The Abbott Government

[noco]

I have issue with blaming Labor for future deficits. Other's have blamed labor for not making changes to the tax system to spend within their means. The falling ToT and the plunge in Govt revenue from the GFC and far too many tax cuts (labor should never have tried to out bid Howard in the 07 election) are not relevant in the debt and deficit discussion. So the ball is in the Abbott Govt court, and so far they seemed to have dropped it big time.

I seem to remember the coalition saying they could have run surpluses every year Labor was in office, yet it's looking like the deficit this FY might be one of the largest in Australian history. Might even beat last years inflated deficit depending on if China can resist kicking the can down the road.

If the Govt had been offering decent policy and tax reform, I'd be behind them and telling the senate to get out of the way. But so far there's been very little fair and meaningful reform. Youth unemployment should be a nation shame already, yet you support the Govt forcing the under 30s to try and live for 6 months with no income. That's not the kind of Australia I want us to become. We're already too much like the USA. Turning our backs on those who can't find a job in recessionary conditions, and with 14% youth unemployment that's the only way you can describe the current situation. Currently there's something like 7 unemployed for every job vacancy, yet the Govt wants the unemployed to send off 40 job applications a month. Who comes's up witht hat kind of idiotic policy? No need to do a but Labor rant. That's the past. What's Abbott going to do about the here and now and immediate future to the next election?

The GP co payment was poorly targeted. Tighten it up and it might be useful, but forget the medical slush fund and use the money to reduce the deficit. Making the universities like the USA is also not the way to go. The brownstone Unis will charge as much as they can, like the Ivy league colleges do in the USA, while the rest of the unis will bump their fees up as well. There's already not enough nurses and teachers studying. Making the economics even worse for those careers is just plain stupid.

Hockey's ending the age of entitlement made me hope we were going to see some meaningful reform in the current budget. There's nothing in it that's going to help make the tax system more efficient and fairer.

if Hockey does nothing after the MYEFO is released, he needs to resign and get someone in who's willing to put some hard work in to begin treasurer. A few more % of debt to GDP and we'll probably be on negative watch from at least S&P who have already said 30% is the point of a downgrade for Australia. Interest rates will be rising before then and the support the Govt balance sheet has given the banks will be gone. I fear we might have to get to that banana republic moment before the political class starts to take some serious action.

\
Your argument is very weak.....you lefties just won't accept the Green/Labor left wing socialist wrecked the economy, they are sabotaging the recovery, they have no policies of their own on how fix their own mess, they won't even support their own $6 billion cuts and now you expect Abbott to turn things around in 14 months.

The figures are there for all to plainly see.

How about becoming realistic and admit to the massive Green/Labor mismanagement in 2007/2013 which is the reason why we find ourselves in the current situation.

Get those bloody minded left wing socialists to show some national interest for a change instead of trying to make a bad situation worse..

 

[sptrawler]

coz none of you wowsers seem to be able to break the shackles of your parent's political bias and subservience

If anyone seems to be shackled by blind bias, it would appear to be yourself.

There seems to be plenty of coalition voters on here, being critical of the governments performance.

It just lacks the venom against Abbott, I for one, have never seen or heard him ranting and swearing in anger.
Which Rudd did on numerous occassions, one such occassion, targeted at a service woman on a plane.

I haven't seen him make a venemous unfounded personal attack on the world stage, to bolster his standing, by playing the gender card.
As Gillard did.

Can you highlight one occassion where Abbott has verbally abused anyone?
Everytime I've seen or heard him, he appears to disslike confontation, as it was with the Allan Jones interview.

If anything, I think he is too curteous.

As I said in an earlier post, he needs to grow a pair, or move over and let someone else have a go.

Your constant personal attack on him, seems to undermine your arguements, as they are immediately seen as biased.

Anyway back to matters of politics and policy.

 

[Smurf1976]

Meanwhile, in the real world, the house is on fire whilst the children in Canberra argue about whose fault it is.

