As noted in the previous post, budget week means a calm before the following week’s storm in federal opinion polling. However, there is the following:
• The weekly Roy Morgan poll has Labor leading 52-48 for the fourth week in a row, though the stability is down to variable respondent-allocated preference flows, as the latest result has Labor up two points on the primary vote to 32% with the Coalition steady on 37%, the Greens up half a point to 13.5% and One Nation down half a point to 5.5%. The poll was conducted Monday to Sunday from a sample of 1654.
• The latest SECNewgate Mood of the Nation issue salience survey records 21% of respondents mentioning crime when asked without prompting about “the main issues facing Australians that are most important to you right now”, compared with 10% in the February survey, with cost of living continuing to dominate with 69% followed by housing affordability on 36%. A forced response question on national direction finds wrong direction favoured over right direction by 63% to 37%, out from 44% to 56% in February. Thirty-one per cent rate the federal government’s performance excellent, very good or good, down from 34% in February, while fair, poor or very poor is up two to 66%.
Preselection news:
• High-profile former state MP Kate Jones is reportedly in contention to take second position on Labor’s Queensland Senate ticket, which represents a vacancy because the party failed to win a second seat in 2019. Jones served in cabinet in the Bligh and Palaszczuk governments and held the seat of Ashgrove and its successor Cooper from 2006 to 2020, outside of an interruption when she lost it to Campbell Newman in 2012 before recovering it in 2015. She stepped aside from a position at a lobbying firm in March amid an ongoing controversy over the state government’s relationship with lobbyists, and is now an Australian Rugby League commissioner and executive director at the Tech Council of Australia. The idea is being promoted by Gary Bullock, Left faction figurehead and state secretary of the United Workers Union, and would disturb an arrangement in which the top position has gone to a candidate of the Left, in this case incumbent Nita Green, and the second to the Right faction Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. The Australian reports Jenny Hill, former mayor of Townsville and a member of the Right, will also nominate, and that she may be joined by factional colleague Corinne Mulholland, former candidate for Petrie and now in-house lobbyist for Star casinos.
• InDaily reports there are two contenders in the mix for Liberal preselection in the South Australian seat of Mayo, which Rebekha Sharkie of the Centre Alliance has held since 2018. “Outspoken” Adelaide councillor Henry Davis has confirmed his interest, but a party source is quoted saying both moderate and conservative factions were looking for someone “more competitive”. That might mean Rowan Mumford, conservative-aligned state party president and unsuccessful candidate for Kavel at the March 2022 state election.
• The Australian’s Feeding the Chooks column reports Labor’s candidate to recover the Brisbane seat of Griffith, which Terri Butler lost to Max Chandler-Mather of the Greens in 2022, is likely to be Renée Coffey, chief executive of Kookaburra Kids, a foundation that helps children whose parents have a mental illness. Coffey is reportedly aligned with the Old Guard faction, which was once counted as a subset of the Right but now lines up with a dominant Left.
Chalmers paying off Coalition debt and disaster Budgets but also will abandon future surpluses in favour of “unavoidable” spending on deals with the states worth tens of billions of dollars, wage rises for low-paid workers and cost-of-living relief, as his third budget banks a $9.3bn surplus followed by deeper deficits over four years.
As Treasury forecasts in Tuesday’s budget reveal a weakening economy, higher unemployment and slowing growth, Dr Chalmers is under pressure to rein in long-term structural spending, implement tougher fiscal repair measures and speed up tax reforms.
A year out from the 2025 election, the budget will bake in massive spending packages funding generous short-to-medium term agreements with states and territories on housing, health, GST top-up payments, schools, the NDIS and skills.
Speaking to Labor MPs in Canberra on Monday, Anthony Albanese also flagged major Universities Accord announcements in the Treasurer’s “true Labor budget”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/budget-2024-true-labors-avoidable-spend-in-93bn-surplus/news-story/8663f99dc4b35ab58d38d7d2191df8ac?amp
Redfield & Wilton Strategies’ latest national UK voting intention poll finds the Labour Party leading by 21%, two points down from our previous poll released on Monday last week.
