Who are the real whingers?

June 2, 2014 Kaye Lee Politics 216

Image from thenewdaily.com.au (Photo by AAP)

Australia is a wonderful country and we are blessed to live here. We have challenges that need addressing but the heartening thing is that we also have the means and the time to do that.

What I do not understand is why our government is telling us we have a crisis and making people feel afraid.

They say we have a budget emergency and that the primary goal of this government is to reach a surplus. What difference will a surplus make to your life? It’s a number on a fiscal statement.

They say our debt is increasing faster than anyone else’s. There is some truth in this in percentage terms (the only time they use percentages you will note) but it is because we are starting from such a low debt. As I have said before, if I spend $10 this week and $20 next week, my expenditure has doubled.

To say our children will have to repay our debt, and to even give it a per capita figure, is a ludicrous spin deliberately designed to scare ordinary people. No-one will come knocking on your door with a bill from the government accompanied by a foreclosure notice. That’s not the way it works so why portray it that way?

We have been made to fear asylum seekers (though, sadly, it is they who should be fearful of us). Some think they will impose their laws on us, some think they will kick back having a fat old time on welfare, some think they will take our jobs, and some politicians are concerned about them clogging up our roads and hospital waiting rooms.

Neither of the major parties have any credibility or decency on this issue. They should be thoroughly ashamed for not condemning these cowardly, greedy, xenophobic, racist, selfish attitudes let alone pandering to them.

Tony Abbott also used fear in his campaign against the carbon tax. Towns will be wiped off the map, lamb roasts will cost $100, the cost of living will skyrocket, pensioners will not be able to afford to heat their homes. None of this eventuated, many low income earners were better off due to the compensation packages, polluters were contributing to the cost of their pollution and being encouraged to invest in more sustainable practice, demand dropped partly due to dirty industries closing down and partly due to more energy conscious behaviour, and investment in renewable energy was increasing.

The mining tax was a no no because it would halt investment in the country and we would go into recession. That didn’t seem to happen either.

We were told the NBN had no cost benefit analysis and would go over budget and over time and would be a huge waste of our money. It appears Malcolm’s is forging ahead without a CBA and unfortunately his inferior offering will be over budget and over time and slower than promised.

In the midst of this funding emergency we are able to find countless billions for roads that, contrary to promises in Opposition, need no CBA nor approval from Infrastructure Australia as a priority.

Tony’s slogans and campaign were designed to make his constituents fearful, and anyone who tries to disagree is silenced or called a whinger.

Well who are the real whingers?

The mining companies squealed like stuck pigs when asked to pay a small contribution to us for the right to make billions digging up our finite resources.

The polluters did not want to take any responsibility for the cost to society of their profit-making ventures. Even though the most trade-exposed industries were given assistance to help transition to cleaner practices, they chose instead to mount a climate change denial campaign, rather than help in any way with co-operative action.

Ask developers to comply with environmental safeguards and listen to the complaints about paperwork. No-one seems to remember the amount of paperwork that was thrust upon small businesses with the introduction of the GST.

The salary sacrificing and car lease companies had a huge dummy spit when the government had the temerity to ask that people justify their car business usage claims. We can’t ask people to tell the truth…this tax dodge is an entitlement I tell you!

When the richest 16,000 superannuants were asked to pay a small amount of tax on anything they earned above $100,000 pa it was class warfare! They had worked hard to avoid paying tax on that money and were entitled to reap the rewards of having good accountants. The superannuation companies backed their cries saying “it would be too hard to administer.” When I suggested to Joe Hockey’s adviser that it could be administered by the ATO through a simple tax return he said “that is not my area of expertise”.

Ask Gina to pay tax and she moves to Singapore. Ask her to pay a decent wage and she imports slave labour. Ask her to give you your inheritance and you may end up in court.

Any inquiry into media ownership laws will hear howls that echo around the world. “Stalin”, “censorship”, “freedom of speech”, “attack on democracy”…Rupert has an absolute tantrum at the very idea that the media should be held in any way accountable in presenting the truth.

The introduction of gambling reform laws had the hotel and gambling industry donating millions to political campaigns rather than have their profits hurt by addressing this most destructive social problem.

Financial advisers from big banks, like those exposed in the Four Corners program the other night, point blank refused to accept transparency and regulation. Expecting them to disclose kickbacks or vested interests is apparently unreasonable.

Parliamentarians from both sides have been dragged kicking and screaming to repay claimed entitlements for personal pursuits.

This government is built on propaganda – slogans, ridiculous analogies, fear and lies. Call me a whinger if you like, but it seems to me the real whingers are the ones who can pay for lobby groups.

 

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Post Views: 842
About Kaye Lee 1328 Articles
Kaye describes herself as a middle-aged woman in jammies. She knew Tony Abbott when they both attended Sydney University where she studied for a Bachelor of Science. After 20 years teaching mathematics, with the introduction of the GST in 2000, she became a ‘feral accountant’ for the small business that she and her husband own. Kaye uses her research skills “to pass on information, to join the dots, to remember what has been said and done and to remind others, and to do the maths.”

216 Comments

  4. You have to love cognitive dissonance…

    We have to save future generations from being encumbered with debt.

    But it’s fine to leave future generations with a destroyed environment, no public infrastructure or assets, no jobs and no future.

    At least they have no debt!

  5. Sorry Anomander,

    Anyone of them who choose a tertiary education will have a very large debt accruing at about 4% currently

  7. Makes ya wanna do nasty things to nasty people with a wombat. (certain amount of imagination required)

    NLP make an art of whinging about the whingers.

    I know the logic and contradictions escape them but what to expect?

    We should willingly slave and die just to give em what they want:

    EVERYTHING!

  8. Ahhhh but that’s personal debt Kaye and it doesn’t matter.

    We just can’t leave them with any form of public debt, because governments shouldn’t be borrowing money.

    Governments should instead be selling-off all their infrastructure because, as everyone knows, private is far more efficient than public.

  9. Agreed Anomander,

    The funniest thing about greed is good propaganda we’re swamped in, has to be that it boasts creating more oligarchs than any other ponzi to date is it’s great achievement. As cons go, it’s a beauty.

    Expanding oligarchy growth in wealth and numbers, expand population to serve that end and pretend to give a rats for anything else.

  11. No arguments from me on the main thrusts of this column ….. it is merely a question of how far this group can go, and how much damage they can cause, before they lose power.

  12. These IPA lickspittles (the whole front bench + what’s behind them) and their BCA partners are in a death waltz for Australia. They want to see it destroyed and reduced to the servitude of foreign masters as they lack the maturity to have vision and the courage to maintain an independent nation and only aspire to be office boys.
    .

  14. Watched an SBS programme called Utopia, this morning, all about the lies that were told to the community about the Aboriginal Community and what was supposed to be happening, now this was not done years ago, this was the Howard Government, the Late Line programme used false information, false representation of the person telling the story and scared the Aboriginal Community before the “Intervention” now you may ask what this achieved, nothing for the Aboriginal Communities but smear and innuendo, but for the mining companies they wanted the Uranium out of the ground that the communities were living on. That is what is happening, today, but it is the poor and the disadvantaged that are being targeted, they hope that they will curl up and die. That way they can spend more money on the rich. I am sick of the bias with the national papers also, you can tell which party they support when your letters to the editor do not get published.

  15. Excellent find Stephen

    All failure is blamed and loaded up on the most powerless to control poor outcomes, the poor.

  16. Who are the real whingers???

    Howard’s aspirationals who think they can recreate those glorious days of living in a HOUSE OF CARDS. We are paying for those days ofiIrrational exuberance but the aspirationsals still want their handouts.

  17. Don’t you people understand free market economics?!(!!!???) The greater the intensity of the mass forced into a small object, the greater the volume and pressure of the leaks. It’s like when you put a hose into a cow”s mouth to get a drink of water. You know it’s going to leak out somewhere eventually. Or the cow could explode and shower you with milk.
    Full disclosure, I am a LNP scriptwriter.