Did the fire start because someone ran around throwing kerosene everywhere?

Or did the fire start because someone else lit a match and dropped it amidst the kero?

Either way, the place is burning and we'd be wise to focus on putting the fire out whilst there's still something left to burn.

 

[Calliope]

As I said in an earlier post, he needs to grow a pair, or move over and let someone else have a go.

He keeps digging himself into bigger holes. All he had to do yesterday in parliament was get up and say;

"Yes, I made a stupid election promise which on mature reflection I realised was unsupportable".

I think now would be a good time for him to swap jobs with Julie Bishop. I think he would make an adequate Foreign Minister. After all he has made so many "best friends" in the Asian Pacific region, excluding Obama.

 

[orr]

whilst there's still something left to burn.

Coal??? the furniture?? ahh... the unemployed youth....... no correlation with expotentiial increase in 'ice' use of course; along with ruining good sets of young kidneys for a lot of over padded old farts. se' la vie............

 

[Julia]

If anyone seems to be shackled by blind bias, it would appear to be yourself.

There seems to be plenty of coalition voters on here, being critical of the governments performance.

It just lacks the venom against Abbott, I for one, have never seen or heard him ranting and swearing in anger.
Which Rudd did on numerous occassions, one such occassion, targeted at a service woman on a plane.

I haven't seen him make a venemous unfounded personal attack on the world stage, to bolster his standing, by playing the gender card.
As Gillard did.

Can you highlight one occassion where Abbott has verbally abused anyone?
Everytime I've seen or heard him, he appears to disslike confontation, as it was with the Allan Jones interview.

If anything, I think he is too curteous.

As I said in an earlier post, he needs to grow a pair, or move over and let someone else have a go.

Your constant personal attack on him, seems to undermine your arguments, as they are immediately seen as biased.

I do agree. Tisme, your attacks are particularly personal and vicious. Reading your words it feels to me as though you are spitting venom at the screen.

And your assumptions about your fellow ASF members are often gratuitously nasty and absolutely presumptuous, viz as example

My internet posts on this board must be getting through to him, coz none of you wowsers seem to be able to break the shackles of your parent's political bias and subservience

This apparently with reference to Malcolm Turnbull.

1. You have no idea whether any of us may have contacted Mr Turnbull and/or what suggestions we may have made to him.

2. You have no idea about any bias or otherwise that may or may not have existed in any of our parents.

3. You have no basis whatsoever for suggesting 'subservience' on the part of anyone.

4. What gives you the right to address your fellow members as 'wowsers'? You seem to believe that being an anonymous contributor on an internet forum confers on you the right to vituperative commentary toward others. No wonder people stop contributing.

I love it when pollies get a serve for distortion of truth (lying)

No, you love it when the people you loathe and detest get a serve for anything at all, regardless of whether or not it's justified.

 

[Calliope]

Excellent post Julia. Right on the ball.

 

[SirRumpole]

Hi Joe,

Is there a "tongue in cheek" icon anywhere ?

 

[sptrawler]

Meanwhile, in the real world, the house is on fire whilst the children in Canberra argue about whose fault it is.

Did the fire start because someone ran around throwing kerosene everywhere?

Or did the fire start because someone else lit a match and dropped it amidst the kero?

Either way, the place is burning and we'd be wise to focus on putting the fire out whilst there's still something left to burn.

Too true smurph, whoever is in power is going to have to make some very unpopular decissions.

Labor may well catch the fire, when it is well established.

 

[sydboy007]

\
Your argument is very weak.....you lefties just won't accept the Green/Labor left wing socialist wrecked the economy, they are sabotaging the recovery, they have no policies of their own on how fix their own mess, they won't even support their own $6 billion cuts and now you expect Abbott to turn things around in 14 months.

The figures are there for all to plainly see.

How about becoming realistic and admit to the massive Green/Labor mismanagement in 2007/2013 which is the reason why we find ourselves in the current situation.

