Joffa
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Quote:Gillard leadership reaches tattered stage DateJuly 19, 2012 - 2:18PM Julia Gillard’s leadership has reached that tattered stage where she is victim to random stirrings. This week, government whip Joel Fitzgibbon set off a new round of speculation when he said, in effect, that unpopular leaders eventually get their come-uppance. Then came a report in The Australian Financial Review that the heavy hitters of the union movement at a meeting on Tuesday canvassed the prospect of Kevin Rudd returning to the leadership. The fact that ACTU secretary Dave Oliver contested the report makes little difference; anything that feeds into leadership talk stirs things along, regardless of the nuances. The central issue at the meeting was getting together a union battle plan -— the plan is for a $2 a head levy on union members. The unions leaders were not primarily concentrated on the leadership, but rather recognising reality. They can read the polls as well as anyone else. It is not so much a matter of actively backing a change — some would be very much against — as knowing that it might well happen. They realise that in the present volatile climate, if things don’t turn up (and few think they will), momentum will gather for the switch. People present did make the point that they don’t want to see an early election. Aware there almost certainly will be a Liberal government, they would like to delay its arrival as long as possible. While they realise a move to Rudd may well occur, they also know that Rudd’s becoming leader would make a premature poll more likely than if Gillard hung on. Key union figures, most notably the Australian Workers’ Union’s Paul Howes, had a prominent role in the coup against Rudd. In February, union support for Gillard was important in ensuring she overwhelmingly trounced Rudd. But in the likely turmoil ahead, Gillard can’t rely on such strong backing from the industrial base. Not that the unions would welcome a return to Rudd. Apart from the prospect that he could have to, or choose to, go to the polls early, they are fully aware that he is less sympathetic to them and their agendas than is Gillard. But though Gillard will have her diehard backers in the union movement, others will take the view that if there is a tide, there is a limit to what can be done to hold it back. While the unions are thinking ahead to the election campaign, their eyes are also scanning the horizon beyond that — how to cope with an Abbott prime ministership. But at least, many of them expect, they may well then have one of their own in the opposition leadership, with Bill Shorten an early favourite for the job. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/gillard-leadership-reaches-tattered-stage-20120719-22bz0.html#ixzz2144EeOHA
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Joffa
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Quote:Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor say any new bid to dump Julia Gillard will mean an early election by: Ben Packham From: The Australian July 20, 2012 KEY independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor have warned they will force an early election if a fresh challenge is mounted against Julia Gillard. Mr Windsor this afternoon followed Mr Oakeshott in placing Kevin Rudd supporters on notice, threatening an early poll unless manoeuvring against Ms Gillard ceased. “A change of leaders would be a high risk strategy that would open up the option of an early election,” said Mr Windsor, the Member for New England. Hours earlier, Mr Oakeshott called on Labor to stop focusing on its political future and get on with governing the country. The warnings will focus the minds of many Labor MPs who know the party is not ready for an election under either Ms Gillard or Mr Rudd. Mr Oakeshott made specific reference to a statement early this week by Labor whip Joel Fitzgibbon, who warned Ms Gillard that “populism matters” in politics, and leaders who remained unpopular would inevitably be replaced. .Mr Oakeshott told The Australian: “I believe strongly in the maxim that the best policy is the best politics. And that, when we get down to it, is why the Prime Minister is the current prime minister. “But if her team seems to follow the Fitzgibbon maxim, that the most popular is the best at politics, then let's have a popularity contest. Let's have the election.” Labor relies on the support of Mr Oakeshott and Mr Windsor to govern. They could force an election at any time by siding with the opposition in a no-confidence motion. Mr Oakeshott's seat is considered the most vulnerable of the independents when an election is called, with the Nationals confident of winning back Lyne, based around Port Macquarie in NSW. “I'll cross that bridge when I get to it,” Mr Oakeshott said of the threat to his parliamentary career. “I don't fear the ballot box.” Rudd supporters say leadership tensions are likely to come to a head when parliament returns next month if Ms Gillard has not lifted the party's primary vote to at least 38 per cent. But the Gillard camp says the leadership question was settled in February, when Ms Gillard won a resounding victory over Mr Rudd in a caucus ballot. Mr Windsor said his position on the leadership had been consistent - that his agreement with Ms Gillard and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan was “not transferrable”. He said “all bets would be off” in his agreement with Labor should Julia Gillard be replaced as Prime Minister. Ms Gillard is under pressure to lift Labor's primary vote in the opinion polls, with some critics predicting a showdown if she fails to make inroads by the resumption of parliament next month. Labor has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars at voters in carbon tax compensation, but the money had so far failed to make an impact on the party's support levels. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/get-on-with-the-job-rob-oakeshott-warns-alp-or-face-an-early-election/story-fn59niix-1226430876206
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Joffa
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Quote:In Biden time, Abbott becomes 'PM' DateJuly 21, 2012 TONY Abbott found himself in pride of place when Labor ministers and opposition frontbenchers attending the Australian American Leadership Dialogue met Vice-President Joe Biden. The Opposition Leader was placed opposite Mr Biden, who made the slip of calling him ''prime minister''. Others attending the meeting, in the Vice-President's residence, were Trade Minister Craig Emerson, Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and former foreign minister Kevin Rudd, plus Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop. It was Ms Bishop's birthday and Mr Biden produced a cake and sang Happy Birthday. Speaking after talks in New York about the international economic situation, Mr Abbott said the world economy ''is quite fragile, confidence is not strong''. ''That just makes me more determined than ever to do what we can in Australia to put our economy in the best possible shape. Fundamentally, that means government living within its means.'' Australia had so many natural advantages and ''we don't want to miss out on all of the success which is potentially ours through political and economic complacency''. He had not been in the US ''to fight the political battles of back home on the streets of New York but, nevertheless, that's always part of the general discussion''. Mr Abbott was careful not to comment on US politics. Asked whether he was endorsing Mitt Romney, he said: ''I'm not here to get involved in US politics. I'm here to learn and I'm here to remind America, to the extent that I can, of the fundamental strengths that they have as a nation and as an inspiration to the rest of the world.'' Mr Abbott will visit Beijing on his way home. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/in-biden-time-abbott-becomes-pm-20120720-22g13.html#ixzz21AlWNnXu
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thupercoach
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With Labor infighting and Green lunacy, Abbott is the only Aussie leader looking statesman-like. An error easily made.