Altogether, the full numbers (with changes from 5 May in parenthesis) are as follows:
Labour 42% (-2)
Conservative 21% (–)
Reform UK 15% (–)
Liberal Democrat 12% (+3)
Green 6% (+1)
Scottish National Party 3% (–)
Other 1% (–)
Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
Shane Wright reckons Jim Chalmers will forecast a second successive surplus – of $9.3 billion – in Tuesday’s budget, which will promise nationwide cost-of-living relief without fuelling inflation while trying to reshape the economy with its Future Made in Australia industry package.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/9-3-billion-chalmers-lands-the-surplus-double-in-third-budget-20240513-p5jd6e.html
Shoppers are cutting back their spending at supermarkets, bakeries and butchers to cope with soaring insurance and education costs as household spending continues to slump, and Australia’s biggest bank predicts spending will continue to fall due to persistent cost-of-living pressures. Rachel Clun writes that monthly household spending fell by a significant 1 per cent in April, according to Commonwealth Bank’s households spending insights, and over the past year spending has grown by only 2.6 per cent, down from 3.9 per cent in the year to February.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/a-really-stark-indicator-people-slashing-food-spending-to-cope-with-rising-costs-20240513-p5jd5r.html
David Crowe and Daniella White report that university chiefs are being told to channel international students into courses that fill Australian skills shortages, deepening a dispute over federal plans to cap their annual intake.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/cut-reliance-on-chinese-and-indian-students-government-tells-universities-20240513-p5jd1g.html
The Age says that Victoria’s hospitals have been warned they have to rein in rising cost blowouts and they will not be bailed out if they go over budget, stoking fears of amalgamations and eroded patient care.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/hospitals-put-on-notice-no-bailouts-if-budgets-blow-out-20240513-p5jd40.html
According to Alan Austin, the latest debt figures prove the stark differences between Australia’s political parties. He measures a decade of reckless Liberal Party debt.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/measuring-a-decade-of-reckless-liberal-party-debt,18593
No more Ashes, no more AFL or NRL Grand Finals, no more Olympics. If you no longer watch TV with an aerial, seeing big sporting events for free may soon be a thing of the past, explains Kim Wingerei.
https://michaelwest.com.au/goodbye-to-free-sport-on-tv-hello-to-paid-streaming/
Men accused of serious domestic violence offences will either be denied bail or be forced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet under a major shakeup of the state’s bail laws likely to be introduced into parliament this week. Michael McGowan tells us that today the Minns government will announce a series of sweeping changes designed to make it harder for men accused of serious domestic violence offences to be released back into the community.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/minns-to-announce-tough-new-bail-laws-after-molly-ticehurst-death-20240513-p5jd9i.html
The number of medical graduates wanting to enter general practice has tumbled to its lowest level in more than a decade as doctors question how the federal government will staff dozens of new urgent care clinics, writes Angus Thompson.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/run-off-your-feet-why-medical-students-such-as-jordon-are-turning-away-from-general-practice-20240513-p5jd4u.html
A more buoyant business and consumer outlook is slowly emerging in South Australia, according to a BankSA survey, with the injection of confidence fuelling a hiring spree in industries including construction, transport and agriculture. BankSA’s quarterly State Monitor, released on Tuesday, shows business confidence has increased to its highest points since October 2022, rising by 4.2 points to 116.8, where 100 is a neutral level.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/banksa-state-monitor-shows-business-confidence-up-to-highest-level-since-october-2022/news-story/463f617d9f3ab509294abb548e04390e
Andrew Brown reports on the decision of the ACT to launch a probe into the conduct of Walter Sofronoff KC, saying it “may constitute corrupt conduct”.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/corruption-watchdog-investigates-lehrmann-inquiry-head-20240513-p5jdbj.html