Get those bloody minded left wing socialists to show some national interest for a change instead of trying to make a bad situation worse..

* The Abbott Govt was in office for nearly 2/3s of the previous budget. They didn't make any changes to it accept to add $8B+ in borrowings which they have to the RBA

* The current budget is all the Abbott Govts. The adults are in charge Noco. Read the memo. When the MYEFO is released showing the Hockey projected deficit is going to balloon by billions I hope you'll give him the same lecturing that you were so happy to provide to Swan. They'll have to increase the future projected budget deficits as well.

Remember, the Labor deficits were due only to over spending. There is no revenue issue. The ToT is not relevant. Falling iron ore and coal and LNG prices don't affect the budget. Falling worker participation doesn't affect the budget. Aging of the population doesn't either. So the Govt doesn't need to raise taxes. They just have to cut cut cut till they balance the budget. Well at least that's what Tony kept saying while in opposition.

 

[Knobby22]

I think the penny has finally dropped though for Abbott, sydboy.

I look forward to seeing a new Treasurer next year with a "bit of a clue" able to frame a budget that is balanced and able to set Australia on the right course. I am sure they could get stuff through the Senate if they had a decent argument. I don't want to see this government, no matter how much they desrve it, going down as the worst Liberal Government ever. We need them to get their act together for Australia's sake.

From the ABC today.

With only five full sitting days left in the parliamentary year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott was keen to start 2015 on the front foot.

Yesterday, he told Coalition MPs and senators there were one or two "barnacles" on the Government but they would be knocked off by Christmas.

One of those "barnacles" was the $7 GP co-payment, which did not have sufficient support to pass the Senate.

The Government is yet to even introduce legislation to enact the measures in the Lower House and was now unlikely to do so.

Sources had told the ABC the Coalition was "willing to go back to the drawing board".

The Government was also expected to make further changes to its $5.5 billion paid parental leave scheme, a signature policy for Mr Abbott.

 

[sptrawler]

* The Abbott Govt was in office for nearly 2/3s of the previous budget. They didn't make any changes to it accept to add $8B+ in borrowings which they have to the RBA

* The current budget is all the Abbott Govts. The adults are in charge Noco. Read the memo. When the MYEFO is released showing the Hockey projected deficit is going to balloon by billions I hope you'll give him the same lecturing that you were so happy to provide to Swan. They'll have to increase the future projected budget deficits as well.

Remember, the Labor deficits were due only to over spending. There is no revenue issue. The ToT is not relevant. Falling iron ore and coal and LNG prices don't affect the budget. Falling worker participation doesn't affect the budget. Aging of the population doesn't either. So the Govt doesn't need to raise taxes. They just have to cut cut cut till they balance the budget. Well at least that's what Tony kept saying while in opposition.

Well they certainly have their 'feet under the table' now, the disasterous passage of the last budget has to be addressed.
It will be interesting to see how Abbott addresses the situation, and if he has learnt anything from his term in government so far.
IMO if he doesn't address the constant barrage of criticism, with some serious 'nation building' dialogue and hollistic policy, he will be flipped before the next election.

He needs to get over the mister nice guy approach, he hasn't got the charisma.
IMO he needs to start and act as people percieve him, hard no nonsense and to the point.

 

[IFocus]

I think the penny has finally dropped though for Abbott, sydboy.

I look forward to seeing a new Treasurer next year with a "bit of a clue" able to frame a budget that is balanced and able to set Australia on the right course. I am sure they could get stuff through the Senate if they had a decent argument. I don't want to see this government, no matter how much they desrve it, going down as the worst Liberal Government ever. We need them to get their act together for Australia's sake.

[/I]

By all accounts Abbott was heavily involved in the drafting of the budget hence I suspect its heavy ideological bent rather than a real plan to tackle the on going fall in revenue.

What is interesting Abbott has said no changes to the cabinet until the end of next year note the cabinet or front bench hasn't changed in 5 years, historic apparently never been done before by any party.