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Joffa
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Quote:'Why do this? No-one likes her' by: By Max Blenkin From: AAP July 21, 2012 6:34PM PRIME Minister Julia Gillard's foray into social media this morning has attracted mixed reviews with her hour-long online question and answer session attracting twice as many dislikes as likes. The experiment prompted criticism from the outset with questions coming only from a panel. One posted comment suggested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, now residing in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to evade extradition to Sweden, might have liked to quiz the PM. An hour after it ended, the replay on YouTube had attracted 242 likes and 519 dislikes. "I don't understand why she is doing this. No-one likes her. How will she benefit from this?" commented one person. In the online Google+ Hangout session organised by Deakin University and Fairfax media, who selected the questioners, Ms Gillard, appearing from her office by webcam, responded to questions on a variety of topics. They included education and health policy, the carbon tax, suicide, jobs, defence force superannuation and asylum seekers. Some would have had the boffins boxed. "By how much, measured in thousandths of a degree celsius, will the earth's temperature be reduced through the carbon tax?" was one question. Ms Gillard said the world on present projections was heading for rising temperatures and she wished she could do something to make a dramatic difference. "It's not going to be like that. What the world is actually needing to do together is to moderate the rate of increase," she said. Australia's contribution could best be measured by how many tonnes of carbon dioxide would not be released into the atmosphere and by 2020 that would be 160 million tonnes, she said. Then there was the gay marriage question, asked by 25-year-old gay man Shane Bazzi. He asked Ms Gillard, an unmarried atheist, to explain her opposition to same-sex marriage. "Almost equal is not good enough," he said. Ms Gillard said heterosexual relationships were not valued more than same-sex relationships. "My relationship should be valued and I'm not married," she said, adding that her opposition to gay marriage stemmed from her personal view of the cultural status of marriage. On a lighter note, Ms Gillard mused on what made her happy. "I'm happy when I feel like I am achieving things," she said. "We can point to achievements in schools and health and jobs and many areas." Ms Gillard said in her personal life it was about family and friends. "Getting to spend some time with Tim, with mates and just doing all the things people usually do when they are trying to wind down a bit," she said. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/why-is-she-doing-this-no-one-likes-her/story-e6freuy9-1226431585087
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Joffa
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Quote:Labor shading Greens in photo finish DateJuly 22, 2012 LABOR has all but claimed victory in a tightly fought Melbourne byelection last night, despite a massive swing to the Greens. Labor last night had a lead of 754 votes on the two party preferred count with 66 per cent of votes counted and a number of postal and pre-poll ballots still on the table. But Labor sources said they were quietly confident they would hold on with postals appearing to swing their way. The Greens signalled they may still call for a recount if the vote is close after provisional votes are validated and a recheck occurs on Monday, meaning a result might not be known until mid week. Advertisement Late last night Labor led the Greens 51.38 per cent to 48.26 per cent on a two party-preferred basis, representing a swing of almost 5 per cent to the minor party. State Labor leader Daniel Andrews told the faithful at the Flemington-Kensington Bowls Club last night the result was too close to call but the party had run a strong postals campaign. ''Whilst we're not in a position to declare victory, many, many people did not think we would be in this competitive a position this late into this evening,'' he said, to cheers. Labor's candidate Jennifer Kanis told the crowd ''what a terrific position to be in tonight, we haven't quite got over the line but I would much rather be in our position.'' Acting federal Greens leader Adam Bandt told party supporters at the Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne that ''Melbourne has turned Green'' after the party soundly beat Labor on first preference votes 36.37 per cent to 33.22 per cent with 66 per cent of the count completed. ''It will go down to the last vote,'' Mr Bandt said. ''That huge swing with Melbourne turning Green means the only way Labor can win is if their preference deals with the likes of Family First get them over the line.'' Greens candidate Cathy Oke told the audience the party had run a ''positive campaign' based on the issues the electorate cares about. A win for Labor will come as a relief for the state party, but it is unlikely to take the heat off Prime Minister Julia Gillard, whose performance many in the ALP blame for the swing against it last night. The ALP has held Melbourne since 1908 except for a brief period following the Labor split in the 1950s. It won the seat at the 2010 state election with 6.2 per cent margin. A spokeswoman for the Victorian Electoral Commission said counting of postal and pre-poll votes would continue last night. The commission will do a recheck of the count on Monday and then count late arriving postals on Tuesday. Despite falling behind the Greens on primary votes in the seat for the first time in its history, Labor enjoyed the lion's share of preferences from a number of smaller parties and conservative candidates. Last night the Australian Sex Party, which preferenced Labor, polled third with 6.61 per cent of votes, with prominent independent Stephen Mayne polling 4.75 per cent, and Liberal-leaning independent David Nolte coming in fifth on 4.7 per cent. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/labor-shading-greens-in-photo-finish-20120721-22ha5.html#ixzz21Ge4vxJk
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Joffa
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Quote:I'm not leaving: Gillard squelches leadership noise DateJuly 22, 2012 JULIA Gillard has signalled she has no intention of quitting the prime ministership, telegraphing to her enemies in Labor ranks that she plans to stay firmly in the top job. Asked about the leadership issue, which arose again last week as key Gillard backers were spied in talks with the man she deposed - Kevin Rudd - at this week's annual leaders dialogue in the US, Ms Gillard was blunt after her first Google+ ''hangout'' yesterday. ''You'll see me as Prime Minister for another Google+ hangout in 2013,'' she told The Sunday Age. Leadership chatter reignited last week after chief government Whip Joel Fitzgibbon mused publicly that leaders with prolonged bouts of poor polling didn't tend to last, before key union figures backed Ms Gillard yesterday. Advertisement Answering questions from the public in the Google+ hangout, Ms Gillard remained adamant she won't be taking her cue from Barack Obama's ''evolution'' on gay marriage, reaffirming her ''deeply held'' opposition to same-sex couples tying the knot. Her answer elicited a condemnation from Shane Bazzi, the young gay man whose question won the public poll to quiz Ms Gillard in the online video chat, which was co-hosted by The Sunday Age. ''Just so long as you remember that you'll be on the wrong side of history,'' Mr Bazzi said. In the hour-long broadcast, Ms Gillard fielded questions from the public - some live, others