Amelia Maguire writes that counsel assisting the NSW inquiry into The Star said it was clear the casino was not ready to operate independently and it should remain under external management, describing it as being leaderless and depleted.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/leaderless-and-depleted-star-not-ready-for-casino-licence-inquiry-told-20240513-p5jd79.html
Elizabeth Knight writes that Australia’s eSafety Commissioner’s office and the Albanese government just received a further nasty reality check – that wrangling Elon Musk doesn’t come easy. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant joins a conga line of regulators around the world attempting to lasso social media giants, and in particular Musk’s X.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/picking-fights-with-social-media-giants-seems-to-be-ending-in-tears-20240513-p5jd7z.html
The editorial in the SMH call for the Cumberland Council to reverse its same-sex library book ban.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/cumberland-council-should-reverse-its-same-sex-library-book-ban-20240513-p5jd2m.html
Religious schools want to have it both ways. They can’t, declares Crispin Hull in a worthwhile read.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8626386/yarra-valley-grammar-incident-and-religious-school-rules/?cs=27845
Victoria has spent $1.2 billion on providing students with small-group tutoring in schools but is keeping parents in the dark about the program’s effectiveness. Robyn Grace reports that an evaluation of a similar program in NSW found it had “minimal effect” on academic improvement in literacy and numeracy, but the Victorian Department of Education has repeatedly blocked the release of its own review of the Tutor Learning Initiative.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/one-a4-sheet-is-all-that-justifies-a-1-2-billion-school-program-20240510-p5jcng.html
A “terrible IT problem” is behind empty shelves at some Woolworths stores in Queensland. In scenes reminiscent of the panic buying of the early Covid pandemic, some Woolworths chains have been stripped of fruit and vegetables, reports Mostafa Rachwani.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/13/woolworth-shelves-left-bare-across-parts-of-queensland-after-terrible-it-problem
Peter Hartcher nicely describes the intractable situation of the Israel/Palestine war. Well worth reading.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/netanyahu-and-hamas-know-this-war-is-unwinnable-so-how-does-it-end-20240513-p5jd2j.html
As human rights experts warn of an ongoing genocide in Gaza, any opposition to Zionism is being egregiously labelled as extremism, writes Martin Hirst.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/amidst-genocide-and-war-anti-zionism-protesters-are-demonised-as-extremists,18594
Stephen Bartholomeusz explains how the US is tightening the screws on China, citing the near quadrupling of the tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/joe-biden-is-about-to-ramp-up-america-s-trade-war-with-china-20240513-p5jd18.html
“1968 was an inflection point for the US. Is another one coming in 2024?”, wonder these contributors to The Conversation who point to the unresolved social fissures that have existed there of decades.
https://theconversation.com/1968-was-an-inflection-point-for-the-us-is-another-one-coming-in-2024-229386
The compelling part of this case is not whether Trump did something wrong with business papers, but how it shows – in a vivid way – that he’s the wrong man for the job, writes Maureen Dowd in a colourful contribution.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/in-the-president-v-the-porn-star-stormy-daniels-is-a-legal-dominatrix-20240513-p5jd8t.html
Cartoon Corner
David Pope
Cathy Wilcox
Matt Golding
Andrew Dyson
Dionne Gain
Mark Knight
Spooner obsesses yet again!
From the US
It has been a long time coming, but Minns’ proposals to amend the NSW Bail Act are commendable & warranted, with those accused of serious instances of domestic violence being required to show cause as to why they should be admitted to bail, and the imposition GPS monitoring. Further, only magistrates and judges will able to hear bail applications.
In the regions where there are no judicial officers, Zoom will suffice.
“ Jones … held the seat of Ashgrove and its successor Cooper from 2006 to 2020, outside of an interruption when she lost it to Campbell Newman in 2012 before recovering it in 2015.”
You can still occasionally spot cars with ‘Keep Kate’ stickers on rear windscreens around Cooper.