  18. <

    Drove me nuts trying to figure out the "Dumb ways to lie" protest against Abbott.

    This is what its based on :

  20. corveus boreus,

    You could not possibly be a LNP script writer. You are far too verbose, you did not say “Labor’s mess” once in that post, and, whilst a lateral approach to an end, there was nothing wrong with your logical conclusions

  24. Verbose? moi?
    Thanks for the analysis, Just some ideas to help make ends meet*.

    *which if it is difficult to do blame Labor, the carbon tax, stupid scientists, dirty windmills and your own lazy, leanin, druggo, lefty selves.

    Better?

  25. Makes me want to put on a Lady Di blouse, a wool skirt, and giggle as I talk about boarding school food and daddy’s property on the Darling Downs. I never did master the art of wearing my jumper draped over my back with the sleeves in front over my shoulders. I always ended up looking like a strangled superman wannabe.

  27. The Bolt unhinged? Can’t disagree but that makes Rossleigh here and the other fools in the media unhinged too. Judging by most of the comments here…the real whingers are in full flight.

  29. You missed the big word Kaye. You know the one, the scourge of all hard-working people – Socialism. The perfect word ably, and frequently, used by young Rupert and his IPA mates to get the dumb and the ignorant blinded by their own stupidity – ready to attack their own kith and kin and willing to defend the opinions of the wealthy.

    Ahhh Socialism – the evil intent of big government to extract vast quantities of tax money from average hard working Australians who, through dint of their own hard graft alone, and have somehow managed to get ahead, without using any public facilities or services whatsoever – and to take said taxpayer money and lavish it on undeserving lazy little youth who sit around all day surfing, taking drugs, playing those computer-game thingies and having babies to half a dozen fathers.

  30. <

    Looks like "scaper" hasn't had his drug test today.

    Off you go "scaper" back home to the toilet you belong in.

  32. Johno:

    Now if only we could get Abbott and his cabinet into that Video.

    Bit worried about the fact that they all seem to survive though.

    Corvus:

    Laughing at other creatures suffering really.

    How funny is that he, he?

  35. The back bencher, supporting drug testing, add words of wisdom to his conversation, Yes, it is a Green supporter that have the most to fear from any testing. I take that to mean, the Greens arte little more than druggies.

    What gives members of this government the right or belief that they are morally superior to every one else in the land.

  36. Conservatives believe in an unequal society. People are all different and live in different circumstances and for them it seems the natural order of things. That is to say there are those that ‘do’ and those that ‘don’t’. Charity should look after the not-so-fortunate, not welfare – their belief in the old fashioned view of religious and family values for the (demonised) poor that still live within conservatives minds.

    Of course we will look after our own – goes without saying. Our “own” are those of the upper classes, the entrepreneurs who bring in the money.

    Conservatives don’t think much of ordinary humans being able to run their own lives very well and therefore must bring pressure to bear to get them to behave. Like any “parent” of wayward children, they mistakenly use fear as a form of control. Therefore you are not “entitled” as you think you are – only we of the conservative following are deserving.

    (Can you not see that we are devoting science income to prolonging our lives so that we may enjoy the fruits of our labours ?)

    A conservative society also promotes prejudice against illegal immigrants for example, to show the working class that they are looking after “their” jobs. In essence, immigrants are not great consumers and not very welcome – better to bring in the 457 visa workers in on a controlled and very quiet basis.

    Our universities are to become havens of the deserving. Keeping the hoi polloi out of these institutions will keep the social divisions in place. If you do go to uni then you will need to be good at achieving, because without a big income you won’t ever pay that debt will you ?

  40. Now the smart play is a Green senator proposes a motion of a trial of drug testing for parliamentarians entering voting sessions . If there are any who are not gibbering incantations due to psychotropic herbs and fungi, now’s the time to propose the motion.

  42. Net neutrality? Oh lord there at it again. Good Dog these bastards never give up.

    Brandis is a bloody dangerous ideologue with dictatorial tendencies.

  43. WOW! First it was the turps and now being accused of taking drugs???

    Would be interesting to test you lot for both, pharmaceutical and illicit drugs.

    Maybe a DNA sample too…could possibly contribute to unsolved crimes.

    Just kidding.

  44. Perhaps now you may understand how the poor feel scaper. Apparently THEY all drink and smoke and take drugs. Just ask Gina. Joe even uses middies and cigarettes as currency. Ask Tory Shepherd. All we marchers are going to disappear up our proverbials in a puff of BO and bong smoke….apparently.

  45. This Liberal party when they were in opposition – “Born To Rule Whingers”.

    Gina & co – When they whinged about the mining tax.(Among others things,such as Industrial relations).

    The ignorant,selfish and racist in the general public – On minority groups that are going worse than them.From asylum seekers to the unemployed.Encouraged by the MSM,Libs & sadly in most cases NOT challenged by Labor 🙁

  47. Would it not be easier to sell the country to Gina or some other entity! ,?Mr Abbot .isn’t that the end deal ….We would all be rich and you would no longer have to worry about governance the whole country would be privatised and could be filled up with cheap overseas workers!
    Win Win Bwahhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa!

  49. For me the real whingers are the ones who are whinging in public every day, whether in print or over the air waves. One only has to look at the language they use to see where they are coming from: entitlements, leaners, elites, bludgers, Trotskyists…

    We all know who they are. They are supported by big money even when their business model is failing. They retreat behind pay walls. They pass around the same message from desk to desk and harangue and ridicule and besmirch for days and months, even years. It is a perpetual propaganda machine…

    But fortunately we do not have to read or listen to any of it. Let them boil away in their own bile.

  50. Owen:

    Go to the front of the line pass go and collect a bag of poverty, oops freedom.

    Now i have a job for you in the great north picking rice grains for near zilch but I know as a patriot you are willing to do small sacrifices for your country – Ahem me.

    Signed Gina the Washing Machine. (put it in; swirl it about; and I come out richer)

    Now what’s not fair about that?

    After all I worked hard for my inheritance and so should you for yours.

  51. You know what it comes down to, the kids who live in Housing Dept. homes have got the same iPads and smartphones as the kids of the heavily mortgaged tradie and he hates that.

    They want to see those kids in rags.

  52. On whingers, perennial favorite Alan Jones was, for me, rivaled by Mr Andrew Bolt recently, for his petulant victim act over being found guilty of spreading falsehoods about an ethnic minority (indigenous) for no demonstrated goodness of intent.
    There was a collective squeal of hyperbolic indignation on behalf of our collective right to disseminate falsehoods on the basis of prejudice from a small clique of rich, influential people from the racio-ethnic majority.
    Gentlemen, and let’s not forget, where are my ladies? I honor the sacrifice of your tears, and applaud your efforts to defend my rights to vilify by broad genetic parameters and geography of birth, although I had no personal gripes to air in this regard.
    For all your efforts whinging for my right to whinge bullshit about why other people suck, I say thanks, whingers!

  53. Figured since I was already there, I’d drop the Dumb Ways To Lie video link into a couple of redit ‘wtf is going on in oZ’ conversations, plus a short explanation on my perception of oZ political modus operandi.

    ‘Expand oligarchy growth in wealth and numbers, Expand population to serve that end, Always blame, tax and otherwise punish for poor outcomes, the poor.’

    In LNP speak that could read, ‘kill the rich’ akin to ‘burn the witch’ but slogos don’t offer much by way of solutions do they?

  54. We’re the 90%, the producers of wealth. The whingers are the upper 10% who hog 80% of what is produced. They don’t like funding public health, education and welfare because they don’t need public health, education and welfare. They have enough of the old dough-ray-me to pay for privatised versions of health and education. The welfare they live on is what 90% give away in exchange for wages.

