of truth is imminent

With economists thinking big emissions reductions not possible under the Coalition policy, reality is about to meet slogan


Slowly, inexorably, we are inching towards the time when one of the greatest fudges in recent Australian politics will be exposed.

Tony Abbott’s political demolition of the former government’s carbon pricing scheme was based not on what many in his party believe – that climate change is not happening and there is therefore no need to do anything at all – but rather on the assertion that the Coalition could achieve “the same” environmental benefit in an almost pain-free way.
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/11/direct-actions-moment-of-truth-is-imminent
 
IFocus said:
Direct Action’s moment of truth is imminent

With economists thinking big emissions reductions not possible under the Coalition policy, reality is about to meet slogan





http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/11/direct-actions-moment-of-truth-is-imminent
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Hmmmmmmmm ...the Guardian newspaper......run by the socialist left and the columnist Lenore Taylor is to the far left as she can go....also a good mate of Gillard....what else could anybody expect?

Although a little off beat of the thread, the carbon tax has done very little to reduce a gas which is so important to plant life and has done virtually nothing to reduce "GLOBAL WARMING"...I believe something like .00000005 % of one degree.

Global Warming is crap and I hope Abbott scraps the direct action plan like he wants to scarp the carbon tax.
It will save us a lot of money....and while he is at it, scrap the PPL as well.
 
drsmith said:
Syd,

I'm not sure comprehensive English lessons were part of the service offered by people smugglers. That also don't help them swim when the boat sinks.

I also note the attempted change in subject as a response.

A question of curiosity though. Do you work nights ?
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Not changing the subject. You believe that stopping the boats is a prime achievement of the Abbott Govt, fair enough, but then you turn a blind eye to the fact that the same Abbott Government is changing the 457 rules to allow just as many, maybe more, foreigners into the country at a time when the jobs market is very weak, trend unemployment is still rising and the only reason the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate had a surprise fall was because the participation rate fell.

I do shift work which includes a number of graveyard shifts. Had mentioned it a few times in previous posts.
 
sydboy007 said:
Not changing the subject. You believe that stopping the boats is a prime achievement of the Abbott Govt, fair enough, but then you turn a blind eye to the fact that the same Abbott Government is changing the 457 rules to allow just as many, maybe more, foreigners into the country at a time when the jobs market is very weak, trend unemployment is still rising and the only reason the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate had a surprise fall was because the participation rate fell.

I do shift work which includes a number of graveyard shifts. Had mentioned it a few times in previous posts.
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I think you may be missing the point on these 457 visas.

Th reason behind allowing 457 visas is to fill the vacuum of skilled workers who are prepared to work in isolated places whereas many of the Australian skilled workers do not want to leave the big cities, their families or the seaboard location.......It is my belief that if skilled Australian workers have not replied to the demand of work in isolated places, then it is the right of the company to use the 457 visas.

You should have no complaints if these circumstances occur.
 
noco said:
I think you may be missing the point on these 457 visas.

Th reason behind allowing 457 visas is to fill the vacuum of skilled workers who are prepared to work in isolated places whereas many of the Australian skilled workers do not want to leave the big cities, their families or the seaboard location.......It is my belief that if skilled Australian workers have not replied to the demand of work in isolated places, then it is the right of the company to use the 457 visas.

You should have no complaints if these circumstances occur.
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126350 issued for 2012-13 up from 125070 the previous year.

Top industries: Accommodation & food (12.9% or over 16000) , Media, telecomms, healthcare, construction.

Don't know about you, but I've never though you needed a degree to serve food.

I work in the telecomms industry and there's not a lot of opportunities at the moment, yet over 12000 457 Visas issues just last year.

So do you agree with the Abott Government changes to:

* allow an unlimited level of 457 visas to be applied for each year
* provide no financial penalty if an employer highers multiple times as many 457 visa workers as they claimed they would
* watered down advertising of positions so that a 1 day "advertisement" on a company facebook page would be deemed acceptable

Call me parochial, call me racist if you like, but I think there should be a legal requirement to higher an appropriately skilled Aussie over a foreign worker. No IFs or BUTs.

Abbott is trying to have his workchoices cake by creating higher supply of labour to suppress wages, doubly worse during an economic decline, while claiming to keep his pre-election promise of not making any changes to work place laws. I can assure you if he had told the electorate of his plans it would have been a big voter changer for many Australians.
 
sydboy007 said:
Not changing the subject. You believe that stopping the boats is a prime achievement of the Abbott Govt, fair enough, but then you turn a blind eye to the fact that the same Abbott Government is changing the 457 rules to allow just as many, maybe more, foreigners into the country at a time when the jobs market is very weak, trend unemployment is still rising and the only reason the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate had a surprise fall was because the participation rate fell.

I do shift work which includes a number of graveyard shifts. Had mentioned it a few times in previous posts.
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As I have stated before on a number of occasions, border security is the first responsibility of any government and that's a test Labor failed in office and something this government has, for all practical purposes, promptly rectified.

Whether or not any of us agree or disagree with the specific immigration or foreign worker policy of any government, this government is at least in control. That's much more than can be said for the previous Labor administration.

Have you just done graveyard shift number 3 on the trot ?

My advice would be to not do that sort of stuff long term. They're called graveyard shifts for a reason.
 
sydboy007 said:
126350 issued for 2012-13 up from 125070 the previous year.

Top industries: Accommodation & food (12.9% or over 16000) , Media, telecomms, healthcare, construction.

Don't know about you, but I've never though you needed a degree to serve food.

I work in the telecomms industry and there's not a lot of opportunities at the moment, yet over 12000 457 Visas issues just last year.

So do you agree with the Abott Government changes to:

* allow an unlimited level of 457 visas to be applied for each year
* provide no financial penalty if an employer highers multiple times as many 457 visa workers as they claimed they would
* watered down advertising of positions so that a 1 day "advertisement" on a company facebook page would be deemed acceptable

Call me parochial, call me racist if you like, but I think there should be a legal requirement to higher an appropriately skilled Aussie over a foreign worker. No IFs or BUTs.

Abbott is trying to have his workchoices cake by creating higher supply of labour to suppress wages, doubly worse during an economic decline, while claiming to keep his pre-election promise of not making any changes to work place laws. I can assure you if he had told the electorate of his plans it would have been a big voter changer for many Australians.
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Actually Syd, what Noco say's is actually correct.
There is a massive shortage of workers prepared to work in isolated regions, that was why Labor gave Gina permission to use overseas workers at Roy Hill mine.
I can understand your personal unhappiness with the 457's, many are being brought in to fill a void in the telecommunications and IT field. I think a lot of this is done by the telcos to avoid having to pay Telstra for fault repairs.
It wouldn't matter who is in government, this is the way the World has gone, it is in its infancy here.
The German car manufacturers have been using Turks, in a similar manner for decades,
 
Calliope said:
I apologize Plod for leaving you out.:D
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Accepted Calliope,

Dont, worry noco has it all worked out for the short term.

The growing world wide problem of climate and refugees will not go away by pretending and building barriers.

There is no real government.
 
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