recorded - on school funding, military pensions, obesity, jobs, school chaplains, asylum seekers, the carbon tax, racism, and male suicide. Musing on whether she was happy, the Prime Minister told 21,000 people viewing the live session - her latest foray into social media - that she drew satisfaction at work from getting things done. ''I'm happy when I feel like I'm achieving things,'' she said. In her personal life, happiness revolved around family and friends. ''Getting to spend some time with [partner Tim Mathieson], with mates and just doing all the things people usually do when they are trying to wind down a bit.'' The experiment drew mixed reviews, generating twice as many ''dislikes'' as ''likes'' from YouTube viewers in the first hour after it aired. Some congratulated the PM for engaging in social media, others accused her of not answering some questions. Pressed on gay marriage, Ms Gillard told Mr Bazzi she did value people in same-sex relationships but ''I've got a view about the cultural status of marriage in our society''. ''You don't agree with me, a lot of other people don't agree with me, and you've pointed to opinion polls about all of this, but for me, politics isn't about making decisions based on opinion polls, it's about making decisions that you feel are right.'' In May, the US President, who had previously declared the same view as Ms Gillard, confirmed an ''evolution'' driven by thinking about close friends and staffers who were in loving, gay relationships and raising children with their partners. Ms Gillard also has close friends and colleagues in long-term same-sex relationships raising children. ''President Obama did change his mind and he's explained his personal journey and I'm a huge respecter of President Obama, and I very much value his wisdom and views,'' she said. ''I do have a different view and I'll be called on to exercise [it] not in the long distant future, but in the Parliament this year.'' On other questions chosen by public polling, Ms Gillard rejected a call from Defence Force Welfare Association president David Jamison to lift the indexation rate for military pensions, arguing it would cost $6 billion and had not been recommended to the government. And she disappointed Atheist Foundation of Australia president David Nicholls by standing firm on supporting federal funding for school chaplains. While not unveiling any more detail of how Labor will tackle a call for a $5-billion-a-year injection of funds for schools, targeted towards the most disadvantaged children, Ms Gillard confirmed the government would unveil its plans ''well before the end of this year''. ''I'm not going to rest as Prime Minister whilst it's true that a kid from a poor home is getting less of an education than a kid from a wealthier home,'' she said. Though the issue of leadership was not raised in the hangout, one Labor MP yesterday declared that current opinion polling ''utterly terrifies me''. ''It appears the Labor caucus waits on an empty beach, listless and in denial, as the tide is sucked out and the fish die before our eyes, with an electoral tsunami surging towards us,'' Nick Champion wrote on The Drum website. ''Opinion polls are not predictions of the future. Rather, they are warnings issued by the public in real time, unvarnished feedback for the political class isolated in Canberra far away from suburban Australia,'' he wrote. But Mr Champion said the saving grace in the polls for Labor was that Australians were ''profoundly disturbed'' by the prospect of Tony Abbott becoming prime minister. ''To imagine his prime ministership is to imagine a weird combination of B. A. Santamaria, Richard Nixon and Tarzan running the country,'' he wrote. The Google+ hangout was jointly presented by The Sunday Age, Google, Deakin University and Our Say. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/im-not-leaving-gillard-squelches-leadership-noise-20120721-22h71.html#ixzz21IxOHeeg Edited by Joffa: 22/7/2012 10:00:34 AM
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Joffa
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Quote:Kevin Rudd sets the cops on Prime Minister Julia Gillard by: Samantha Maiden From: The Sunday Telegraph July 22, 2012 KEVIN Rudd has called in police to investigate allegations that a bizarre video leaked during the leadership contest was posted anonymously by the Gillard camp. Senior Labor sources have predicted police are moving closer to unlocking the mystery of the leaked video, confirming Mr Rudd is co-operating with the investigation. But Mr Rudd would not disclose to The Sunday Telegraph whether he triggered the AFP probe himself with a formal complaint to police on the security breach in the prime minister's office. "Consistent with Mr Rudd's past practice, he does not comment in any respect on Australian Federal Police investigations," a spokesman said. The expletive-laden video was recorded in the prime minister's office when he was Labor leader and then leaked at the height of leadership speculation this year. Labor sources predicted the AFP was closer to unlocking the mystery of the leaked video and tracking the computer used to post it on YouTube. While Ms Gillard and her office have expressly denied any involvement as "completely untrue", the video leak remains widely regarded in Labor circles as no accident, but a secret weapon by her backers to attack Mr Rudd. "It has such explosive implications. They will find out who did it. I am very confident. Someone's got the source material," a senior Labor figure said yesterday. Ms Gillard's office has previously confirmed it did not refer the video leak to police. Earlier this year, the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ian Watt, said a review "found no evidence that the video out-takes, or the finalised video message from which they arose, were ever on the Prime Minister and Cabinet's ICT system". Mr Rudd said at the time of the leak: "Anyone who's got a touch of suspicion about them would say that if this was done, somewhat embarrassingly, a couple of years ago and it suddenly emerges now, then obviously it's a little bit on the unusual side. "These sort of edited off-takes we always assume are just destroyed at the time - obviously these either have found their way into some archival storage somewhere in the PMO (prime minister's office) or into a government department," Mr Rudd said. He continues to raise eyebrows on his leadership ambitions as he commented in a glossy spread in this month's Australian Women's Weekly featuring his first grandchild, Josephine Tse. Commenting on his aspirations, he said: "Oh definitely, that's who I am. You gotta be who you are." But the conservative union leader Joe De Bruyn, who attended a dinner at the Lodge with Ms Gillard on Friday, predicted Mr Rudd would never be Labor leader again. 'He won't be. Because no one wants it to happen. Except perhaps, Kevin," he said. An AFP spokesperson confirmed police were investigating a referral received about the video leak on March 14. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/kevin-rudd-sets-the-cops-on-prime-minister-julia-gillard/story-e6freuy9-1226431655585
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Joffa