Taylormade @ #1033 Monday, May 13th, 2024 – 10:16 pm
From previous thread.
You are correct. In fact if it wasn’t for the desire to have readily available funds then I’d probably just roll that cash into my super.
The budget response from the Leader of the Opposition and the contortions to be made by a Murdoch/Nine/Stokes plethora of “wannabe significant” copy writers will be the “talking points” of this Labor Federal budget.
Such is the public’s disdain for the news services, the air will be putrid with “bullshit”.
The “political tribals wars” will continue unabated.
Wilcox doesn’t miss.
Morning all. THanks for the roundup BK. It will be interesting to see how Chalmers paints the story in tonight’s budget speech. As Treasurer he has faced a very hard to balance set of circumstances, which have changed between each budget. I don’t envy him.
If Chalmers can manage to look like neither an ogre nor a spendthrift, while not spiking interest rates, he will have done well.
IMO he has to find a firmer way of regulating business prices in multiple sectors. A lot of domestic inflation has been due to local profiteering to match international prices that need not have spread here.
WA gas prices vs rest of the country is a good example. Likewise why my business PI insurance has gone up so much when turnover declined is hard for me to understand. The ACCC has to get tougher. That might need more regulation.
#weatheronPB
A cold too bright light,
glares from the cool blue expanse.
Hackneyed perfection.
Yeh was thinking the same Sohar; anyone have a 2024 budget bingo sheet ready?
Wilcox is generally a good cartoonist, but this effort is plain stupid – been drinking the Green Kool-aid I fear.
The Future Made in Australia is all about turbocharging the renewable economy.
If Albo had called in The Green New Deal (which it could have been), Wilcox would be showering petals in his path
sprocket, why is it there wasnt a single positive comment from any environmental or climate science group on this announcement then? Seriously, can you just accept that this is the very last thing we should be doing if Australia was in any way serious about meeting any targets for 1.5 (which was already a joke target)
‘Sohar says:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 8:12 am
Wilcox doesn’t miss.’
====================
Actually Wilcox does miss. When the aim is to bash Labor everything is a nail.
The Greens are going to do zero net 40. Complete and utter Bullshit.
The Coalition is going to do nuclear. Ditto.
The only government in 35 years to do deliver significant policy, program and regulatory reforms to aid in the climate fight and in switching to renewables is the Labor Party.
Lord Bain
Encouraging ex-China critical mineral development Australia is endowed with, like lithium and rare earths, obviously doesn’t play as well as the “Stop Adani” type of slogans.
What’s in this year’s federal budget? Here are all of the announcements we already know about: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-14/federal-budget-2024-chalmers-tax-cuts-cost-of-living-surplus/103810306
Its ok sprocket, BW and others… you can criticise the party you currently vote for!
Hell, I will lead by example; the Victorian Greens need to get past this self eating process regarding some TERFs, and the ACT Greens needs to do a far better job of differentiating themselves from their coalition partner. Hell, I honestly think that if Brown hadnt led his QLD campaign in 2019, Shorten would have scraped in!
Now you guys can try; the Labor Gas Policy will only exacerbate Australias emissions, and thats why it doesnt have the support of most groups outside of the Gas Industry.
Asylum seekers cannot be deported to Rwanda from Northern Ireland, a high court judge has ruled.
Mr Justice Humphreys said the Government’s law allowing asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda should be disapplied in Northern Ireland as it undermined human rights protections guaranteed in the region under post-Brexit arrangements. The judge also said that aspects of the Illegal Migration Act were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The Act, introduced last year, gives ministers powers to detain asylum seekers who have arrived illegally in the UK and deport them to a safe third country such as Rwanda. The post-Brexit Windsor Framework jointly agreed by the UK and EU includes a stipulation that there can be no diminution of the rights provisions contained within Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace agreement of 1998.