  56. What I do not understand is why our government is telling us we have a crisis and it’s the WRONG crisis……

  57. Just heard Abbott’s latest slogan- “I’m the man with the plan.” And the rest of you are just whingers.

  58. Snivel, sniff, wing, whine whaaaaaaa……. tears, womit, shake, tremor, sorry Mr Rabbit but why are you pressing your foot on my throat? What did I do?

    You rode the free lunch off of my wealth you degenerate plebeian bludger.

    Would it help if I suffer some more?

    Yes and maybe you will learn your lesson for being sacked, hungry and homeless.

    Sounds fair to me. (LNP Voter)

  59. All this Gina bashing is so hilarious.

    Does anyone here actually know her or what drives her to aspire when Gina can just kick back?

    Thought not.

    I know and see a different person to what is portrayed by the conga line of speculators.

    Will just dissect one paragraph of this missive that is devoid of Corpus delicti.

    You say:”Ask Gina to pay tax and she moves to Singapore.” Gina does not live in Singapore. Pays taxes to the ATO.

    And this:”Ask her to pay a decent wage and she imports slave labour.”

    Whoa…are you serious about your allegation and if so, can you back this up by way of evidence?

    Like your final kick in the c###t…”Ask her to give you your inheritance and you may end up in court.”

    You have no idea of the spivs behind the scenes and never will.

    Yes, I know Gina Rinehart. I could relate another side to the lady, but quite frankly…it is none of your damn business!

  60. Scaper, perhaps you can help us out here.

    Some time ago you mentioned that Gina is very passionate about providing employment for Indigenous Australians. This is a fantastic attribute and a side of her that gets no publicity at all. It’s certainly something I’d be very keen to learn more about.

    Given that you know her, perhaps you can arrange for an interview. I’d be honoured to be the one to spread the word about her efforts in this noble cause.

  62. i prefer “indolent, vindictive and devious baby elephant”. Remind me someone, who said that? Links?

  63. Oh yes it is when she interferes in the media and funds lobbyists it is most certainly our business. When she demonstrates a complete lack of consideration for the working class and poor everything she does is our business. Just as you would drag up any mud on Labor or the Greens to suit your ends which is obvious so. Who is the hypocrite now? Your on the wrong playing field mate.

  65. “The program, which has come under intense attack from unions and some sections of the Labor party, will see over 1,700 foreign workers granted visas to work on Gina Rinehart‘s Roy Hill Mine, under Australia’s first ever Enterprise Migration Agreement.”

  66. “The Roy Hill project would provide up to 2000 training places for Australians, Mr Bowen said, adding that “This includes places for more than 200 Australian apprentices and trainees, as well as preparing over 100 indigenous Australians to work in the construction industry”.

    ummmm….does this sound like work for the dole to you?

  67. Senate hearing. 16 year old are going to be offered up to $20,000 on apprentship loans while at school. The 16 will be signing not the parent. Yes they can spend it on what they like. The look on Kim Carr is unbelievable.

  68. Senate Economic Legalisation Committee. Yes, there is no mistake, that is whazt they are saying.,

  69. Scaper

    Look if the core of your wealth is inherited and you go around acting like the Queen of truthyness while demonizing the low income and poor the little you give is a piss in the ocean compared to the social damaged you are prepared to wreak on the masses. Its all about the dominant theme not the escapist minutia.

  70. The minister is saying, under Labor scheme there was no accountability. Yes, it appears they believe it is legal to sign up 16 olds to such schemes.

  71. scaper,

    When Gina jumped up on the back of a truck and yelled “Axe the tax”, when she decided to influence Australian politics and try to influence or intimidate the media, it very much became my business.

  72. I feel sorry for the depart officials., The body language tells oner, they could agree with Carr’s reactions.

  74. Alice this an e.g. Of one of the articles I mentioned . I signed up to receive these . Makes you feel not so alone in your animosity towards all things Rabbit and Hokey

    Linda x

    From: The Australian Independent Media Network Reply-To: The Australian Independent Media Network Date: Monday, 2 June 2014 12:21 pm To: linda king Subject: [New post] Who are the real whingers?

    WordPress.com Kaye Lee posted: ” Australia is a wonderful country and we are blessed to live here. We have challenges that need addressing but the heartening thing is that we also have the means and the time to do that. What I do not understand is why our government is telling us”

  75. Our Future by Gina Rinehart (seriously)

    The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife
    And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life
    Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth
    And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth
    Is our future threatened with massive debts run up by political hacks
    Who dig themselves out by unleashing rampant tax
    The end result is sending Australian investment, growth and jobs offshore
    This type of direction is harmful to our core
    Some envious unthinking people have been conned
    To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand
    Through such unfortunate ignorance, too much abuse is hurled
    Against miners, workers and related industries who strive to build the world
    Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shores
    To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
    The world’s poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate
    Our nation needs special economic zones and wiser government, before it is too late.

  76. linda king,

    You are most definitely not alone and the numbers are growing every day. We just need to keep telling the truth and offering better suggestions.

    When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
    When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
    When the funds are low and the debts are high,
    And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
    When care is pressing you down a bit
    Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

    Life is queer with its twist and its turns,
    As everyone of us sometimes learns,
    And many a failure turns about
    When they might have won, had stuck it out.
    Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
    You may succeed with another blow.

    Often the goal is nearer than,
    It seems to a fain and faltering man,
    Often the struggler has given up
    When he might have captured the victor’s cup
    And he learned too late when the night came down,
    How close he was to the golden crown.

    Success is failure turned inside out
    The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
    And you never can tell how close you are,
    It may be near when it seems so far;
    So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
    It’s when things seem worse that you must not quit!

  77. ALP (56.5%) big lead down slightly over L-NP (43.5%). The Palmer United Party increases its support to 7.5% (up 1%) – a new record high for PUP

    If a Federal Election were held today the ALP would win in a landslide (56.5%, down 1% over the past two weeks) over the L-NP (43.5%, up 1%) according to today’s multi-mode Morgan Poll.
    This Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted over the last two weekends (May 24/25 & May 31/June 1, 2014) with an Australia-wide cross-section of 3,247 Australian electors aged 18+. The ALP primary vote is at 38% (down 0.5%) whilst the L-NP primary vote is unchanged at 35%.
    Among the minor parties Greens support is 11% (down 1%), support for the Palmer United Party (PUP) is 7.5% (up 1% to a new record high) and support for Independents/Others is 8.5% (up 0.5%).
    Support for the Palmer United Party is highest in Palmer’s home State of Queensland (12.5%), but is also significant in South Australia (10%), Western Australia (7.5%) and Tasmania (7.5%) and lowest in the two largest States of Victoria (5.5%) and New South Wales (5%).
    Analysis by Gender
    Analysis by Gender shows that ALP support remains strongest amongst women with the ALP 59% (down 2%) well ahead of the L-NP 41% (up 2%) on a two-party preferred basis. Support amongst men is closer with the ALP 54% (unchanged) still clearly ahead of the L-NP on 46% (unchanged).
    Analysis by States
    The ALP maintains a strong two-party preferred lead in all six Australian States. New South Wales: ALP 57% cf. L-NP 43%, Victoria: ALP 55% cf. L-NP 45%, Queensland: ALP 55% cf. L-NP 45%, South Australia: ALP 62% cf. L-NP 38%, Western Australia: ALP 56% cf. ALP 44% and Tasmania: ALP 58% cf. L-NP 42%.
    Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating
    The Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen to a new record low 88.5 (down 5pts). Now 48.5% (up 3%) of Australians say Australia is ‘heading in the wrong direction’ and just 37% (down 2%) say Australia is ‘heading in the right direction’.
    The Morgan Poll surveys a larger sample (including people who only use a mobile phone) than any other public opinion poll.
    Gary Morgan says:
    “The ALP (56.5%, down 1%) maintains a huge two-party preferred lead over the L-NP (43.5%, up 1%) despite a slight fall in overall support this week. ALP primary support has dropped to 38% (down 0.5%) and L-NP primary support is unchanged at 35%. Significantly, support for the Palmer United Party has increased to a record high 7.5% (up 1%). PUP’s support is strongest in Clive Palmer’s home State of Queensland (12.5%) and also in double figures in South Australia (10%).
    “The rise in support for the Palmer United Party comes as PUP Leader Clive Palmer vows to oppose many of the measures outlined in Treasurer Joe Hockey’s first Budget when his party gains a large share of the balance of power in the Senate in July. Palmer has already stated his opposition to the reintroduction of bi-annual increases to the fuel excise (currently set at 38.1c per litre) and has also vowed to oppose the proposed increase to the pension age.”
    View Federal Electorate Reports

    View all latest findings

    Even more research every week
    Roy Morgan’s Market Research Update is a weekly summary of our consumer and business research findings. You can update your subscription today to include this in your weekly reading.