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Quote:Tony's sensible centre is a chocolate-wrapped deceit by: Paul Howes From: The Sunday Telegraph July 22, 2012 THERE'S a new phrase entering the political lexicon: "sensible centre". It's Tony Abbott's new favourite saying. Apparently, the "pendulum" has "swung too far" away from the "sensible centre". What I'd like to ask Abbott is this: Who is being paid too much? What conditions of which workers do you think overly generous? What would you like to cut first? Penalty rates? Overtime? Annual leave entitlements? Of course, Abbott will never tell, at least not before the election. The Liberals learnt that the hard way.There's been a lot of talk this week about the union movement's plans for a fighting fund for the next election. Unions are preparing to fight hard because there is so much at stake. As ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said this week: "We are talking about security of workers' entitlements. "We're talking about secure jobs. We're talking about proper industry policy, such as in the automotive industry. All these things are happening and we are supportive of all of that." And when you have an opposition which has started to come out of the closet on its plans to rip away at workers' rights it is, of course, natural for unions - the guardians of such rights - to defend our members. This week I was in the United States attending the Australian American Leadership Dialogue. I spoke with a number of labour market economists who talked in great detail about the stagnation of the working conditions of middle class Americans. One of the big differences between Australian and American workplaces is the comparative weakness of the US union movement coupled with an extremely deregulated labour market. Since 2003 it's estimated that the median hourly pay rate fell 2 per cent (after inflation). The Australian perspective is quite the opposite. Over the past decade, real wages have grown in our country by almost 57 per cent, and our economy is still the envy of the world. The challenges facing the US economy and the strength of ours comprehensibly demonstrates the hollowness of the argument run by many in the Liberal Party that a completely deregulated labour market is somehow better for the economy. The truth is that conservatives want a deregulated labour market because that's the best way to smash the power of workers. Conservatives talk about the "sensible centre", as though it's something unions are against. It's not. The "sensible centre" is an artificial construct made up by people like Tony Abbott when they're trying to justify cutting wages and conditions. It's nothing more than a hollow attempt to justify cutting workers' rights. Away from all the rhetoric and hyperbole about "union bosses" and "union power", the real issue at stake at the next federal election is the hip pockets of working Australians. Unions want business to do well. Businesses employ workers, and it should be that the better a business does, the better its workers do. Unions, as a part of a civilised society, work best when they're working with this firmly in mind, seeking to better the lives of their members. Because the truth is that unions aren't against the "sensible centre" any more than they're against the clear blue sky. Paul Howes is the national secretary of the AWU http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/tonys-sensible-centre-is-a-chocolate-wrapped-deceit/story-e6freuy9-1226431787432
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Joffa
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Quote:'Disloyal' Labor whips should quit, Mark Latham says by: Lanai Vasek From: The Australian July 22, 2012 12:01PM FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham says Joel Fitzgibbon, Ed Husic and Jill Hall should resign from their positions as government whips if they cannot maintain support for Julia Gillard as Prime Minister. Speaking on Sky News's Australian Agenda program this morning Mr Latham said it was the role of a whip to be loyal to the leader and all three current holders of the position were not performing that duty. "It's a measure of dysfunction in the Labor government that its three whips in the House of Representatives Fitzgibbon, Hall and Husic are all supporting Rudd and are working against the Prime Minister," Mr Latham said. "They should resign. If they were people of honour they would hand in the extra salary they get in that position and say I can't discharge my main responsibility of being loyal to the leader of the party and they should fall on their sword accordingly. ."There are plenty of people in Canberra who destabilise the leader but we've never had a circumstance where the three whips in the Lower House are all in unison in this rotten task on behalf of Kevin Rudd." Last Monday Mr Fitzgibbon appeared on the ABC's Q&A program and failed to declare support for Julia Gillard. He said political leaders needed to remain popular with voters in order to retain their position. ACTU president Ged Kearney said union leaders discussed Kevin Rudd at a meeting last week. "People would think we were naive and silly not to discuss the political situation of the day," Ms Kearney told the ABC's Insiders program. Ms Kearney said Ms Gillard had implemented good policies and there was "strong support" for her leadership. "Clearly there is very strong support for Julia Gillard as Prime Minister and the policies she's delivered." Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said his support remained with Julia Gillard. "We will not be deterred by bad polling," Senator Conroy told Network Ten's Meet The Press. "Julia Gillard is the Prime Minister and she is going to be the Prime Minister at the next election and any commentary about Kevin Rudd I'll leave that to the commentators." However Senator Conroy said if there was to be a leadership change he would not wish to remain in any senior position in a Rudd-led government. "I've made it clear consistently that if Kevin returned Id be on the backbench and I stand by that position," he said. Greens acting leader Adam Bandt said his party wanted to see Ms Gillard remain Prime Minister for the full term of this parliament. "Our agreement is with Julia Gillard, I signed the agreement with Julia Gillard and it was to run a full term of parliament with her as Prime Minister and I expect that's what will happen," Mr Bandt told Meet The Press. "I think when you look at the comments from some of the crossbenchers in recent days, they are responding to ALP Right powerbrokers who are effectively white-anting the Prime Minister and destabilising (her). " I think they've sent a very clear message that they also want it to run full term with Julia Gillard as Prime Minister." http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/disloyal-labor-whips-should-quit-mark-latham-says/story-fn59niix-1226432035751
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thupercoach
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Joffa wrote:Quote:'Disloyal' Labor whips should quit, Mark Latham says by: Lanai Vasek From: The Australian July 22, 2012 12:01PM FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham says Joel Fitzgibbon, Ed Husic and Jill Hall should resign from their positions as government whips if they cannot maintain support for Julia Gillard as Prime Minister. Speaking on Sky News's Australian Agenda program this morning Mr Latham said it was the role of a whip to be loyal to the leader and all three current holders of the position were not performing that duty. "It's a measure of dysfunction in the Labor government that its three whips in the House of Representatives Fitzgibbon, Hall and Husic are all supporting Rudd and are working against the Prime Minister," Mr Latham said. "They should resign. If they were people of honour they would hand in the extra salary they get in that position and say I can't discharge my main responsibility of being loyal to the leader of the party and they should fall on their sword accordingly. ."There are plenty of people in Canberra who destabilise the leader but we've never had a circumstance where the three whips in the Lower House are all in unison in this rotten task on behalf of Kevin Rudd." Last Monday Mr Fitzgibbon appeared on the ABC's Q&A program and failed to declare support for Julia Gillard. He said political leaders needed to remain popular with voters in order to retain their position. ACTU president Ged Kearney said union leaders discussed Kevin Rudd at a meeting last week. "People would think we were naive and silly not to discuss the political situation of the day," Ms Kearney told the ABC's Insiders program. Ms Kearney said Ms Gillard had implemented good policies and there was "strong support" for her leadership. "Clearly there is very strong support for Julia Gillard as Prime Minister and the policies she's delivered." Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said his support remained with Julia Gillard. "We will not be deterred by bad polling," Senator Conroy told Network Ten's Meet The Press. "Julia Gillard is the Prime Minister and she is going to be the Prime Minister at the next election and any commentary about Kevin Rudd I'll leave that to the commentators." However Senator Conroy said if there was to be a leadership change he would not wish to remain in any senior position in a Rudd-led government. "I've made it clear consistently that if Kevin returned Id be on the backbench and I stand by that position," he said. Greens acting leader Adam Bandt said his party wanted to see Ms Gillard remain Prime Minister for the full term of this parliament. "Our agreement is with Julia Gillard, I signed the agreement with Julia Gillard and it was to run a full term of parliament with her as Prime Minister and I expect that's what will happen," Mr Bandt told Meet The Press. "I think when you look at the comments from some of the crossbenchers in recent days, they are responding to ALP Right powerbrokers who are effectively white-anting the Prime Minister and destabilising (her). " I think they've sent a very clear message that they also want it to run full term with Julia Gillard as Prime Minister." http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/disloyal-labor-whips-should-quit-mark-latham-says/story-fn59niix-1226432035751 Geez this government is an embarrassment - the infighting, the coverups, the shady deals...Bring on the election
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Joffa
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Quote:Mining boom forecast to end in two years DateJuly 23, 2012 "The strong bit of Australia's two-speed economy won't stay strong for more than another two years or so" ... Deloitte Access's report into the Australian state of the economy. AUSTRALIA'S budget surplus has evaporated and its mining investment boom has only two years to run, according to Deloitte Access Economics. The forecast marks a watershed in assessments of Australia's prospects, implying in the words of this morning's Access publication: ''The strong bit of Australia's two-speed economy won't stay strong for more than another two years or so''. Deloitte Access Economics is Australia's leading private-sector budget forecaster, set up by former Treasury economists in 1988 to provide services to both sides of politics. Its report says the mining investment boom will slow more sharply than expected. ''Mining companies are making it clear the current spike in investment is due to decisions taken a while back, whereas we are getting few new mining mega-projects across the line,'' it says. Access stresses its forecast does not present an immediate threat to Australia's economic outlook but it comes after Labor's narrow byelection win in Melbourne in a state poll the Coalition did not contest, further complicating the task of next year's pre-election budget. Access director Chris Richardson said the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, would face difficult decisions when delivering the budget update in November. ''If it shows this year's forecast $1.5 billion budget surplus is no longer there, he will have to decide whether to cut again in order to continue to forecast a surplus. The risk is the cuts will hurt. ''The window dressing in the May budget was designed not to hurt. One of the tricks was to bring spending forward from 2012-13 to 2011-12. It was a popular sleight of hand but it can't be done again. This time he would have to consider delaying payments, and that would be unpopular.'' He also said the carbon tax would have little economic impact. ''It is a far bigger issue politically than economically.'' Mr Swan hailed the Access report as an endorsement of Australia's economic strength, saying it helped show the carbon tax scare campaign ''was nothing more than a fraud''. He took to Twitter using the hashtag #EcoFact to claim that Australia had just passed 21 consecutive years of economic growth. Previously used to denote discussion of ecological matters, the hashtag was taken over by critics who said the economy was in good shape ''despite Labor's efforts'' and that he had broken a promise over the defence budget. Mr Richardson said he had no problems with the government's budget forecasts at the time they were presented. But since then, coal and iron ore prices had turned down and the sharemarket had dived. ''The budget is more exposed to commodity prices than it used to be. They drive profits which drives company tax, but they now also drive takings from the minerals resource rent tax. ''The budget forecast nominal [gross domestic product] growth of 5.5 per cent in 2011-12 and 5 per cent in 2012-13. Our forecasts have it more like 4.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent. Unless there's a fresh turnaround its forecasts won't be met.'' Mr Richardson was unable to predict by how much the budget would undershoot the government's May forecast, saying it was still a ''moving target''. The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, said the budget surplus was under threat ''because it was never real in the first place''. "Labor only forecast a surplus through a cook-the-books budget that was noted more for money shuffles than fiscal responsibility," he said. Mr Richardson said one upside of an early end to the mining investment boom would be lower interest rates. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/mining-boom-forecast-to-end-in-two-years-20120722-22ibe.html#ixzz21OFLFMxd
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batfink
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Joffa wrote:Quote:Mining boom forecast to end in two years DateJuly 23, 2012 "The strong bit of Australia's two-speed economy won't stay strong for more than another two years or so" ... Deloitte Access's report into the Australian state of the economy. AUSTRALIA'S budget surplus has evaporated and its mining investment boom has only two years to run, according to Deloitte Access Economics. The forecast marks a watershed in assessments of Australia's prospects, implying in the words of this morning's Access publication: ''The strong bit of Australia's two-speed economy won't stay strong for more than another two years or so''. Deloitte Access Economics is Australia's leading private-sector budget forecaster, set up by former Treasury economists in 1988 to provide services to both sides of politics. Its report says the mining investment boom will slow more sharply than expected. ''Mining companies are making it clear the current spike in investment is due to decisions taken a while back, whereas we are getting few new mining mega-projects across the line,'' it says. Access stresses its forecast does not present an immediate threat to Australia's economic outlook but it comes after Labor's narrow byelection win in Melbourne in a state poll the Coalition did not contest, further complicating the task of next year's pre-election budget. Access director Chris Richardson said the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, would