Julia Creates More Trouble For Banks!
“I could live on 40 bucks a day knowing that the Government is supporting me with Newstart looking for employment.” Julia Banks on ABC, 02/05/18
Well, it’s certainly good to know that Ms Banks won’t be relying on anything more than the Newstart allowance when she’s out of work after the next election. Or perhaps she meant that she could live on forty bucks a day while the Government supports her to look for a new job in the next few weeks while they parachute Georgina Downer into her seat. (Remember you heard that here first!)
Apparently, Ms Banks thinks that increasing the Newstart allowance is socialism. Ok, while I may not be one of Milton Freidman’s strongest supporters, I’m not exactly someone who’s ever carried around Mao’s little red book. Just calling something “socialism” doesn’t close the argument for me. Sometimes socialism can work. You know, when it involves things like buying the Liddell Power Station even people like Tiny Abbott supports it. (The “Tiny” is a typo, so it’s not about balance and I don’t have to fix it. Besides I don’t work for the ABC so you can’t have a sook and make me apologise.)
Of course, it’s easy to live on forty bucks a day for some people. Take politicians, for example. Instead of wasting money on public transport fares like many of those spendthrifts on Newstart do, they save by taking a Comcar. Or, if you’re Bronwyn Bishop, a helicopter. Doesn’t cost them a cent. Unless you’re party leader says that you have to pay back the cost of the helicopter flight, which I understand takes a large chunk out of your $40 for that day.
Similarly, instead of wasting money by renting a room, then you can just sleep in your office. Or, if you’re leader of a party, who’s been thrown out of home by your wife, you can stay at a townhouse rent free. More money saved. And, of course, you can always save money on food and drinks by offering to open the odd building or two. There’s usually free nibbles and wine.
So when your average politician says that he or she could live on $40 a day, it’s probably no challenge at all. However, the average person on Newstart doesn’t have access to a chauffeur driven car. Yes, I know that this will be a shock to some of you who vote Liberal, but it’s actually true. Not only that, but they don’t even have an office to sleep in, let alone a friend with a spare townhouse. Of course, there’s no reason why they couldn’t offer to cut the ribbon when the Rossleigh Brisbane Arts Centre is opened. However, I suspect that this building isn’t on the current government’s agenda so this strategy for a free meal won’t be a goer in the foreseeable future.
No, when the average person ends up on Newstart they can’t resort to the same money-saving measures as politicians. Unemployed people would probably find that they can’t actually live on Newstart. So what do the Liberals expect them to do?
Yep, I know. The Liberals expect them to sell their BHP shares or to liquify one of their negatively geared properties. After all, weren’t we being told that most negative gearing was being done by low-income earners?
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Return to home pageGood one, Rossleigh.
And now that you’ve started, why not turn the screw a little further with the “socialist menace” in your follow-up article?
This boil needs to be lanced before healing can progress.
We actually need to force MPs to live on ONLY Newstart or a pension for their first 3 months in office. They can be planed to Canberra and then handed their allowance with a list of the available rooms for rent. And then nothing – no free meals, no free cars, no free anything at all, not even a phone card. They may not realise that if you don’t have a phone you can’t access MyGov which gets you into your Centrelink account unless you have a phone to which the access code is sent. Failing that you must go personally to your Centrelink office and wait in the queue. Advantage of that is you can be warm for an hour or two if you hadn’t found a room the night before. No food or water provided still.
Bet there ‘s no takers. . . . .
That statement by Ms Banks just made Labors job of winning the next major votathon a whole lot easier!
Even Henry Ford, with much self interest, said that workers (employed or unemployed) need a decent income to spend and support the economy, and his cars of course. Think Newstart needs a significant increase and/or a post code linked rental allowance.
Uhm … what about accommodation at a rental property owned by a political colleague but held in title by the non-working spouse? Would that count as a freebie?? Or is it just a Smoking’ Joe way of increasing the take from the Parliamentary Allowances Scheme???
Julia Banks is talking nonsense. She clearly has not the vaguest understanding of what it is like to live at the bottom of the financial status ranks. Nor, apparently does she even have the intelligence to make a list of costs for even minimal living costs in our society, if you see essentials as only food, clothing, & shelter, which of course they are not.
I am totally over these STUPID & IGNORANT right wing zealots and their idiot comments. It makes me even more certain that our as one of the changes our system needs is a criterion for intellect, experience, worldliness and demonstrated caring for others.
I doubt she’d last a week if you discoount any already accumulated assets and bank accounts and overly generous government pension.
People such as her should never sit in a body intended to represent the needs and care of a whole community. They have selfish, self-centred and blatantly foolish and uninformed notions that they seem to feel are reality if they put them out there.
They are fools. I for one, resent having my taxes and charges being put to the use of supporting fools. Particularly when they are super well paid fools who ought to know better.
Between October and December last year, Julia Banks claimed $3,990 for fourteen nights spent in Canberra. That is, of course, on top of her wage. We also paid over $1000 for multiple copies of newspapers for her including Neos Kosmos, a Greek paper. She even claimed for the cleaning of her private plated vehicle for which we pay the lease and fuel costs and she included a claim for $500 for an accident excess. In fact, her private vehicle cost us over $1435 a month. And then we also paid for comcars. Despite claiming for eight flights between Canberra and Melbourne in a period of about 7 weeks, we still had to cough up over $400 for her family to visit her.
One of the really annoying claims is, in that 3 month period, she claimed $58,354.11 for personalised stationery and for the distribution of the junk mail we all so look forward to filling up our letterboxes.