  78. If you read the gospels you will see how little we have progressed. The poor widow gave her all , and the rich man thanked God he was not like other men. Even now less affluent give to real charities ( not pretend ones like sports events and art galleries) proportionately more than the wealthy . This government wants to legislate to preserve the status quo for ever.

  79. Migs, Gina does not do media. I’ve got a wealth of information what makes her tick, including her pain of the spivs trying to alienate Gina from her family.

    I had some strong words to Ginia at the book launch in Brisbane and she accepted them.

    By the way…the Murdoch media tried to infiltrate the event and was sent packing. I got the third question to Gina concerning our suntanned brothers and sisters. A cracker of an answer.

    Imants and the rest of the consecutive moved in another direction that night. Not bad for a nobody.

  81. Scaper:

    I know Deputy Dog an, an, Silvester the Cat an, an, Spider Man an, an………………….

  83. Thank god our forefathers decided not to go ahead with the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Their children and grandchildren could have been paying it off well into the 20th century. And let’s face it, it’s the Rolls Royce solution to crossing the harbour. We have happily made do with the FJ Holden solution, and used ferries to cross very effectively! The traffic across the harbour has never justified the expenditure. What use would it be?

  84. Well, scaper, if Gina doesn’t ‘do media’ then you’ve just got to accept that people will continue to dislike her based on what they hear about her.

  85. Migs, her choice.

    Reckon Abbott will be burnt early in the new year. Want to wager a box of Cubans?

    Got you chomping?

  87. Leave off the lady, whatever she said at the secret meeting of the inner circle, it’s bound to more enlightened than her dad, who put forth the public “thought bubble” of congregating local indigenous populations with the lure of free alcohol, then sterilise them with chemicals.
    Ms Reinhart was well within her rights to exclude the media; they can be very nasty people. 🙂

  88. Queensland’s deficit will rise to $2.27 billion in the next financial year, almost four times the mid-year forecast.

    Here’s the leader Abbott has partly modelled himself on and praised for his savage austerity measures that have hurt so many in Queensland. For what, an increased deficit?

    If Abbott gets his budget through intact, the same will occur but far worse, with many more getting badly hurt for a gormless idiot’s flawed ideology mindlessly followed by the worst ministers in the worst government this country has seen.

  90. “Here’s the leader Abbott has partly modelled himself on and praised for his savage austerity measures that have hurt so many in Queensland. For what, an increased deficit?”

    Well any suggestions about what Campbell Newman should do? It is easy to criticize. Newman is trying to get the budget back into surplus and is having trouble doing this. From what you lefties tell me debt does not matter so i guess you should not care if the budget is in deficit.

  91. Import duties on all manufactured and agriculture goods and Export duties on all unprocessed raw minerals ( iron ore, coal, gas etc ) 30%. Get rid of GST.

  93. Neil you are acting like a rigid fundamentalist.

    No one said debt doesn’t matter however there are ways to reduce debt in timely fashion without lies and deception and doing untold and unnecessary harm to lower income and poor Australians. Kaye Lee and contributors to this sight have put a lot of time and effort into demonstrating there is a viable alternative and that resources tax, carbon trading, super reform; tax reform and reduction it jets, amongst other possibilities, would go a long way to solving the deficit without this God damn immoral impost upon the marginalized. Its not just numbers you know it is peoples lives that are at risk. Just bag the alternative and go ahead and shaft lower income and the poor.

    Get you priorities right. PEFO was an agreed upon standard promoted by LNP and as soon as they are elected they just walk through the process they insisted upon. Have you proposed an open inquiry with treasury to sort out just what deceptions are being perpetrated upon the Australian people. This is what craps me off about conservatism. Decades of economic cycles and failure and they just want more of he same. Who the hell drove the GFC? What utter bullshit. You do not have enough faith in the credit worthiness of this nation while the IMF praises our economy. Your rightist dummies are so stupid they are incapable of innovative thinking. Conservatism is a garbage label for dead and outmoded ways of thinking that hangs onto a nonexistent Arcadian past and presumption of knowledge and truth they do not possess. If they did we would not be in this damn manufactured mess. Good Dog enough is enough.

    Morality comes first.

    Now for you conservatives I know its a it little distressing but let me say it again.

    “Morality Comes First.”

    Then and only then formulate your economic policies.

    Bunch of dead head primitive troglodytes caught in magical mythical religious fundamentalism based upon judgement, blame and retribution. Jesus would be disgusted at you lot and I am not religious. I am sick of your mendacious media ignoramuses lying simply to garner more and more wealth and power for the privileged.

    Endless growing inequality. Yeah that works a treat in a world of finite resources.

    You guys would rather see us go under than admit you are wrong.

    That is the worse kind of immoral fundamentalism.

  94. John, John, John:

    That is just bloody awesome. Love the Daily Show and great to see John Oliver’s new show doing so well.

    It should be Labors front line add for the next election whether sooner or later.

  95. Neil of Sydney:

    It is easy to criticize…

    Shit! Ah, of course it is! Abbott has been doing it for YEARS!!!!!

  96. Scraper, that’s right, Gina doesn’t do media, ehem

    “When Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, led a $22 million advertising campaign against the mining tax.

    “The world’s wealthiest woman is believed to have increased her hold over Fairfax Media by a further 3% in an after-market raid at 4.26pm.” http://theconversation.com/rinehart-takes-18-of-fairfax-in-irresistible-tilt-at-the-board-7712

    She is media!

    She is also of the motto – Profits and any cost regardless of environmental impact and social justice.

    She does have companies registered in Singapore, evading paying taxes in Australia where she earns profits!

    Gina and her ilk IPA (members and supporters) are also the people running around screaming “be scared, be very scared, Agenda 21 is an evil plot against society” where in fact Agenda 21 is all about environmental sustainability and social justice, starting with corporations paying taxes to countries that are the source of their earnings. The very topics that Tony has been armtwisted (but not too twisty) to take off the agenda at the G20 summit in November. Obama is gonna give him a talking to when he visits the US, I believe the topic of “A Bill of Rights” may come up too, you know, the bill we don’t have in our constitution, that allows any government to relocate indigenous communities at will, yeah that one! and of course would provide lots of protective rights for all Australians.

    I would suggest you watch this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqIHKWd9rSc

    Nails on heads Kaye Lee, nails on heads! BLOCK THE LOT!

  97. Neil of Sydney,

    I have a suggestion for Campbell Newman, but I’m too polite.

    But perhaps he could start with not poisoning the underground water basin, which could kill agriculture completely, poisoning the air which has already caused major heath problems and bullying his way onto private land. What makes, or keeps, Queensland different is they don’t have an upper house, decisions good, mostly bad, are much easier to put in place, far less scrutiny than other states.

    http://www.peopleforglobaljustice.com/fracking-australia.html

    Fed Up – I saw that too at the estimates – Is it actually legal to give a 16 year old a loan of $20k? They kept saying that it’s a debt that of course will need to paid back just like any loan …. whoa! What lending provider would give a 16 year old school kid a loan of $20k? So is it the same or not quite really the same sorta maybe.

