Tony Abbott for PM

[nulla nulla]

Tony Abbotts comment about Treasury being unable to understand the coalition costings, in response to the independants request that both parties submit their costings to treasury, was yet another gaff.
What is he trying to hide?

 

[sails]

Tony Abbotts comment about Treasury being unable to understand the coalition costings, in response to the independants request that both parties submit their costings to treasury, was yet another gaff.
What is he trying to hide?

IMO Tony doesn't appear to be trying to hide anything as the three independents are welcome to see his professionally prepared independent costings.

Abbott's knockers are conveniently leaving out the fact that someone from treasury apparently leaked the first costings and there were calls for the federal police to investigate. If so, it would seem reasonable and fair that Abbott doesn't trust treasury until this is sorted out.

I also think it is good to see one leader standing up for what they believe is right as opposed to the grovelling that appears to be going on in the other camp.

 

[nioka]

Maybe Tony Abbott doesnt want to win government. It may be good politics on his part to let Gillard try and maintain a government with a minority and fail. I cant see him controling Katter, the new WA Nat or the new green MP let alone the senate. Maybe he will not be in control of his own party or the Nats.

 

[Calliope]

Maybe Tony Abbott doesnt want to win government. It may be good politics on his part to let Gillard try and maintain a government with a minority and fail. I cant see him controling Katter, the new WA Nat or the new green MP let alone the senate. Maybe he will not be in control of his own party or the Nats.

Yes.The wise thing to do would be to let Gillard have these three (or four) grandstanding blackmailers. They would be another albatross to hang round her long neck.

 

[todster]

IMO Tony doesn't appear to be trying to hide anything as the three independents are welcome to see his professionally prepared independent costings.

Abbott's knockers are conveniently leaving out the fact that someone from treasury apparently leaked the first costings and there were calls for the federal police to investigate. If so, it would seem reasonable and fair that Abbott doesn't trust treasury until this is sorted out.

I also think it is good to see one leader standing up for what they believe is right as opposed to the grovelling that appears to be going on in the other camp.

And apparently the leak showed a bit of a hole!

 

[Mofra]

I also think it is good to see one leader standing up for what they believe is right as opposed to the grovelling that appears to be going on in the other camp.

Totally agree - Abbott's quick backflip on his broadband policy contrats heavily with Gillard standing firm on the Mining Tax :

 

[sails]

And apparently the leak showed a bit of a hole!

We don't know if it was a real hole or made to look like a hole.

If Swan was the leak, his abilities to add up seem to be quite questionable IMO.

Totally agree - Abbott's quick backflip on his broadband policy contrats heavily with Gillard standing firm on the Mining Tax :

No worries, Mofra. We can agree to disagree on the better leader...

However, time will tell how much Gillard will have to water down her mining tax or Abbott will have to re-define broadband policy.

I'm not against the NBN - just concerned at the present government's ability to manage anything let alone such a large and costly infrastructure. Personally, I would have more confidence in the coalition to perform proper costings and feasibiity studies prior to entering into such a scheme.

 

[todster]

So is it Treasury leaks or telling porkies?

 

[sails]

So is it Treasury leaks or telling porkies?

Both are unacceptable...

 

[drsmith]

So is it Treasury leaks or telling porkies?

The Coalition was sticking to it's estimates of cost savings from scrapping the NBN post the leak.

http://www.liberal.org.au/~/media/Files/Policies and Media/Economy/Australias Future Policy.ashx

I suspect Tony Abbott is cautiously backing away. Unlike Tasmania and Western Australia which are effectively alliances between two political parties somewhat alike, the national government will most likely see a rag bag of independents with much more diverse ideological beliefs.

 

[Mofra]

No worries, Mofra. We can agree to disagree on the better leader...

The "less worse" leader is a better way of putting it IMO

However, time will tell how much Gillard will have to water down her mining tax or Abbott will have to re-define broadband policy.

They'll both have to make some amendments - Rudd had too much of apersonal stake in Mining tax to make any concessions to at least someone "less bad" than Rudd has that flexibility.

I'm not against the NBN - just concerned at the present government's ability to manage anything let alone such a large and costly infrastructure. Personally, I would have more confidence in the coalition to perform proper costings and feasibiity studies prior to entering into such a scheme.

Only 4% of such projects worldwide (at least when I studied these sorts of things) came in on time and on budget. I'm just happy that there is one spark of grand planning for Australia amongst the sea of beige that otherwise characterises our representatives at the moment.

There are some smart cookies that have been hired by NBN Co at least so the delivery of the project should go a little better than anything rolled out by beaucracies alone.