Mr Justice Humphreys found that several elements of the Act caused a “significant” diminution of the rights enjoyed by asylum seekers residing in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
”
Holdenhillbillysays:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 9:13 am
Asylum seekers cannot be deported to Rwanda from Northern Ireland, a high court judge has ruled.
Mr Justice Humphreys said the Government’s law allowing asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda should be disapplied in Northern Ireland as it undermined human rights protections guaranteed in the region under post-Brexit arrangements.
”
OC
Can you explain why “Asylum seekers cannot be deported to Rwanda from Northern Ireland under post-Brexit arrangements.”?
Sprocket,
“If Albo had called in The Green New Deal (which it could have been), Wilcox would be showering petals in his path”
That’s a comment worthy of its own cartoon!
You can’t trust Labor on the economy. Two budget surpluses in a row, what are they thinking? And larger than expected surplus. Sounds like Costello economics.
“the main issues facing Australians that are most important to you right now”, compared with 10% in the February survey, with cost of living continuing to dominate with 69% followed by housing affordability on 36%.
A forced response question on national direction finds wrong direction favoured over right direction by 63% to 37%, out from 44% to 56% in February.
Thirty-one per cent rate the federal government’s performance excellent, very good or good, down from 34% in February, while fair, poor or very poor is up two to 66%.”
Boerwar,
[The only government in 35 years to deliver significant policy, program and regulatory reforms to aid in the climate fight and in switching to renewables is the Labor Party.]
Every bit of the anti Labor/wannabe significant brigade are loading up to attack you for that comment.
Bomb shelters to the ready!
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, says the Coalition isn’t a “small-target opposition” but wouldn’t commit to any new policies being announced in Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech this week.
——————————–
As expected Dutton and his cronies have nothing
Oops
“… the main issues facing Australians that are most important to you right now”, …, with cost of living continuing to dominate with 69% followed by housing affordability on 36%.
A forced response question on national direction finds wrong direction favoured over right direction by 63% to 37%, out from 44% to 56% in February.
Thirty-one per cent rate the federal government’s performance excellent, very good or good, down from 34% in February, while fair, poor or very poor is up two to 66%.”
Miles in Qld has broken ranks with the feds today on insane numbers of inbound arrivals ,students etc.
A year too late.
Fed labor have steadied the ship recently.Still the next stuff ups are never far away to drag them down.
Geez libs /nats in WA need to fire up big time state gov wise.The budget went down well.
Kirsdarkesays:
Monday, May 13, 2024 at 9:19 pm
There’s something of a political enigma in just exactly what Federal Labor is doing so wrong in Queensland that makes them hate them so much, yet still they have mostly returned Labor state governments since 1989, with of course the exception of the 2012 state election.
Average Seat size of 35,000 [19,000 in 1989] usually means the MLA is well known in the non Brisbane areas and voters are reluctant to take their job away.
In Brisbane, the Murdoch Press always support Labor.
For whatever reasons, Murdoch favors Labor State Governments right up until the day they’re going to be kicked out anyway.
Lordbain says:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 9:02 am
Its ok sprocket, BW and others… you can criticise the party you currently vote for!
Hell, I will lead by example; the Victorian Greens need to get past this self eating process regarding some TERFs, and the ACT Greens needs to do a far better job of differentiating themselves from their coalition partner. Hell, I honestly think that if Brown hadnt led his QLD campaign in 2019, Shorten would have scraped in!
Now you guys can try; the Labor Gas Policy will only exacerbate Australias emissions, and thats why it doesnt have the support of most groups outside of the Gas Industry.
________________
I was struck by my agreement on all of your points! I find the worst issue was the misguided actions of The Greens contributing to the election of the last Morrison government and the consequent change in Labor policy. Australian society and the environment have both suffered as a consequence.