    Nails on heads, Kaye Lee. BLOCK THE LOT!

  98. Kayla, then I was not imagining what I was hearing. Had to go out. Miss the rest. I felt sorry for the young PS. He did not like having to give the information out. Well that is what his body language was saying.

    Who was the minister,. Heard a couple of angry exchanged between him and Carr earlier. Carr is a good forensic interviewer but rarely loses his cool.

    Was anything said on any news reports?

  101. The chief scientist had no role, no role at all in the development of the so called future medical research fund. ABC Lateline

  102. <

    (A) Australian students should go into debt to get an education.

    (B) Australia should not go into debt to employ these Australians to do research.

    (A) Medicare is a community … when 1 person gets sick the community chips in to help pay for their treatment.

    (B) Medicare should be run as a business… if the client can't pay they should go into debt.

    (A) Australia's debt is manageable.

    (B) Australia's debt can only be repaid by those least able to pay it.

    Abbotts gang are B********s.

  103. Fed Up
    Haven’t heard anything on news about it. Yes, the poor young fella, it was as if he hadn’t thought of the implications before the words came out of his mouth. Today I found another new hero, Mr Carr, good old true believers are hard to find these days.
    Not sure who the sin oops minister was, my feed is a bit pixel challenged and couldn’t read his name, but from education and employment legislation.
    I have watched quite a few estimates, mainly cos my other hero is nice on the eyes, errhem, but there is a definite strategy when questions get a bit tough, instead of just answering the question there’s a break out into sermon like not my faultiness, a strategy to waste time perhaps?
    The best one I’ve seen so far was Scott Ludlam (ooooh) with ASIO! How are we supposed to answer your questions about the 2 Australian citizens killed in Yemen by US drone strikes when errrr what drone strikes? Where? Who? And why should I tell you anyway?

    Nails on Heads BLOCK THE LOT!

  104. “But perhaps he could start with not poisoning the underground water basin, which could kill agriculture completely, poisoning the air which has already caused major heath problems and bullying his way onto private land”

    Not sure how that is going to help reduce the $80B of debt or whatever it was that Beattie/Bligh racked up.

    You know Conservatives may not be so mean and nasty if you socialist deadbeats do not trash the budget EVERY time you get into power.

    “You do not have enough faith in the credit worthiness of this nation while the IMF praises our economy.”

    Listen mate, Hawke/Keating took Federal govt debt from 5% of GDP to 18% of GDP. And if Keating was not thrown out in 1996 it would have tripled again so we would have hit the GFC with debt at 60% of GDP instead of ZERO % of GDP.

    Lefties stop trashing budgets and we would not have to be talking about what to do.

  105. <

    @Neil of Sydney

    Take the time to wonder why …… why …… after 2 years of the newman LNP gang … and …. 14,000 sackings …. they are still talking about this mystical debt that you go along with.

    Tell everyone here how Australia's debt has hurt you.

    How it has taken food off you table and made it impossible to pay your power and phone bill.

    Who knows ….. just like SPC ….. we might all chip in to help you.

  106. Well lets go for it. Instead of Swan $50B budget deficits lets go for a biggie like say a $100B deficit.

    Debt does not hurt us say the lefties so lets see how big we can make it.

  107. Hey Listen Mate
    How’s go play with your Action Man Doll sound
    You left it in the sand pit, when you were digging with your spade
    In the fairytale you live in, we who live in ABBOTTSVILLE,
    formally known as Australia,
    Have got better things to do and read than your
    tripe anyways, so off you go and play now matey
    and don’t come back 🙂

  110. “Debt does not hurt us say the lefties so lets see how big we can make it.”

    Neil, are you so insecure in your arguments that you have to use outright lies to frame your arguments?

  112. I am afraid Neil is past help
    He has already turned into a plastic Abbott doll
    with the same script, cut and pasted, because he picks out key words
    He is a bot, when it scans through AIMN it focuses on key words,
    debt, economy, IMF, health, climate, climate change, John Howard, Tony Abbott is a loser 🙂
    then zooms in on them key words, hence why comments from others are “copied and pasted”
    Neil then throws the abuse in all by himself, he is an uneducated Abbott follower,
    or employed by Rabbit himself, to seek out sites like this one, with thousands of Abbott deniers LOL

  114. Neil of Sydney,

    Newman, with all his cuts and corrupt approval of mining, has increased the deficit. You will also be dismayed to learn that since Tony and Joe have taken over the reins our debt and deficit have got worse and this budget, with all it’s pain, takes us backwards from where Labor had us.

    As for what Newman could do, perhaps realising that tourism is a huge growth industry for Qld and that he should be protecting the natural wonders that make people flock to his state rather than turning it into one big mine?

    What conservatives fail to understand is the importance of employment. That’s why they can’t see the value of Rudd’s stimulus package. Conservatives think the employer should get wealthy and jobs will flow. Without a market employers won’t create jobs. You guys always have it arse up. Make the poor richer and you will see REAL growth.

  115. Absolutely right again Kaye. No answer to the moral dilemmas presented just bleating on about the continual use of neo-con failure as a model for success. Sheesh the logical contradictions fail them. Each day I am becoming more adamant about the complete ethical and structural failure of conservatism. It’s as if dogged adherence to a failed dogma is going to save us. Your hero John Howard was a failure because your economic theories are a failure. Neil go to Bill Williams site and bone up on Modern Money Theory. You know a new age for a new perspective.

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=27823

    Demonstrably disproven failed ideas will not save us.

    Modernism is the capacity to change and adapt using original values and insights. It is the driving force of evolutionary success. Backward referral and attachment to a non-existent past is a recipe for stagnation and/ or, extinction as we can see with environmental degradation.

    Conservative undermining of science is literally a death wish.

    What the hell is intelligent about that?

  116. <

    The best example of getting rich is the CSG industry.

    Those at the top have made multi millions from the xchange of paper …. nothing xported yet.

    Farmers are powerless to stop the CSG industry from entering their land and drilling test bores.

    Conservation has been closed down or pushed aside …. under cover of of newmans 14,000 sackings

    And all this investment in construction appears to have produced not one cent towards the Queenslands government coffers.

    I wonder what happened to newmans $100 billion debt that he talks about here :

    http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/star-status-for-newman-as-he-tells-of-appalling-qld-debt-20120630-2195f.html

    Somehow it mysteriously became $80 billion a month later.

  120. Stephen,

    Malcolm’s wife happened to be sitting next to him as he did it what’s more. And why on earth do q&a waste a seat on Rowan Dean. The man is a moron who hasn’t ever had a considered thought in his life. He’s like the kid who gets picked last who gets overexcited at even being there so waffles on about a whole load of stuff on the team script with out having a clue what he is talking about. And he talks over the top of people who MIGHT have some idea. GET RID OF ROWAN DEAN.

  121. Interesting comments on Q&A last night about appointments of school chaplains being restricted to people of faith only – but they can’t mention that – and the Labor policy to allow schools (ie principals and P&C Associations) to choose secular counsellors should they so choose.

    The budget funded chaplains for public schools to the extent of $245 million over five years but required that they be faith based and any secular appointments would either have to be terminated or self funded.

    Cori Bernardi seemed to be saying, on behalf of his government, that we are all Christians and that the rationale for the change is essentially : we’re in government now and we can do what we want.

    I heard Pyne make similar comments about the higher education changes.

    So, do we elect politicians to do as they want when they don’t outline their policies prior to the election or do we elect them to make decisions in the national interest?

  122. Before the election so many of us were concerned about how Tony would appear on the international stage. It is worse than one could ever imagine. It’s past nations vilifying us for abrogating our global responsibilities, and moved to ridicule (Colossal Fossil) and now they feel sorry for us. This should go over well as Tony embarks on his meet Obama campaign.