When will the back bench rebellion start or do the right still have an iron grip on power?

 

[sptrawler]

By all accounts Abbott was heavily involved in the drafting of the budget hence I suspect its heavy ideological bent rather than a real plan to tackle the on going fall in revenue.

What is interesting Abbott has said no changes to the cabinet until the end of next year note the cabinet or front bench hasn't changed in 5 years, historic apparently never been done before by any party.

When will the back bench rebellion start or do the right still have an iron grip on power?

That's interesting, I don't know how long Christian Porter, will sit quietly.

Here is a Paul Sheehan article on him.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/chris...ias-future-prime-minister-20131211-2z6bx.html

He was certainly a standout, in W.A politics.

 

[banco]

He needs to get over the mister nice guy approach, he hasn't got the charisma.
IMO he needs to start and act as people percieve him, hard no nonsense and to the point.

Do you want his approval ratings to really crater?

 

[Knobby22]

By all accounts Abbott was heavily involved in the drafting of the budget hence I suspect its heavy ideological bent rather than a real plan to tackle the on going fall in revenue.

What is interesting Abbott has said no changes to the cabinet until the end of next year note the cabinet or front bench hasn't changed in 5 years, historic apparently never been done before by any party.

When will the back bench rebellion start or do the right still have an iron grip on power?

It is bemusing. I didn't realise that the cabinet and the front bench had not changed over such a large period.
If Maggie Thatcher was in charge, she would have sacked half of them by now, as she did with the Tory's. It appears Abbott isn't much of a leader. He won't last till August if he doesn't make some changes.

 

[boofhead]

Maybe the lack of needed changes in positions is a sign of the fragility of internal party politics. Abbott, Turnball and Hockey had some close contests for leadership then add in more openly far more right leaning politicians like Bernardi etc. maybe there is a bit of gunpower and Abbott is running around putting out the party fires instead of the national fires.

 

[noco]

Well they certainly have their 'feet under the table' now, the disasterous passage of the last budget has to be addressed.
It will be interesting to see how Abbott addresses the situation, and if he has learnt anything from his term in government so far.
IMO if he doesn't address the constant barrage of criticism, with some serious 'nation building' dialogue and hollistic policy, he will be flipped before the next election.

He needs to get over the mister nice guy approach, he hasn't got the charisma.
IMO he needs to start and act as people percieve him, hard no nonsense and to the point.

Abbott, as you say is too nicer a guy.......he is well educated......he knows what has to be done to fix the economy of Australia, but lacks that killer instinct neede in a leader.

He needs the charisma of Pierce Brosnan, the comedy of Bob Hope and some of the thuggery of the Green/Labor CFMEU.

Wow, what a combination.......but it ain't gonna happen.....with Abbott, it is what you see is what you get.

 

[noco]

Janet Albrechtsen, has some good advice for Tony Abbott.

He must confess to his broken promises or face a further drop in the polls...He has little alternative...just do it before the end of this parliament session or else he will hear about it from Labor right through the Xmas break and thereafter..

Maybe he fears more ridicule and then his position as PM becomes more untenable.......Better to bear the pain now than the shame later....the longer he leaves it go, the worse it will become.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opi...7134824790?sv=1563e87ab7e44ea66931fc943f28a4a

 

[sptrawler]

Meanwhile, in the real world, the house is on fire whilst the children in Canberra argue about whose fault it is.

Did the fire start because someone ran around throwing kerosene everywhere?

Or did the fire start because someone else lit a match and dropped it amidst the kero?

Either way, the place is burning and we'd be wise to focus on putting the fire out whilst there's still something left to burn.

It appears to be very difficult to even identify the fire, let alone fight it.lol

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...ve-7-gp-copayment-policy-20141126-11ul0w.html
This has been the archilles heel, of medicare since its inception. Labor will have to address it, if they attain office.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-...budget-too-hard-too-soon-20141126-11u72n.html

No let's just let the debt blow out, to the point where we are screaming for a bail out.