This isn't a tough budget. Its a cruel budget that targets those that can least afford to pay to make up for the mistakes of those that can. There's nothing tough about attacking those that can least defend themselves.

And why this ridiculous Costello-era fixation with surplus? Do you KNOW what a surplus is?

Its the govt taking more money off people than they need to run the country.

Ahh "But thats good to have sitting their for the future, just in case".

Except, as Costello did, as Rudd and Gillard did, they will just fritter it away on welfare that suits the core constituents, or hair-brained schemes that get rorted and make not one iota of difference to national prosperity.

Surpluses are just a way to get ill-informed people to be happy to give the government more of their hard earned than they will make good use of. Never feel happy about a surplus.

Edited by stefcep: 14/5/2014 12:09:21 AM

8 votes to Whitlam to date :lol: how many of you voted those days :lol: oh I suppose wiki informed you :lol:

So you're saying that people aren't supposed to learn about the history of Australia from before they were born?

Maybe Keating was right, obscurantism is coming back under Abbot! :lol:

From personal experience let me tell you this, the system is still fundamentally flawed. I have hardly seen my little brother in six years because my mum falsely spoke about domestic abuse just to get him, then only to retract the claim as soon as custody was settled in her favour. He wanted to live with his dad, where he was surrounded by extended family and prospects of going to a well renowned school, but instead was forced to live with his adulterous mother living with no extended family around and having a drug growing father in law (I am not making this up), going to a school that has had stabbings in the no to distant past. I only get to see my brother one day every two months.

The system favours mothers regardless of the situation. They scream abuse and they get the kids. If a claim of abuse is put forward by all means let the mother have custody temporally, but it needs to be substantiated before any definitive custody decisions are made.

I hate Greg Champion

Edited by imonfourfourtwo: 14/5/2014 12:14:01 PM

Not all.

Whilst people are debating paying $7 to see a GP, we have laws in this country that can with the swipe of a pen:

1. Decide what if any relationship you have with your children.

2. Alter and remove title from you of any property you have legitimately worked for

3. Garnish your wages in the most productive years of your life that leaves with you barely 25% to live on.

Can there be any bigger issues to vote on?

Labor, the Democrats and that weasel Fielding of the "Family First" did everything to make sure all of the above was maintained. For that I will never vote for them.

Mate it was A LOT worse when my brother went through it in 1998, but there is still a long way to go.

The opportunity was there in 2006 but Labor and Despoja and the Democrats in the Senate blocked the presumpion of shared parenting, and the applicaion of rule of evidence for claims of abuse.

For that I will never forgive them.

Oh - forgive me being cynical, so the scriptures have spoken therefore its valid and backed by PK :lol:

Beloved reverended Gough (the joker makes me sic !) was the root cause this countries path went down the welfare path...followed by grant this grant that just as bad as krudd's $900 handouts taking us/you down the same path.
Obscurantism never is far, PK was one of the best did you know :) :lol:

stefcep - I don't blame your stance one bit you have good reason =d> unlike many in this country just bitch what/why they don't get handed outs.

Edited by M.L.: 14/5/2014 02:59:12 PM

Edited by M.L.: 14/5/2014 02:59:42 PM

I think history glorifies former prime ministers in many regards. Modern media also highlights their shortcomings a lot more. Howard was the last of the 'traditional media' PM's and is subsequently looked upon more favourably.

John Howard, guys?

I weep for humanity.

Paul Keating all the way, anyone who drops a Monty Python joke in parliament is alright by me

Australian media canonised Whitlam when he came to power. It was "Time", apparently. He was the messiah who delivered free education and generally handouts to anyone with...well... a hand out.

Which was fun until the money ran out (think Homer Simpson in the Garbage Man episode). It is controversial that the GG sacked him but it must be remembered that Whitlam got to have an election against Fraser immediately after that, and got absolutely pummelled by the electorate and tossed out on his ear. If people were against the sacking they would have reinstated him. Instead, they tossed him out.

So anyone suggesting Whitlam was anything other than a dud, and an expensive, unaffordable dud at that, are simply buying into the myth. Reality was the exact opposite.

Universal healthcare was kind of a big deal

also brought in universal tertiary education and legal aid

Whitlam did more to make australia what it is today then the rest of our prime ministers combined he was our fdr

I have lived in America for long periods of time where its impossible to find food that won't kill you, where people pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for rubbish health care (I could give you some stories) and where people work 3 jobs, 60 hours a week and still can't afford to feed their families despite the average income being similar to australia - its all in the hands of a few at the top. People here spend their whole lives paying off unbelievable university debt, can't get legal advice when a rich guy screws them over and retire broke. Whitlam is the reason why Australia is the lucky country it is

Edited by grazorblade: 16/5/2014 02:06:44 PM

Well that and the fact that Australia has always been a traditionally reformist, rather than revolutionary, nation. Having an old age and disability pension, arbitration laws, female suffrage, pharmaceutical benefits scheme, public housing all in the first fifty years of Federation suggest Whitlam was not instigating fundamental change but rather reviving Australia's reforming ways after two decades on hold.

LOL... a Liberal government ended the White Australia policy, so favoured by Curtin and Chifley, those great Labor leaders.
Menzies oversaw the largest transformation of Australia from an English outpost to much more of a multi-ethnic, multicultural society.

Whitlam just set us on the path to bankruptcy that only Hawke managed to fix and Keating to screw up again, giving us the "recession we had to have".

Howard and Costello fixed the mess, giving us a stable, prosperous economy for a decade before Labor got us into multi-billion dollar debt. Which is where we find ourselves today.

Since when was Gough Whitlam Liberal?

Still love the Gough!

A democratic governments job is to serve its people. Gough did the most by far in a very short time.

what about PITT the younger???

youngest prime minister of england??

Howard voted the best, bloody hell

Labor leaders got the majority of the votes. Crazy that Howard received all the "conservative" votes and Menzies and Fraser got none. Age demographics I guess.

/Thread

John Howard / Gough in a split tie.