  123. You don’t have to guess koby, I wrote about mining employment last year

    Of the 838,500 jobs created over the five years from November 2007 to November 2012, the biggest jobs creator, with 270,000 new jobs, was the healthcare and services industry as more Australians were employed to take care of an ageing population. About 130,000 were created by the mining industry and another 130,000 in professional, scientific and technical services – no doubt supported by the mining boom.

    But at the same time, 92,000 jobs were lost in manufacturing as the higher dollar and higher wages squeezed profits.

    According to the OECD, more than three-quarters of national employment in 2011 was in services, reflecting Australia’s strengths in the knowledge-intensive finance, ICT and business and professional services industries. Industry comprising mining, manufacturing, utilities and construction employed 20.9 per cent and agriculture 3 per cent.

  124. A good article in the Conversation yesterday on the failure of the modern connect between capitalism and rising inequality.

    https://theconversation.com/failing-union-of-capitalism-and-democracy-fuels-rise-in-inequality-27217

    To my mind, our key struggle is with not so much with democracy or capitalism per se, it is more centred around deregulation. A well regulated market that constrains extremes is one that effectively limits one side or the other pushing things too far.

    The ongoing push by big business to erode regulation, or in the Abbott vernacular – “red tape” has led to unfettered reign by the corporations, whose sole purpose is to increase profits, to the exclusion of all other considerations. This very mindset devalues humanity, the environment, transparency, governance and the social contract.

    We all know the result of a deregulated market – the GFC.

    It is the job of government to provide safeguard individuals from the excesses of the corporations but we seem to have a government hell bent on doing the very opposite, degrading all manner of protections and restrictions and that can only lead to one outcome, growing inequality.

  126. Terry2, this restriction to ‘chaplains’ of the religious stripe should cause a much stronger response than it has to date. For these religious, the ‘common sense’ is ‘proselytising. It will always be the fall back position when the going gets tough.

    You may be aware that there is a case before the High Court, challenging this program.

    Chaplains get $245 million while the CSIRO takes a $100 million cut. Talk about priorities.

  127. “Government economic responsibility is also linked to protection from the negative consequences of free markets. The government must defend us against unscrupulous merchants and employers, and the extreme class structure that results from their exploitation.

    Governments argue that people need to be assisted with the economic competition that now dominates the world. But the real intent of this position is to justify helping corporate interests . . . siding against local workers, consumers and the environment.”

  128. Matters Not, and full marks should go to Queensland father Ron Williams who has been fighting against the infiltration of religion into public schools for some years now. Also to be noted is that the states are against this funding, this is purely a matter for the religious nut cases conservatives residing in Federal parliament.

    A High Court bid by a Queensland man to end Commonwealth funding for a school chaplaincy program has received unanimous support from the states.

    But of course, going in completely in the opposite direction, Abbott and cronies made the decision to stop funding for secular counsellors and keep funding for religion-based persons only. I have a feeling that this discrimination against non-Church based counsellors could be unconstitutional.

  130. Carol,

    Bernardi said on q&a, the states can do as they please. we are the government and we will do as we please and Australia was historically based on Christianity. I just wondered how our First People felt about that statement. And who the hell is he to look on our collective funds as his to spend how he thinks fit. Bernardi, the money is NOT yours!

  131. I notice Abbott couldn’t help himself in the D-Day speech. He simply had to use it as another pointless attack on the supposed debt crisis and I also noticed he said he was taking a contingent of “business leaders” with him on his tour. No doubt these corporate fat cats will all be travelling at the taxpayer’s expense. I wonder if he’ll be taking “the ladies”?

    With each passing day he reveals his true agenda – to govern exclusively for big business and against the people. How anyone voted for this embarrassing disgrace beggars belief.

  132. Carol, it will be an interesting court case.

    On another matter, but also containing an ironic contradiction.

    One of the reasons advanced for the $7 co-payment is that it sends a ‘price signal’. When it comes to Direct Action, there is also a ‘price signal’. Needless to say, those who are sick will have to pay while those who contribute to that sickness will be paid. Fair and Balanced!

    There’s no such thing as a free service. Those who pollute the most will get the greatest reward while those who are the sickest will pay the greatest amount. Follow that logic?

  133. Trying to follow the logic of this government could send one cross-eyed. They want to make the North a “food bowl” for Asia while contaminating the water table and failing to take action on climate change. They want to promote tourism while destroying the reef and old growth forests. But never fear, we will have factory tours at Cadbury. They want business to thrive while running down consumer confidence and sending potential consumers into poverty. They want new industries so kill off the renewable energy industry. We have a skill in IT so they shut down fast NBN. They ridicule the mining tax for not earning enough so, instead of improving it, they scrap it and the billions in revenue it was going to make us. They want us to be a smarter nation so they cut education funding and deregulate fees to keep our young people in debt for much longer – they have to do this so we won’t leave our children a debt?

  134. Kaye Lee..on consumer confidence I noted that this morning Fairfax leads with a story that Sydney house prices face a 5 and a half year low, and due to consumer confidence or rather lack thereof. I wonder how that might have happened? *sarcasm alert*

  135. Kaye Lee, yes it’s Earn or Learn while cutting trades training in schools, decimating the education budget, and canceling the Pensioner Education Supplement to name but a few of the Libs *clever* strategies to get people back into work.

  136. Never fear…the military are recruiting and we will be building roads….lots of roads…those out of work 50 year olds are just bludgers. And those 16 year old kids who would have been doing trades training can now get a $20,000 loan accruing interest years before they have any hope of repaying any of it.

  137. Speaking of lots of roads, did anyone see the program last night about how much that black bitumen adds to urban warming? In areas with lots of roads, black roofs, houses packed in, and no trees, the affect can be devastating. But lets build roads to make their lives even worse.

  138. “Universities are warning of a “reputational risk” for Australia’s entire higher education system because the government is cutting funding from the sector’s independent quality control body just as it is being asked to check new private providers seeking accreditation for government subsidies.

    The budget cut $20m from the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (Teqsa) – almost half its funding – which the government said was in line with the recommendations of a recent review.

    But that review did not take into account the government’s subsequent decision to open the government-subsidised tertiary sector to private operators.

    “If there is a significant increase in new entrants under deregulation that will certainly increase Teqsa’s workload, and if they don’t have sufficient resources what will be at risk is the reputation of our higher education system,” said the chief executive of Universities Australia, Belinda Robinson.”

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/02/universities-risk-education-cuts?CMP=twt_gu

  139. In a very typical move by Indonesia they have released the content of a telephone conversation between Abbott and SBY last week : there is no malice intended but, having had business dealing in Jakarta, I think what they are saying is : “touche, we too can record phone conversations” they are now ready to move on .

    However, they still have an issue with us over boat turn backs and breach of sovereignty by our Navy/Customs and that still has to be worked through and face restored.

  142. john921fraser, I can’t the co-payment getting legs. Labor will oppose it, so will the Greens. That’s 35 votes out of 76. If Palmer doesn’t also oppose his position will be under sustained attack. As a ‘populist’ he must support.

    BTW that link was very useful in refreshing my memory as to what happened years ago. Strange how the MSM can’t give us that history instead of Abbott’s canards.

  143. <

    Its not the MSM way currently.

    But as Abbott continues to smell with the "stinking carcass" of Hockeys Budget around his neck the MSM will slowly move away……….. Just like they did when the "Moonlight State" became so bloody obvious there might as well have been a banner on the Story Bridge.

    Just love Abbotts gang saying that people gave them a mandate.

    Senate ?

    If they think people have given them a mandate then test it with a Double Dissolution ….. as early as October.

    That way Queensland will be able to save money by having a State election on the same day.

  144. Under the descriptions of 23 separate cuts in the budget are the words: “The savings from this measure will be invested by the government in the Medical Research Future Fund”.