face difficult decisions when delivering the budget update in November. ''If it shows this year's forecast $1.5 billion budget surplus is no longer there, he will have to decide whether to cut again in order to continue to forecast a surplus. The risk is the cuts will hurt. ''The window dressing in the May budget was designed not to hurt. One of the tricks was to bring spending forward from 2012-13 to 2011-12. It was a popular sleight of hand but it can't be done again. This time he would have to consider delaying payments, and that would be unpopular.'' He also said the carbon tax would have little economic impact. ''It is a far bigger issue politically than economically.'' Mr Swan hailed the Access report as an endorsement of Australia's economic strength, saying it helped show the carbon tax scare campaign ''was nothing more than a fraud''. He took to Twitter using the hashtag #EcoFact to claim that Australia had just passed 21 consecutive years of economic growth. Previously used to denote discussion of ecological matters, the hashtag was taken over by critics who said the economy was in good shape ''despite Labor's efforts'' and that he had broken a promise over the defence budget. Mr Richardson said he had no problems with the government's budget forecasts at the time they were presented. But since then, coal and iron ore prices had turned down and the sharemarket had dived. ''The budget is more exposed to commodity prices than it used to be. They drive profits which drives company tax, but they now also drive takings from the minerals resource rent tax. ''The budget forecast nominal [gross domestic product] growth of 5.5 per cent in 2011-12 and 5 per cent in 2012-13. Our forecasts have it more like 4.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent. Unless there's a fresh turnaround its forecasts won't be met.'' Mr Richardson was unable to predict by how much the budget would undershoot the government's May forecast, saying it was still a ''moving target''. The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, said the budget surplus was under threat ''because it was never real in the first place''. "Labor only forecast a surplus through a cook-the-books budget that was noted more for money shuffles than fiscal responsibility," he said. Mr Richardson said one upside of an early end to the mining investment boom would be lower interest rates. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/mining-boom-forecast-to-end-in-two-years-20120722-22ibe.html#ixzz21OFLFMxd now we are fucked
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Joffa
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Quote:Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey gets official interest rate wrong by: Stephen McMahon From: News Limited Network July 26, 2012 BUMBLING Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey was stumped on what the official Reserve Bank cash rate was on radio today. After twice stumbling over the answer, Mr Hockey - the Opposition's top economic spokesman - was saved by the radio presenter on Perth's 96FM. In 2008, then Shadow Treasurer Julie Bishop made a similar gaffe on her second day in the role. But Mr Hockey has been in his role for over two years and when asked on Perth radio today to name the current rate, paused for a moment before naming the wrong figure. ''Uhh..well it's.. oh God,'' he said before claiming it was 3 per cent. His host then saved him by correctly telling Hockey it was 3.5 per cent. Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury seized on the mistake claiming it might end up costing Mr Hockey his position. ''These are figures that most Australians are well aware of because of the impact that they have on them, but unfortunately when it comes to the economic truth, Mr Hockey fumbled and bumbled his way but wasn't able to come up with the facts,'' he said. ''I wonder whether Mr Hockey will stand down as a consequence of his latest gaffe.'' http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/shadow-treasurer-joe-hockey-gets-official-interest-rate-wrong/story-fndo2j43-1226436011924
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batfink
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Joffa wrote:Quote:Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey gets official interest rate wrong by: Stephen McMahon From: News Limited Network July 26, 2012 BUMBLING Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey was stumped on what the official Reserve Bank cash rate was on radio today. After twice stumbling over the answer, Mr Hockey - the Opposition's top economic spokesman - was saved by the radio presenter on Perth's 96FM. In 2008, then Shadow Treasurer Julie Bishop made a similar gaffe on her second day in the role. But Mr Hockey has been in his role for over two years and when asked on Perth radio today to name the current rate, paused for a moment before naming the wrong figure. ''Uhh..well it's.. oh God,'' he said before claiming it was 3 per cent. His host then saved him by correctly telling Hockey it was 3.5 per cent. Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury seized on the mistake claiming it might end up costing Mr Hockey his position. ''These are figures that most Australians are well aware of because of the impact that they have on them, but unfortunately when it comes to the economic truth, Mr Hockey fumbled and bumbled his way but wasn't able to come up with the facts,'' he said. ''I wonder whether Mr Hockey will stand down as a consequence of his latest gaffe.'' http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/shadow-treasurer-joe-hockey-gets-official-interest-rate-wrong/story-fndo2j43-1226436011924 i don't think MOST australians would have a clue what the cash rate is to be quite honest..... coming from david bradbury who i have had dealings with, this is hilarious........ i found him to tell untruths and manipulate facts as mayor of Penwiff council, i took him on and whooped his arse......and won for the people in our local community effected by his lack of action.\:d/ \:d/
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Joffa
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Quote:Subtle is not Abbott's style, home or away July 27, 2012 Opposition Leader tries to walk the tightrope in Beijing. Email articlePrint .IF YOU are an Australian leader, you have to watch your words in delivering major speeches in the United States or China. The risk in the US is on the upside - sounding too fulsome. Remember Julia Gillard's gushing address to Congress. In China, the danger is on the downside - offending in some way, sending wrong or confused signals, lecturing and hectoring. When, speaking at Peking University in 2008, Kevin Rudd delivered a forthright message (''the current situation in Tibet is of concern to Australians'') it helped sour Chinese attitudes towards the man from whom they had expected special treatment. Tony Abbott attempted to keep his footing on the China tightrope in Beijing this week. That it was a balancing act was obvious by the mixed reaction his speech (to a business audience) has attracted back home - praise from some for realism, condemnation from others for bluntness. He came under fire from business for staking out what has been taken as a tougher position than operates now on foreign investment - his old bete noire Clive Palmer was unimpressed - and from various quarters for exhorting China to become more democratic. Abbott said a Coalition government ''would welcome Chinese investment … It would of course have to pass a national interest test and the scrutiny of the Foreign Investment Review Board … Chinese investment is complicated by the prevalence of state-owned enterprises. It would rarely be in Australia's national interest