Ven
Under the Good Friday agreement, the European Convention of Human Rights must apply to Northern Ireland. The European Court of Human Rights has found deportation to Rwanda contravenes the convention but the UK parliament has legislated around this for Great Britain but apparently can’t do so for NI due to Good Friday
Several points:
1. The hypocrisy of the Irish Government who argue the open Irish border is sacrosanct but now find themselves inundated with asylum claimers who are fleeing deportation and continue to set up Tent Cities in the Dublin CBD.
2. Not the first time the European Court has intervened in NI. It was involved in a long running case brought by Ireland that the British Government was torturing Provisional IRA prisoners. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_techniques#:~:text=The%20case%20was%20then%20referred,did%20not%20amount%20to%20torture.
On the gas strategy, a few thoughts:
1. It keeps faith with big gas consuming customers like Japan and South Korea – who aren’t blessed with the natural resources we have.
2. Industrial grade exportable alternatives to gas, such as hydrogen, are not mature enough yet.
3. It’s still early days for the very high temperature (500 degree Celsius) required for Green Steel, Aluminium etc – this will come.
4. And here is the unstated bone thrown to the Greens and Ms Wilcox – with a solid gas strategy beyond 2050, the “no new coal mines” slogan might just be on the cards.
Labor have transformed from a Whitlam style progressive party into a right wing reactionary party. Eg. Housing and international students, climate change…
Too late she cried.
Too busy serving their own party interests – political donations and ASX/Superfund investments.
This is the best centre-right government since 2007.
Trump and Dutton singing from exactly the same songsheet.
Sprocket
[4. And here is the unstated bone thrown to the Greens and Ms Wilcox – with a solid gas strategy beyond 2050, the “no new coal mines” slogan might just be on the cards.]
As someone stated on the weekend, you can’t “outgreen the greens”.(or thereabouts)
“no new coal mines” is already yesterday’s “fish and chip” retainer.
Who from the Greens will be game enough to stand and declare “Labor maybe making some progress” .
Nah, it will be “Labor is stealing our identity”.
The good news is that the “Neanderthals” don’t seem to be going anywhere except in “Kingsland”.
Experts say that no more fossil fuel projects can be started if we want a chance to mitigate worse case scenario.
Labor opens tons of new gas exploitation, while claiming to be doing something on climate change.
Does this help explain the dissonance? Or is the rust too thick…
The ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence index fell 0.3 points to 80.2 points last week, the lowest level since early December: https://twitter.com/CommSec/status/1790163905261785116/photo/1
Trump whines judge in his trial was ‘appointed.’ Yes, by a Republican
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/13/2240532/-Trump-whines-judge-in-his-trial-was-appointed-Yes-by-a-Republican?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web
Lordbain,
[Does this help explain the dissonance? Or is the rust too thick… ]
Economics will decide the future of gas, as it has of coal.
It’s worth remembering that “rust” on the correct product is a good thing.
The energy source to make that product is the bad thing for both the cost of that product and the environment.
Just ask the alumina industry.
‘davidwh says:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 10:13 am
This is the best centre-right government since 2007.’
—————————-
No centre right government would engineer a 27% wage increase for the lowest page workers in a feminized industry.
davidwhsays:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 10:13 am
[This is the best centre-right government since 2007.]
I assume you’re just having a laugh but will ask,
Not better than Howard’s fourth term ?
NSW Minister for Women and Minister for Domestic Violence Jodie Harrison says tough new bail laws set to be introduced to state parliament this week will hold domestic violence perpetrators to account and keep the community safe.
Announcing the changes alongside Premier Chris Minns and Attorney-General Michael Daley this morning, Harrison said the regime would complement the government’s $230 million package to support women and families affected by domestic violence. “Today’s announcement has listened to the voices of people who are victim-survivors, it’s listened to the voices of people who are advocates in this space,” she said. “We’re certainly committed to providing that [a strong community response] and we want the community to work with us on it.”
In NSW, men accused of serious domestic violence offences will either be denied bail or be forced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet under a major shake-up of the state’s bail laws.