I don’t think Ms Banks knows how much things cost when she doesn’t have to pay for anything at all herself.
https://www.ipea.gov.au/pwe/full-report/Banks/Julia/Parliamentarian/2017-10-01
I’d recommend she try it, not for one week or even two, but for the many weeks or even months it can take to get a job. She’ll find it not as easy as she appears to think… I suspect, to draw on Michael Ignatiaff’s writing, that she doesn’t have the ‘skills for poverty’.
How does she need 5 properties if she can survive on $38 a day?
It must be a diversion. No one could be that stupid. Put her on welfare for a year or two with no foreseeable backup and see if her tune has changed by the end.
What an idiot she is. I saw her expenses claims too, KL – How dare she open her entitled mouth!
Another privileged member of the 10% club who presumes, very wrongly, that THEY know…why bother, they just make me f*cking angry!
The idiot daughter of the idiot son of Adelaide Aristocracy is going to finally plant her privellaged backside in Parliament.
Never worked a day in her life but she must have the right level of cold hearted rat-cunning and ruthlessness.
She’ll fit in well with the other rabid dog, harridans and harpies of the lieberall party
Oh yes, Wun, the idiot Downer daughter has all the talking points down pat, however her previous appearances on the drum last year show little of genuine substance. Tainted bloodlines
Julia Banks recently added a 6th property to her Register of Interests. Then there’s Kate Carnell on The Drum saying the unemployed needed a stick taken to them to get them going into employment! A stick! Cassandra Goldie of ACOSS could barely contain herself, but dealt with that one well.
Julia Banks now has notoriety. As has George Christensen, Cory Bernardi and … Pauline … the list is long. And at a more macro level – so has Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte and a whole string of politicians who are and were successful over a long period of time.
A political idiot? Maybe not? In political terms, perhaps she is way above most of us?
Give whatever meaning you like to that fact.
Georgina Downer is dumb as a post. I am getting a little sick of these political dynasties. It seems like the kids learn early that this is a gravy train that requires no skill, no training, no expertise or experience, and you don’t actually have to achieve anything. Hell, you don’t even have to turn up if you don’t feel like it. Bob Katter rarely does. Use daddy’s name to get preselection and bob’s your uncle.
Shame the Court didn’t find her in breach of the dual citizenship rules – she might have been on the dole already. (Probably not, you don’t get Newstart payments until you defray almost all the money you may have saved.) https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/SSPaymentsUnemployment/AppendixB/AppendixBTable9
Is it just me or is there some sort of universe inspired, collective unconscious, Jungian synchronicity occurring with all elements of Banks being just ridiculous, undesirable and criminally stupid?
Julia Banks really is her own worst enemy…
Re Georgina Downer, she only (tentatively) was admitted to the diplomatic ranks because of her father’s position and influence. Rudd when PM, had the opportunity to quash – because she simply didn’t have the levels of academic achievements mandated – but he declined – presumably hoping for a quid pro quo down the track. Silly Rudd – a characteristic of his poor judgement and his belief that he could charm both sides of the political aisle. (Further examples available on request.)
I don’t think she’s as dumb as a post. Maybe – as thick as a brick – without wit, charm, articulation, insight .. But one shouldn’t speak ill of the mentally challenged. Or to put it another way, one shouldn’t descend to the level of a Downer.
Georgina is warming a seat at the creche for Young Liberals, the IPA, along with Andrew Bolt’s son.
She had the hide to write an article about East Timor’s oil and their case for a change of the maritime borders. In her opinion they should stop worrying about oil and take up tourism and agriculture.
“Timor’s Prosperity Lies In Its Best Assets: Its Beaches And People”
I suppose her father had to stop advising Woodside to take up his London gig? Perhaps it’s another family affair
Kaye Lee, that’s rich, the East Timorese were, spied on, lied to, deceived and robbed, and as it so happens all of this occurred under the direction of her Papa. Her Papa went on to a consultancy with Woodside – that’s what riled agent K and motivated his testimony.
Downer should have been imprisoned, in fact he should still be charged and tried
Yes Glenn. She neglected to mention that part of the story.
She also spoke about having been an “observer” at their elections.
“Some elements of the election process were odd. Notably, there was a lack of criticism of other parties or political leadership. This is still a new and fragile democracy, and there is a nervousness that negative or scare campaigns could incite violence.”
Or maybe they are just decent people who don’t use confected fear and lies as a political tool. What an alien concept for Georgina to grasp.
These people are not even fit for opposition.
…it’s all in the name: bank/banks…Banks… I did not know who you were talking about, now the picture above says it all..
As for Downer’s daughter, the name is hardly a recommendation, oops, sorry, I’m from the Left side…
‘Apparently, Ms Banks thinks that increasing the Newstart allowance is socialism. Ok, while I may not be one of Milton Friedman’s strongest supporters, I’m not exactly someone who’s ever carried around Mao’s little red book. Just calling something “socialism” doesn’t close the argument for me. Sometimes socialism can work. You know, when it involves things like buying the Liddell Power Station even people like Tiny Abbott supports it. (The “Tiny” is a typo, so it’s not about balance and I don’t have to fix it. Besides I don’t work for the ABC so you can’t have a sook and make me apologise.)’ – So true!
…no harm in taking the Mick out of tiny-tot-liberalism, the government- business model that simply doesn’t work – Gunpowder with your snuff anybody? Just don’t mention it to Dutton 😎
Meanwhile could we try ‘trickle UP economics’, has this been invented yet? Milton Friedman should be turning in his Trump tower American grave…
This one is gold, Clarke and Dawe on Alexander Downer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRNq2mIsrrw
There is another one from over a decade ago – also Clarke and Dawe on Alexander Downer which I am unable to locate thus far
“Downer,” the only politician to live up to their name!
Let’s hope Shorten does…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/06/can-coalition-mp-bechamel-foreclaws-really-live-on-40-a-day#comment-115494736