to allow a foreign government or its agencies to control an Australian business.'' He chocolate-coated the latter point to make it sound less discriminatory: ''That's because we don't support the nationalisation of business by the Australian government, let alone by a foreign one.'' According to Abbott sources, he is not signalling any change from the present position. Investment bids by state-owned enterprises automatically go to FIRB now. He was not saying investment by state-owned enterprises would be unwelcome but that the bar for it is higher than for private companies. Abbott should have made it clearer that there is broad bipartisanship on this issue. But then, with rare exceptions, acknowledging that anything is bipartisan is not in the man's DNA - it goes against that hyper political aggression that is one of his less attractive qualities. There is one area where the opposition's foreign investment policy does remain a question mark: agricultural land. The Coalition has had a group of MPs examining FIRB's operation in relation to agricultural land and agribusinesses. Its policy will certainly reduce the threshold at which bids for land have to face scrutiny. This won't affect bids for land by state-owned enterprises because they already go to FIRB whatever the value, but they would be affected by an expected toughening of national interest criteria for acquisitions. The government made a meal of Abbott's comments on investment, claiming they would create (in the words of Trade Minister Craig Emerson) ''Chinese perceptions of high sovereign risk in Australia''. Foreign Minister Bob Carr claimed: ''He said he's moving towards a blanket prohibition on Chinese investment by state-owned companies.'' Well, hardly. On straight politics, Abbott said a Coalition government would be ''a strong voice for human rights'' and declared ''as prime minister I would hope for political reforms to match China's economic liberalisation''. Australia already had a strong relationship with China based on shared interests, he said. ''Over time, I hope that it might be based more on shared values.'' The diplomats will see this lecture on democratic values as a little, well, undiplomatic. Abbott is not subtle in his domestic politics and he doesn't seem to change much when on foreign soil. He is also an opposition leader, a position that provides more leeway when he is speaking overseas than if he were visiting as prime minister. But clearly he's anxious to have, if he becomes PM, a good relationship with China. In ambitious rhetoric, he told his audience: ''It will take time and much further evolution of our friendship with China to approach the warmth that we take for granted with America. But it is worth the effort and it must be made.'' One positive was his suggestion that a regular conversation should be established along the lines of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue (which he had just attended). As he comes closer to government, Abbott is seeking to boost his regional credentials. His well-publicised visit to Beijing will be followed by an equally high-profile one to Jakarta in September, where he will have to navigate the delicate issue of his turn-back-the-boats policy that is unpopular with the Indonesian government. In his speech he pointed to his promise to have 40 per cent of school leavers studying a foreign language and to bring in a ''two-way street'' version of the Colombo plan ''where Australia's future leaders study in Asia and vice versa''. He's also pledged that his first overseas trip as PM would be to Indonesia and his second would include China. While the Chinese might parse the Abbott sentences, they are likely to be as pragmatic as he will be about the relationship if they find themselves facing a Coalition government next year. Michelle Grattan is The Age's political editor. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/subtle-is-not-abbotts-style-home-or-away-20120726-22v8u.html#ixzz21pGx9lIB
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Joffa
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Quote:Australian economy a 10-speeder, not two-speeder: NAB's Clyne DateJuly 31, 2012 - 6:55PM Talk of a two-speed economy in Australia is inaccurate and damaging, says National Australia Bank CEO Cameron Clyne. Mr Clyne told an American Chamber of Commerce in Australia luncheon that Australia had never been a two-speed economy and was more like a 10-speed economy. The term two-speed economy generally refers to those sections of the economy enjoying the benefits of the resources boom, compared to those that are not. Mr Clyne said describing the economy as having two speeds was hurting confidence. Advertisement ‘‘Part of the problem with this constant reference to two speeds is that people feel that if they are not in the express lane, they’re going backwards, which is not the case,’’ Mr Clyne said. In Australia there were a number of industries that were buoyant, some that were struggling, and others that were neither having their best nor their worst year - and that is how it had been for a very long time. Mr Clyne said a better way of describing the economy would be to say that it was undergoing transition. ‘‘The 10 speeds that are in operation at the moment are different to the 10 speeds that were in operation 10 years ago, 20 years ago and many other years ago,’’ he said. ‘‘But the reality is: that’s the way it’s always been.’’ Mr Clyne said there was a strong focus on job losses in various industries at the moment, which was understandable because there was a human story behind each job lost. But he said industries always underwent transition, employing more or less people and becoming more efficient and more innovative. For example, in the agriculture sector in Australia in 1900, 23 per cent of the population worked in agriculture; in 1960, it was eight per cent; and today, it was three per cent. In the manufacturing sector, 100,000 jobs had been lost since 2000, but 500,000 jobs had been created in the health services industry, 300,000 had been created in education, and 100,000 created in mining. Similarly, of those companies that were listed on the Forbes top 100 list in 1990, only 15 were still there today. ‘‘What industries will emerge in 2030 that we haven’t thought of now?’’ Mr Clyne said. Mr Clyne said confidence, not interest rate cuts, was the key to boosting the economy. ‘‘Part of what’s needed to restore confidence is broadening the debate from two speeds,’’ he said. Mr Clyne said a national agenda that focused on bigger issues - such as why Australian was graduating fewer IT specialists than it was a decade ago - would help build confidence. ‘‘If you are driving those sort of questions, and you’re setting value to your agenda, people respond to that with confidence,’’ he said. ‘‘They’re not knocked down by the weekly commentary on whether or not things that are up or down.’’ AAP Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/australian-economy-a-10speeder-not-twospeeder-nabs-clyne-20120731-23cq0.html#ixzz22CUGQlgI
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girtXc
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:oops:
It IS 2 speed
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No12
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I do not agree with this report, under Labour there are still only two economies, Public sector and private sector economies, self explanatory which one is flourishing:
Quote: Australian economy a 10-speeder, not two-speeder: NAB's Clyne
Date July 31, 2012 - 6:55PM
In the manufacturing sector, 100,000 jobs had been lost since 2000, but 500,000 jobs had been created in the health services industry, 300,000 had been created in education, and 100,000 created in mining.