The Minns government will today announce a series of sweeping changes designed to make it harder for men accused of serious domestic violence offences to be released back into the community.
@sprocket
You should add to the list that Aussie gas is half as emissions intensive as US gas, hence why we are better placed to help keep the lights on for Japan/Taiwan.
Fully developing hydrogen would be ideal to fully replace gas, but unfortunately major proposals keep getting fought against by “green” groups.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-30/green-hydrogen-push-rejected-by-wa-town-kalbarri/103741566
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-23/nullarbor-caves-renewable-energy-development-proposal/103758050
https://x.com/chaser/status/1790179003703374125?s=61&t=uOUOuQOvbsFUiiFQcfJvhQ, man struggling with rent happy to hear budget will be in surplus
I’m glad to hear australian gas is less polluting then other sources of gas. Maybe we should give it a nifty name… like Green gas! I mean, it’s not like others have tried to justify expanding fossil fuel exploitation by calling it green…
VCT Et3e says:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 11:08 am
https://x.com/chaser/status/1790179003703374125?s=61&t=uOUOuQOvbsFUiiFQcfJvhQ, man struggling with rent happy to hear budget will be in surplus
——————————
Liberal PM Menzies (1949 -1966), the father of the modern Liberal Party, believed in deficits ‘ to grow the economy and country’. As did the Labor Leader, Caldwell.
Menzies last deficit was equivalent to Swan’s last in 2013 in the Gillard government.
To help people like Albanese and his mother have safe and cheap rental accommodation and a sustainable income. Of course people in similar situations to Albanese now live in tents, cars, rough sleepers.
He doesn’t care.
This budget surplus, meaning no increase in Jobseeker to 90% of aged pension, no help for those working Australians for rent and food, shows how much Labor is in the thrall of Liberal governments. Believing their nonsense. Tricked by them.
Why their PV vote hovers between 30 – 33%, the lowest ever for a Labor government.
Also believes the Liberal myth that those on Jobseeker are not deserving of financial support to take them and their child out of poverty, to help them gain meaningful work.
Labor Right Faction Treasurer Chalmers, with 3 safe and protected children, should be ashamed he lets the 1 in 6 Australian children live in poverty. While he boasts about the meaningless surplus.
What are governments elected for after all? To help all Australians lead a good life, not only wealthy businesses, wealthy people and donors, specially the fossil fuel donors to Labor.
The latter increasing the effects of more extreme weather – evidence of global warming. And to increase everyone’s insurance policies. Or make them unaffordable.
Someone has to pay. Individual Australians. And it is not the polluting fossil fuel industry. Our taxes actually pay them.
The Yanks think they are at the pinacle of democratic systems but it is very obvious that isn’t so.
One feature that I find most alarming is how judges are classified as democratic or republican depending on who appointed them. It appears that it is generally accepted that they might favour the side of politics that appointed them.
Just imagine if we had Liberal or Labor judges here.
People whinging about the surplus want more money slushing through the economy making inflation worse?
It is the barest of surpluses anyway.
Irene at 11.19. Not sure who this ‘Caldwell’ character was, but he wasn’t a Labor leader…
In Tasmania Michelle O’Byrne (ALP) elected unopposed as Speaker. First non-government Speaker (excluding Hickey briefly being an IND) since 1959.
Bizzcan says:
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 11:01 am
@sprocket
You should add to the list that Aussie gas is half as emissions intensive as US gas, hence why we are better placed to help keep the lights on for Japan/Taiwan.
Fully developing hydrogen would be ideal to fully replace gas, but unfortunately major proposals keep getting fought against by “green” groups.
————- ———————
‘Keeping the lights on’. Typical argument the Liberals and now Labor use to increase green house gases, fossil fuel gas use.
Identical polices again.
Green hydrogen requires more energy than other fuels to produce any kind of hydrogen, green in particular.
So unless there is excess renewable energy to produce it, fossil fuels would be burnt for the production of green hydrogen. Increasing global warming.