Federal Election

[Q.]

At last, the Coalition broadband policy

[Psyber]

A further $700 million will be spent providing satellite broadband services to the final 3% of communities, and there will be limited regulatory changes to enforce competition and access to the back-haul fibre.

Well that is something for the forgotten non-urban Australians which is better than nothing.

What I read of the Labor plan suggested it was going to be opt in when the fibre is rolled down your street or pay for your own connection if you decide you want it after all later.
[Looks at his 60 metre driveway and does rough calculation.]

I guess it is likely they need to force nearly everyone to sign up to make it get anywhere near paying for itself.
I'd be reluctant to opt in if I looked like costing the $199 a month minimum some sources have hinted at.
I'm quite happy with 6.4Mbps, land line phone, and VOIP service with $10 credit for $69.95 a month.

[Psyber]

While I'm here - two other snippets:
1. Health. http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/arti ... 06B711.asp?

Conducted by research company Cegedim Strategic Data,
the fax poll found Labor’s GP super clinic policy and plans to introduce block funding for patients with diabetes under a voluntary registration scheme, had little backing among grassroots GPs.
Almost 90% of the 176 GPs surveyed were opposed to super clinics, while only 3% showed support.
More than 80% opposed the diabetes capitation plan, with 11% saying they welcomed it.
And only 15% wanted to see the creation of a national Medicare Locals network.
Almost half (44%), however, supported the move to offer practices up to $500,000 in infrastructure grants.

The last point is interesting - less than half even wanted the money on offer enough to buy the rest of the package!

2. http://au.news.yahoo.com/election/a/-/a ... ott-rages/

Mr Abbott said Labor was delivering the prospect of part-time ministers.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett had been one for months, he said.

[AFLflyer]

Paid Parental Leave

I see Liberal is way in front on this policy, which will probably swing my vote.
As i understand it, Liberal will offer 26 weeks compared to 18 weeks. (after child is born or adopted)
On top of that they are offering to pay a % of the carers wage (not clear how they work it out) but it could range between 15 - 75 thousand per year - (salary)
Labour are only offering minimum wage $565 or something a week...

[wycbloods]

Paid Parental Leave

I see Liberal is way in front on this policy, which will probably swing my vote.
As i understand it, Liberal will offer 26 weeks compared to 18 weeks. (after child is born or adopted)
On top of that they are offering to pay a % of the carers wage (not clear how they work it out) but it could range between 15 - 75 thousand per year - (salary)
Labour are only offering minimum wage $565 or something a week...

The liberals are also not paying for those families where the mother decides to stay at home.

Also it would be of no great surprise to me that Abbott would backflip on this as it is funded by a big business levy(which has already been reduced from 1.7% to 1.5%) because the business community doesn't want it and it just a great new tax .

Labor's policy is a good one IMO because why does someone have to be paid 75k to have six months off with their child. If they are earning that much then frankly they shouldn't need the Scheme as much if not at all. 18 weeks at the minimum wage might just put a few things into perspective for people as well.

[Gozu]

Mr Abbott said

That's a problem Psyber taking seriously anything that comes out of his mouth. Rudd's job with the UN is part-time, unpaid and would only require three overseas trips next year. Does Abbott's inability to manage his personal finances preclude him from being able to do his job in parliament?

"Tony Abbott's secret $710,000 home loan":

LABOR has questioned whether Tony Abbott could manage the Australian economy after he failed to declare a $710,000 mortgage on his family home.
The Opposition Leader took out the mortgage after losing his ministerial salary when the Howard government was ousted, to help cover living costs including private school fees for two of his three daughters, The Australian reports.

But he failed to declare it until about two weeks ago - almost two years after taking out the loan.

“Tony wants to be the prime minister of Australia, and I guess it does raise some questions about his capacity to run a trillion-dollar economy when he forgets that he's got a $700,000 mortgage to declare.”

After moving into Opposition after the Coalition lost the last election, Mr Abbott took a $90,000 pay cut on the $200,000-plus salary he earned as federal health minister.

“The advent of the Rudd Government has caused serious mortgage stress for a section of the Australian community, ie former Howard government ministers,” he joked to The Australian in January 2008.

“You don't just lose power, in inverted commas, you certainly lose income as well, and if you are reliant on your parliamentary salary for your daily living, obviously it makes a big difference.”

http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-ab ... 5882959756

[smac]

Paid Parental Leave

I see Liberal is way in front on this policy, which will probably swing my vote.
As i understand it, Liberal will offer 26 weeks compared to 18 weeks. (after child is born or adopted)
On top of that they are offering to pay a % of the carers wage (not clear how they work it out) but it could range between 15 - 75 thousand per year - (salary)
Labour are only offering minimum wage $565 or something a week...

The liberals are also not paying for those families where the mother decides to stay at home.
Also it would be of no great surprise to me that Abbott would backflip on this as it is funded by a big business levy(which has already been reduced from 1.7% to 1.5%) because the business community doesn't want it and it just a great new tax .

Labor's policy is a good one IMO because why does someone have to be paid 75k to have six months off with their child. If they are earning that much then frankly they shouldn't need the Scheme as much if not at all. 18 weeks at the minimum wage might just put a few things into perspective for people as well.

Why should they? What would stay at home mothers be taking leave from?

Aside from that, people in different circumstances are treated differently with respect to all social benefits.