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No12
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I whish Wayne Swan would stop attacking the tree mining giants with his hideous arguments!
Anybody in the private sector that has achieved anything has done it with his own money and hard work Mr. Treasurer, unlike you who is wasting other people’s money in this case Taxpayers and regardless how bad you are at your job will still get Taxpayers funded pension.
This is your Swan song Wayne... by by:-"
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notorganic
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Did batfink get banned and is now posting as No12?
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sydneycroatia58
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notorganic wrote:Did batfink get banned and is now posting as No12? Na, they are 2 different people.
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batfink
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notorganic wrote:Did batfink get banned and is now posting as No12? nope...i'm still here.....just over the morons fucking up the country...... have you started your new job Matt???? how's it going????
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notorganic
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Yep, started in June which is why I have been so scarce.
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batfink
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notorganic wrote:Yep, started in June which is why I have been so scarce. yeah been nice and quite in here......:d how is the job going??? living up to expectations??
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No12
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notorganic wrote:Did batfink get banned and is now posting as No12? You are genius Notorganic :idea: Now hand on your heart and tell us do you sometimes post as Colin? :-k
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Joffa
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Quote:Dumping carbon tax could take a year, says Liberal Party by: Russell Emmerson From: News Limited Network August 02, 2012 AUSTRALIANS will be paying the price for carbon for at least 12 months after the election if the Coalition wins government - despite it being its first priority. ..Opposition small business spokesman Bruce Billson today said Liberal Party modeling showed the party could deliver on its key election promise ''12 to 14 months'' after being elected. Its odds of success may then rest on a favourable election outcome. "Our first act would be to instruct the preparation of the legislation," he told a small business summit in Melbourne. "If we were able to earn a strong mandate form the Australian public it would be unwise for the (potentially hostile) Senate to reject that. "If it gets knocked back it has to wait for three months before it can be reproduced on the same terms, if it gets knocked back again that then represents a double dissolution trigger. "That is the action we are prepared to take." This is the first time taxpayers have been told how long they are likely to wait for the repeal. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has made it clear that his first priority is to wind back Labor's carbon pricing scheme. At the end of June, Mr Abbott released his plan to repeal the Act, intending to introduce the legislation on Parliament's first sitting day after the election, which must be held by November of next year at the latest. Cabinet would approve the legislation within its first month, he said, and the legislation to wind back the bureaucracy of the scheme would be introduced within Parliament's first two weeks. Barring an early election, that could see taxpayers saddled with carbon-related cost increases until at least the end of 2014 - and waiting longer for the price impacts to wash through the economy. Mr Abbott told the Australian Industry Group in April he expected the repeal arrangements to be in place within six months but the biggest hurdle may be the Senate. Despite Mr Abbott's call for Parliament to respect a mandate - for an election that has not yet been called, let alone won - the Australian Greens are unlikely to support the call. Senator Christine Milne was frank in her assessment: "The carbon pricing scheme will not be repealed, it's just as simple as that." "There is a whole lot of talk about after the election an Abbott government would repeal the carbon tax, it just wont happen. "There is a critical mass of businesses across the country that is now committed to a zero carbon economy and already working toward it. "The Coalition will either have to change its leader or policy or both and there will be increasing repositioning (within the Liberal Party over its carbon policy) in the next 12 months." Mr Abbott's office did not respond in time for publication to clarify whether the 12 to 14 month timeframe presumed the Senate would reject the Bill - despite his pleas to respect the electoral mandate. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/dumping-carbon-tax-could-take-a-year-says-liberal-party/story-e6frf7jo-1226441692460
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Joffa
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Quote:CEO compares PM to an old cow DateAugust 4, 2012 Richard WillinghamRichard Willingham is regional affairs correspondent THE head of one of Australia's largest agriculture companies has caused a stir after comparing Prime Minister Julia Gillard to a ''non-productive old cow'' during a speech in Adelaide this week. David Farley, chief executive of Australian Agricultural Company was giving a 30-minute lecture at an agriculture conference on Thursday when the comments were made. Mr Farley yesterday told The Saturday Age the comments were ''tongue in cheek'' and taken out of context. The company has plans to build an abattoir near Darwin. Advertisement The slaughterhouse would specialise in killing older cows for cheap meat. ''This plant is designed to process old cows,'' Mr Farley told the conference. ''So the old cows that become non-productive, instead of making a decision to either let her die in the paddock or put her in the truck … this gives us a chance to take non-productive animals off and put them through the processing system. ''So it's designed for non-productive old cows - Julia Gillard's got to watch out.'' News site InDaily reported the remark was met with sustained laughter by the crowd. It is not the first the time PM has been publicly abused. Shock jock Alan Jones infamously said Ms Gillard should be put in a ''chaff bag'' and thrown out to sea. Minister for the Status of Women Julie Collins said Mr Farley's comments were ''appalling and totally unacceptable''. They amounted to ''destructive prejudices long past their use-by date''. ''Mr Farley and those who laughed along with him should take a good, long, hard look at themselves.'' Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/ceo-compares-pm-to-an-old-cow-20120803-23l4j.html#ixzz22Uz2pS1T
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thupercoach
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girtXc wrote::oops:
It IS 2 speed Swann is 2 bit
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scouse_roar
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So Campbell Newman has scrapped all the cancer screening services in Queensland, including BreastScreen.
And he snuck the news out on a Saturday during the Olympics.
That's the courageous, 'dignified' leadership we've come to expect from the LNP.
Watch out if Abbott gets in, eh?
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