 

[derty]

I'm not against the NBN - just concerned at the present government's ability to manage anything let alone such a large and costly infrastructure. Personally, I would have more confidence in the coalition to perform proper costings and feasibiity studies prior to entering into such a scheme.

As much as I am keen for the NBN to go ahead - I don't have confidence either party has shown they can manage the project. Labor only have their current ineptitude to place on the table and I can't really think of any large public infrastructure projects the Liberals undertook during the Howard years (despite the economy awash with cash) that would allow them to claim any project management superiority. So the choices are tweedle dum or tweedle dee.

 

[sails]

The "less worse" leader is a better way of putting it IMO

Yes, better worded...lol

There are some smart cookies that have been hired by NBN Co at least so the delivery of the project should go a little better than anything rolled out by beaucracies alone.

If labor get in and go ahead with NBN, I sincerely hope you are right, Mofra. Australia doesn't need a monumental debacle and waste of tax payers funds.

I'm not against borrowing either, but I am against putting Australia into debt for badly managed projects that may not necessarily produce an adequate return on such hefty borrowings.

 

[sails]

As much as I am keen for the NBN to go ahead - I don't have confidence either party has shown they can manage the project. Labor only have their current ineptitude to place on the table and I can't really think of any large public infrastructure projects the Liberals undertook during the Howard years (despite the economy awash with cash) that would allow them to claim any project management superiority. So the choices are tweedle dum or tweedle dee.

The difference I see is that one managed to provide a surplus while the other savaged it in a couple of years and now has this country paying heavily in interest.

I see a big difference in their fiscal management. Not that either side is perfect, but the differences are hard to ignore. Just my opinions, of course...

 

[trainspotter]

Point of order: Labor claims credit for Howard work

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-for-howard-work/story-e6frg6nf-1225791517809

The minister said the government had completed 32 large-scale projects in its first two years in office, slightly modifying a claim in parliament last week that the government had "announced, built, completed" the 32 projects. Asked yesterday to name the 32 projects, Mr Albanese produced a list of 29 road and rail projects from all Australian states.

But Mr Truss said at least 22 of the claimed projects had been announced, commenced or even completed by the Howard government.

"The biggest infrastructure reform that this government has undertaken is to rename a number of successful Coalition programs or shuffle funding around others," Mr Truss said.

Last night, Mr Albanese's spokesman said Labor had never claimed to have originated all of the projects, only to have delivered them.

 

[derty]

The difference I see is that one managed to provide a surplus while the other savaged it in a couple of years and now has this country paying heavily in interest.

Though that needs to be placed in the context that one had the fortuity to be at the helm during one of the largest booms on record and the other took over as we entered the largest crash since 1929. Surpluses and deficits would be expected in both cases. A monkey could have delivered a surplus during the resources boom.

 

[trainspotter]

Though that needs to be placed in the context that one had the fortuity to be at the helm during one of the largest booms on record and the other took over as we entered the largest crash since 1929. Surpluses and deficits would be expected in both cases. A monkey could have delivered a surplus during the resources boom.

Are we in a resources boom now? How are the monkeys at the helm doing now?

 

[sails]

Though that needs to be placed in the context that one had the fortuity to be at the helm during one of the largest booms on record and the other took over as we entered the largest crash since 1929. Surpluses and deficits would be expected in both cases. A monkey could have delivered a surplus during the resources boom.

The Howard govt had their share of negative world events as well, but still managed to control Australia's finances in a positive manner.

And they ALLOWED the miners to remain profitable without taxing them into oblivion or pushing them to take their profits off shore. Huge difference in fiscal management IMO.

 

[drsmith]

A very strained expression on TA face and BK looks like he wants to punch him on the nose. The other two are not exactly smiling for the cameras either.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...-costings-stance/story-fn59niix-1225910356090

I would suggest a 90% chance that the independents will back the ALP and a carbon tax will at least be legislated during this term (Julia Gillard two evenings before the election) or implemented (Bob Brown - Greens). Cheque book politics will most likely buy off Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie. That will give the ALP/Greens/Independents 77 seats assuming the Coalition win 73.

It will be an unstable alliance and the independents may get slaughtered at the next election (depending on how the government performs), but that's not the major party's problem.

 

[derty]

The Howard govt had their share of negative world events as well, but still managed to control Australia's finances in a positive manner.

And they ALLOWED the miners to remain profitable without taxing them into oblivion or pushing them to take their profits off shore. Huge difference in fiscal management IMO.

I'm not saying that Labor are doing a good job or that I agree with their current policies - I don't. I was just putting into context the relative economic climates and how I do not think that it can be claimed that the current Liberal party, based on this, would be a better manager of infrastructure projects than the current Labor clowns.