[Gozu]

Aside from that, people in different circumstances are treated differently with respect to all social benefits.

Too true, Abbott if he gets in wants to ban people under the age of 30 from being able to get the dole if they become unemployed.

[Leaping Lindner]

Mr Abbott said

That's a problem Psyber taking seriously anything that comes out of his mouth. Rudd's job with the UN is part-time, unpaid and would only require three overseas trips next year. Does Abbott's inability to manage his personal finances preclude him from being able to do his job in parliament?

Bingo. Remember this is the man promising $3 billion to hospital beds but when he was Health Minister took $1 Billion away. I'm not a fan of either major party but I can't get my head around ANYONE trusting an arse clown like Abbott. This is Tony Abbott people. TONY ABBOTT

[AFLflyer]

Paid Parental Leave

I see Liberal is way in front on this policy, which will probably swing my vote.
As i understand it, Liberal will offer 26 weeks compared to 18 weeks. (after child is born or adopted)
On top of that they are offering to pay a % of the carers wage (not clear how they work it out) but it could range between 15 - 75 thousand per year - (salary)
Labour are only offering minimum wage $565 or something a week...

The liberals are also not paying for those families where the mother decides to stay at home.

Also it would be of no great surprise to me that Abbott would backflip on this as it is funded by a big business levy(which has already been reduced from 1.7% to 1.5%) because the business community doesn't want it and it just a great new tax .

Labor's policy is a good one IMO because why does someone have to be paid 75k to have six months off with their child. If they are earning that much then frankly they shouldn't need the Scheme as much if not at all. 18 weeks at the minimum wage might just put a few things into perspective for people as well.

sounds good from where i sit. Anyone know how they work out the payment figure?

families still have to keep up their mortgae etc, to keep the countries economy running!

[Gozu]

Meet the Coalition's candidate for the seat of Dawson in QLD:

http://www.vexnews.com/news/10459/georg ... es-either/

[Leaping Lindner]

Meet the Coalition's candidate for the seat of Dawson in QLD:

http://www.vexnews.com/news/10459/georg ... es-either/

Sad thing is in Queensland it will probably win him votes.

[Psyber]

With politicians we can really only go on what they say they are going to do this time, and try to work out how close to the truth what they are saying is.
We know all politicians lie, at least some of the time, and our natural response is to believe those whose social philosophy agrees with ours.
They are seen as the "good guys" and therefore must be the ones telling the truth.
Truth is, there is no total truth.

We need to be careful about allowing our personal bias to make us buy, totally, what one side says, when the concept of a truthful politician may be the most absolute example of an oxymoron.
But we also need to remember that it is possible that a politician may change their views over time if they have seen something tried and fail, or prove itself unacceptable to the voting majority.
Career politicians have to be prepared to modify their own ideals towards those of the majority of the people if they want the job.
Perhaps the old Roman Republic had it right - no career politicians - two terms and you go back to the farm!

I am not a total supporter of Tony Abbott - he has lost brownie points with me over the parental leave issue.
My view is that those who choose to have children should pay for them themselves, and not look for handouts when they take time off work to have them.
There I didn't agree with Peter Costello either when he introduced the concept of paying people to have children.
Since both parties, and it seems most voters, are insisting on this notion that I see as unfair, I'll just have to cop it and retaliate by making sure I pay as little tax as possible!

On the other hand I am not too worried about he idea that Abbott isn't a good economist - after all that's the Treasurer and Finance Ministers job.
We never insist Health Ministers know anything about health care - in fact that would seem to disqualify candidates for the job.

[AFLflyer]

Have you got kids Psyber?

[bulldogproud2]

The strange thing though, Psyber, is that Tony Abbott does hold an Economics degree. Neither Wayne Swan nor Julia Gillard do. However, he seems to go against the majority of economists with what he preaches. Then again, he did train to be a priest and goes against what the Catholic Church preaches about asylum seekers. Guess he likes to be different.
The really peculiar thing is that Barnaby Joyce is apparently the only qualified accountant in the Federal Parliament. There is no way I would trust him to fill in my taxation form though!

[AFLflyer]

anyone watching Gillard on 7pm..?
she handles herself quite well i think.. just match abbots parental leave scheme already!

[redandblack]

I'll be watching Tony on the 7.30 Report soon.

After Julia's effort on Q & A last night, he'll need to be good. After that, the betting markets have moved heavily toward Labor.

I'm not as confident as them at this stage, so I'll be watching with interest.

[southee]

anyone watching Gillard on 7pm..?
she handles herself quite well i think.. just match abbots parental leave scheme already!

Yes...a ROVE production and as we know ROVE loves the Labour party. ie. Rudd in 2007.

[redandblack]

I'm not surprised you're ignoring Tony's appearance on the 7.30 Report, southee.

A Prime Ministerial candidate who says he has no idea about his broadband policy. Lazy and not good enough.

He's going to visit Asian leaders after the election if he wins. He'll get there before his emails under his broadband plan.

[Leaping Lindner]

anyone watching Gillard on 7pm..?
she handles herself quite well i think.. just match abbots parental leave scheme already!

Yes...a ROVE production and as we know ROVE loves the Labour party. ie. Rudd in 2007.

They've had Steve Price and Andrew Blot on as special commentators in the past , and have also interviewed Abbott. For the record what Rove knows about politics you could write on the back of a matchbox.