    The cuts hit dental health, mental health, funding for eye examinations, measures to improve diagnostic images, research into preventive health, a trial of e-health and $55 billion of hospital funding over the next 10 years.

    We’re told the cuts are to build a $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund, but the immediate purpose is to cut the deficit.

    The wonders of budget accounting mean that the savings notionally allocated to the fund will actually be used to bring down the budget deficit except for when money is withdrawn from the fund to pay for research.

    It’s the same trick Peter Costello pulled with the Future Fund. The government gets two gold stars for the price of one. It can both cut the deficit and build up the funds for medical research. And it isn’t yet too sure about what type of research.

    Under questioning by senators on Monday, health department officials revealed that they didn’t even know about the fund until late in the budget process and even then provided no advice on how it would work.

    Asked about the kind of things the fund would finance, the department’s secretary Jane Halton said the questions were hypothetical.

    Would it include evaluations of potentially life-saving preventive health measures such as SunSmart and anti-tobacco programs? “I think it’s unlikely based on the description I have seen, but again we are in an area that we probably can’t yet answer,” she replied.

    Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/when-deep-cuts-are-not-healthy-20140602-zrukf.html#ixzz33X0kOTTR

  145. <

    @Kaye Lee

    Plenty of people think the Medical Research Fund will be another Abbott slush fund.

    For middle class welfare.

    I just think its parking money that should be used.

    Same as Hockeys gift to the Reserve Bank.

  146. I agree john. yet another example of Abbott putting his politics in front of the good of the nation. he will juggle the books and get the poor to keep paying until he can say he made the figures look better. It’s all he cares about and fools like Rowan dean who don’t have a brain to think for themselves, cannot see that we are giving the rich a ride scott free while we make the vulnerable pay.

  148. You mention Jane Halton who was head of John Howard’s people smuggling task force. Responsible for the Pacific Solution.

    When Labour came to power I thought they would show her the door. Instead she became one of the trusted ones.

    Very flexible politically.

  150. In Fiji it’s
    Play or pray, because their is no education there,
    And we’ll pray, Tone’s suggested that to Barni Rubble who runs that dictatorship,
    China ad Russia will be needing gas in large amounts in nearest future
    The iron ore is finished, the building stage is finished
    They need our gas and lots of it now,
    CSG is just starting in this country
    We are only here for other countries to suck our resources off
    Lock the gate now, the onslaught for our gas is on

  151. So when you decide to make a $20 billion investment in medical research, you don’t speak to the health department, you don’t consult with the head scientist or the CSIRO or universities, you don’t think about details like who will pay and how it will be collected and administered, you don’t have a plan for how it will be used….you start with let’s get sick people to make a slush fund that no-one can touch so we can say…Libs always have more money (we get it from the poor because there are more of you than us so it’s only fair you should pay a higher percentage of your income.)

    And then they will point to it and say look what we did…we parked $20 billion rather than using it to help the people who gave us the money and the keys to the safe.

  152. “What conservatives fail to understand is the importance of employment.”

    Too funny. Name me one ALP with any success with unemployment??

    Whitlam was handed unemployment at 2% and promptly doubled it to 4%. May not seem high to us but back in those days 4% unemployment was considered high. Hawke/keating was handed unemployment at 8% and it ended up at 8% with 30 months of double digit unemployment in between. keating won an election with unemployment at 11%

    Rudd/Gillard was handed unemployment at 4.3% and trending down and left it with unemployment at 5.8% and trending up.

  153. GFC – stimulus package. The pink batts and school halls that you love to disparage were hailed internationally as a successful strategy to keep people employed, the construction and supply chain going, and the economy out of recession.

  154. Go away for a couple of hours and look what happens. Just reading this mornings post is absolutely mind blowing. We are being attacked on so many fronts simultaneously that I bet many people just glaze over and try to go on with their lives. How can people keep up with this crap. Fortunately we have the time to do it but most don’t. The LNP has a strategy of just flooding the airways with debt negativity and then hoping that people are so frightened of losing their hoses and jobs that they think they must accept some cuts without knowing the depths of the problem.

    Labor is still not getting a strong enough message across. Shorten is struggling, not because he is not genuine, but the lack the necessary visceral grunt and charisma. There always seems to be an undercurrent of forced anger that dose not seem to come from a deep conviction. I know it is a hard and unrelenting task however he is lacking a sense of connectivity with the public. He is simply in front because Abbot is his own worst enemy. Bit of a dilemma because changing leader can be such a poisoned chalice. Look at Bolt and Turnbull circus at the moment. Mind you you can bet there are plenty on the back bench that want to see the back of Abbott because he is sinking them.

    It’s going to be a long two years.

  155. See Neil, that’s what governments are supposed to do. When they need to help their people they go into debt. They don’t let us starve just so they can say…look, no debt.

  156. Let’s not forget:

    We have a Plan

    to perhaps develop a plan. But maybe not.

    Remember it’s not a ‘policy contest’ these days but a ‘media contest’.

  157. Stephen, it’s the scattergun effect that was used so well by the Nazis. There are too many attacks on different fronts for us to focus opposition. Some are fighting mining, some are fighting for education, some are fighting for asylum seekers, some are fighting for the unemployed, others are fighting for pensioners, fighting for medicare…on and on it goes. I believe it is deliberate

  158. By the way Kaye a pox on the name Rowan Dean. The guy is mentally deranged in the real sense of the word. Classical angry dogmatic self-important narcissist. Needs a trip to Royal Brisbane Hospital Psych Ward.

  159. Listening to the Something Wonky podcast it was pointed out that being ‘debt free’ is equivalent to paying off the mortgage that much quicker, but in the meantime the kids have to eat moldy sandwiches and go to school dressed in rags. Instead let’s have some decent services, respect for older Australians and pay off the mortgage a little later.

  160. “The pink batts and school halls that you love to disparage were hailed internationally as a successful strategy to keep people employed”

    Yes the overseas socialists like govt spending. They don’t care about us. They only want to see us in as much trouble as they are.

    It is unprovable if the stimulus package worked. But it is what you want to believe.

    But unemployment will never go down with an ALP govt. Never has, never will.

  161. It’s called ‘total war’

    a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of all available resources and population.

    Or perhaps ‘blitzkrieg’.

    Labor doesn’t realise this and is still trying to play ‘fair’.

  162. Neil, when governments spend on things which benefit communities, businesses and individuals how can it be not caring about *us*. The *us* which the Libs love pandering to are the Ginas, the wealthy individuals who place mega bucks into accounts in Monte Carlo (yes it’s part of the investigation into the Liberals ‘fund-raising’, all the while wacking the pensioners and the disabled.

  163. Matters Not, that has long been my estimation that Labor was attempting to stay “above all that” and assumed they were in a debate with mature adults who were focused on the well-being of the country…even if the way of going about it was different. They got that one well and truly wrong. Abbott and cronies reduced politics in Australia to the level of the gutter.

  164. That remains Labor’s biggest triumph: keeping hundreds of thousands of people out of unemployment, with all the attendant budgetary and social costs (and the longer-term impact on participation and mobility). And more than 900,000 jobs created in the past five years has also been a solid achievement.

    I should add, ‘economic’ triumph. Their policies were ground-breaking in many areas.

  165. “And more than 900,000 jobs created in the past five years has also been a solid achievement.”

    Unemployment was at 4.3% in 2007 and it was at 5.8% when the ALP lost. 5.8 is a bigger number than 4.3.

    “The *us* which the Libs love pandering to are the Ginas, the wealthy individuals ”

    More BS. I am not wealthy. Wish i was. A lot of poor people vote for the Colition because they believe it is a better govt for Australia. Socialists just get us into debt with nothing to show in return.

