Abbott/Liberal Govt Watch

[dedja]

shit happens hits the spot ...

[Bully]

"it is really tragic that this young lad died, it sounded like his father had a mental health issue. we will be reviewing the case and our policy to see whether there is any part of it that needs strengthening, Ill be talking to the relevant people about this. it seems like there might have been an error in policy and we need to make sure that this doesnt happen again"


what would have been wrong with him saying something like that? except for the fact that it is probably too many words than he can muster?

Not enough ums and ahs to be an Abbott quote

or F bombs to be a K rudd quote

[Psyber]

I agree with TSG this pr*ck and his miserable government are interested in only one thing - reducing workers rights & pay. Apart from that, what do they really stand for? Anyway don't blame me, I voted Labor.

From the other viewpoint you could argue that the ALP is cosying up to its mates in the union power groups encouraging claims that make running any small business unaffordable.

I don't think either extreme view is completely true, but I sometimes suspect we were better served in the era when there was regular review and a minimum "Basic Wage" was declared, and various worker groups could then lobby over margins like "Basic Wage plus 5%".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_wage#Australia

In Australia, the 1907 Harvester Judgment ruled that an employer was obliged to pay his employees a wage that guaranteed them a standard of living which was reasonable for "a human being in a civilised community" to live in "frugal comfort estimated by current... standards,"[7] regardless of the employer's capacity to pay. Justice Higgins established a wage of 7/- (7 shillings) per day or 42/- per week as a 'fair and reasonable' minimum wage for unskilled workers. The judgment was later overturned but remains influential. From the Harvester Judgement arose the Australian industrial concept of the "basic wage". For most skilled workers, in addition to the basic wage they received a margin on top of the basic wage, in proportion to a court or commission's judgement of a group of worker's skill levels. In 1913, to compensate for the rising cost of living, the basic wage was increased to 8/- per day, the first increase since the minimum was set. The first Retail Price Index in Australia was published late in 1912, the A Series Index. From 1934, the basic wage was indexed against the C Series Index of household prices. The concept of a basic wage was repeatedly challenged by employer groups through the Basic wage cases and Metal Trades Award cases where the employers argued that the basic wage and margin ought to be replaced by a "total wage". The basic wage system remained in place in Australia until 1967. It was also adopted by some state tribunals and was in use in some states during the 1980s.

[GWW]

If MPs didn't have their snouts in the trough so much - and we're accountable for their actions, and had to show productivity gains of their own - then workers may be more prepared to show some wage restraint themself.

[Psyber]

If MPs didn't have their snouts in the trough so much - and we're accountable for their actions, and had to show productivity gains of their own - then workers may be more prepared to show some wage restraint themself.

I tend to agree.

I sometimes only half-jokingly say to friends - some of them lawyers and politicians - that there are two groups who should not be allowed to be MPs.
1. Those who want to be career politicians, because of the implicitly suspect motivation involved.
2. Lawyers, because their training and career is about winning arguments, regardless of truth or justice.

I've also said there should be a two term maximum, so that there is less time to get entrenched and corrupted.

[Strawb]

what I really enjoy is seeing Abbott and Hockey come out with the same reply every time a major company shuts down. We'll just blame the unions, then when it is proven that Unions are not to blame. They still blame the unions that is what they intend to do. Ohhh and for you all who feel Australia's wages are too high I found out what a Walmart employee makes 220 a week after tax. So for all you people complaining about our so called High Wages fancy living off 220 a week?

[bennymacca]

Blaming the unions is standard fare. Howard tried to kill them off too. Problem is a lot of the unions are their own worst enemies too.

[Gozu]

what I really enjoy is seeing Abbott and Hockey come out with the same reply every time a major company shuts down. We'll just blame the unions, then when it is proven that Unions are not to blame. They still blame the unions that is what they intend to do. Ohhh and for you all who feel Australia's wages are too high I found out what a Walmart employee makes 220 a week after tax. So for all you people complaining about our so called High Wages fancy living off 220 a week?

The official measure of wage growth has recorded its slowest growth on records that go back to 1997.

The Bureau of Statistics wage price index (WPI), which looks at hourly pay rates excluding bonuses, rose just 0.7 per cent in the December quarter and 2.6 per cent over the past year.

ABS director of the wage price index Robin Ashburn says that is the smallest annual increase on record.

Embed: Chart of WPI annual growth. Data: ABS

"The growth in wages over the last year of 2.6 per cent, seasonally adjusted, was the smallest through the year rise since the series commenced in 1997," she noted in the report.

Wages growth is so low that it has slipped below the inflation rate, as measured by the ABS consumer price index (CPI).

Citi's economists, Joshua Williamson and Paul Brennan say that means real wages fell slightly, as pay packets failed to keep up with inflation.

"This implies a moderation in living standards, as do other indicators including declining employment to population and falling real net national disposable income per capita," they wrote in a note on the figures.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/a ... rd/5269480

[shoe boy]

Now Tony tells us he will be Medicares best friend.

[Bully]

very surprised not to read this morning that the number one members of the labor party on this forum have not blamed the Redcliffe by election result on tony abbott

[The Sleeping Giant]

very surprised not to read this morning that the number one members of the labor party on this forum have not blamed the Redcliffe by election result on tony abbott

Looks like the LNP are too busy blaming each other.

[Jimmy_041]

Labor up to its old tricks

Mr Newman was also confronted by men dressed as firefighters who complained about non-existent station closures and budget cuts, prompting the Premier to take up an offer to talk on the phone to their union organiser to inform him his protestors were peddling a fabrication.
He said while people had a right to protest, some of the actions in Redcliffe had been "over the top and quite inappropriate".

[Bully]

very surprised not to read this morning that the number one members of the labor party on this forum have not blamed the Redcliffe by election result on tony abbott

Looks like the LNP are too busy blaming each other.

of course. when the previous member did the things he did, who else is to blame. It was not a policy thing that was the reason for the by-election thou.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Then why are you "very surprised"?

[Bully]

because as I said in previous posts, everything is blamed on tony abbott. Whether its the local fruit shop selling apples for 2 dollars a kilo, or my grandmas front door gets jammed in the heat during the summer. Its all abbotts fault on here....

[woodublieve12]

because as I said in previous posts, everything is blamed on tony abbott. Whether its the local fruit shop selling apples for 2 dollars a kilo, or my grandmas front door gets jammed in the heat during the summer. Its all abbotts fault on here....

so it should be... He's a d***head

[Bully]

and Julia wasn't ?

[shoe boy]

and Julia wasn't ?

Julia has nothing on this piece of shit!!

[shoe boy]

How is Morrison going?? well at least hes no wimp?

[woodublieve12]

Anyone see that new pic of tony abbott circulating facebook at the moment... hilarious... i would post it but i think it's a bit innappropriate