  166. Ah Neil that alternative solution of a progressive modernist scientific technical approach with an ethical and communitarian focused – now we can’t have that. If you are smart you find solutions and stop bleating on about the past and look forward to stepping beyond the constraints of both Labor and LNP. However the fight is always about us and them not true innovation. Whether Labor or Liberal economic rationalism is an unmitigated failure. Get out of the conventional box and get a modern and progressive handle on future innovative solutions. Bleating on about the past is just what is holding back innovation in market economies. Not capitalism, not neoconservatism, not Freidmainism, or Marxism, or socialism, or communism, or Keynsianism but a revisionary approach to resource depletion, environmental destruction, population growth and equitable wealth distribution.

    Try reading Enough is Enough by Robert Dietz and Dan O’Neill or any of Jeremy Rifkin’s books (though can be a bit of a trial) on the steady state economy and his impact in Europe and South America; look at the Earth Instituted at Cambridge University the works of Australia’s greatest moral philosopher Peter Sing the books of Jeffrey Sachs, the work of Henry Giroux and realize the market economy is a flexible and evolving process that changes over time to meet the circumstances of the epoch not the stagnant bias of a bunch of fossilized elites.

  167. But unemployment will never go down with an ALP govt. Never has, never will.

    Interesting claim given rates rise and fall during any Government’s period in office. Unemployment peaked at 10.1 in Oct 2009 due to GFC. Then fell – with Labor in office – to 6.7 in Dec 2013. Yes, fell.

  168. And if we left it to the Coalition, we would not have medicare, or paid parental leave, or compulsory superannuation, or sick leave, or holiday pay, or penalty rates.

    We have built a society to be proud of. The vandals are at the door and must be resisted with every fibre of our being.

    I still want a conservative to explain to me why, if debt is such a bad thing, did Gina Rinehart just borrow $7 billion for her latest mine?

  169. <

    What I found interesting was … Australia did it exceptionally hard during the 1930s Depression because we had large debt (Lucy Turnbull Q&A).

    A conservative government, the UAP, led Australia from 1932-1939 ….. the predecessor of the Liberal Party.

    Germany had massive debt and turned to the extreme right to lead them from 1933-1944.

    Currently we have low debt and an extreme evangelical right wing non conservative government.

    Leading Australia into a recession.

  170. <

    Today, here in Queensland the newman LNP gang will present the Budget at 2:30pm.

    Pensioners and the least able to afford it will be punched …. again.

  172. I am finding it impossible to keep up with this mob. One does not know where to look.
    What is sure, it is a chaotic government, that has no concept of the harm they are doing.

    Now Abbott stop over in Indonesia was not on the agenda 24 hours ago. Yes, the media corps are already on their way to France. None will be in Indonesia.,

    Does one get the feeling, that Abbott was contacted by the President. asking why he was not first on the list.

    Yes, he got away with using the budget but not this time,

    Yes, and on the agenda is the agreement, an agreement on how to behave from Abbott.

    I would say, Abbott’s stop over in Indonesia is not one he planned.

    In fact the President had media watching him talking to Abbott.

  173. Takes millions from the CSIRO, when they have come up with a way, to enhance coal powered power stations, turning them into solar. Yes, another world first for the CSIRO.

  174. “Currently we have low debt”

    Because Costello paid off the debt you lot created under Hawke/Keating. I really do see why i have to keep repeating myself. Just tell the whole truth and stop being deceitful. Deceit is a main characteristic of leftoids.

    “Leading Australia into a recession.    ”

    That was Keating who did that if you recall. It was the recession we had to have.

    And you have to look at the past. The past shows us what socialist govts do. They get us into debt with not much to show in return.

    And one thing i thought Keating did that was good was Superannuation. But it is not working. People are getting lump sum payments and then spending the money and going on the pension. So pension payments are not going down like they were supposed to.

  175. “What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand…”

  176. Considering the cost of superannuation tax concessions for the wealthy are set to overtake the old age pension in about three years time, why not direct your anger towards the real rip off merchants Neil, and they aren’t the people on pensions.

  177. Fed up:

    It really makes me want to cry when one of the seminal scientific institutes in the world is attacked. Look at how it is treated by these idiots. Spend some time on science sites like Science Daily or Psyorg and see the number of innovations coming out of Australian universities and the CSIRO. We are kicking out some of the finest most innovative minds in the world that are local academics, scientists that come here to work or internationally collaboration on line.

    I cannot express my pure rage and grief at the myopic dogma driven magical, mythical thinking of these intellectually challenged idiots.

    We are being ruled by dumb fu……s. There is no other word for it

  179. Stephen T
    Whilst we are answering/ reacting to the bots
    Neil is one, it is distracting us all from our purpose
    The truth, about this corrupt murderous gov
    I know it’s hard not to react back, but we are playing into their hands, when
    we spend 10 mins typing something to refute their claims, we could be
    Spending that time on a more worthy cause than the bots
    When my kids have this same problem, usually with bullies
    My advice is always the same, ignore them, don’t feed the monster/bully
    Walk away, give them nothing , take them no where
    Cos more and more bots will hit this site now
    It is a threat to Tony and co 🙂

  180. Rudd/Gillard was handed unemployment at 4.3% and trending down and left it with unemployment at 5.8% and trending up.

    What a short memory you seem to have Neil. Must be the medication or your distorted Liberal view of the world.

    The Whitlam era was one far removed from ours and a world changed dramatically, quoting 2 or 4% in today’s terms is irrelevant. Hawke/Keating suffered through the Asian financial crisis and Rudd inherited the GFC shortly into his role, which cut massive swathes through employment worldwide and would have cut deeply here if it wasn’t for decisive action.

    If it wasn’t for the quick actions of the Rudd government in initiating short-term spending and then mid-term infrastructure projects, we would have been up shit creek, just like the rest of the developed world.

    These textbook responses have been widely lauded by the IMF, World Bank, OECD and Nobel Award winning economists, and were the reason why our unemployment rose modestly. Had the Libs been in charge, they would have adopted the same approach taken by many nations and imposed austerity and the results would have been catastrophic.

    Yet now with the world finally beginning to recover and recognise austerity was the wrong course of action, we are shackled with a government so blinkered by their thoroughly disproven libertarian ideology they are incapable of learning the lessons of history by imposing austerity measures on Australia, sacking tens of thousands of workers, attacking their pay and conditions and making life even harder for those seeking or unable to find work. All for the sake of some pathetic confected debt crisis for which we are more than equipped to deal.

    Of course, is we sack throw hundreds of thousands of workers on the scrap heap and undermine their purchasing power, that will have a massive flow-on effect into the whole economy, feeding into a real crisis, but that crisis will be on Abbott’s making, not anything inherited from the previous government.

  181. “When my kids have this same problem, usually with bullies”

    So i am now a bully. You wrote 11 lines of abuse.

    “Sheesh Neil you don’t give up you are like a bloody parrot.”

    I have to be because you people keep telling falsehoods. The latest falsehood doing the rounds is that Costello paid off debt mainly by asset sales. Costello was handed $96B in debt in 1996 and did $70B in asset sales. So 70/96*100= 73%

    So 3/4 of the debt was paid off by asset sales according to leftoids.

    But there is also $80B in the Future Funds plus billions of dollars in other Funds started by Costello.

    Where did that money come from leftoids. If asset sales were used to pay off debt where did the money in the FF come from??

  183. Just boot of Neil, you have some real issues
    Go seek help, you won’t get it here, we are not shrinks on here
    Just normal people, unlike you 🙂

  186. I am reminded of the time when I left my classroom briefly and came back to a sea of empty desks. Am I here yet?

  188. Oh poor Neil. Sob!

    You come here sprouting Lieberal bullshit and expect not to be challenged with verifiable facts.

    If you want people who are happy to agree with your right-wing propaganda, why don’t you just go back to the Murdoch echo chamber. There are plenty of brainless cretins over there who’ll agree with your repetitious lies.

  192. Given the cynicism with which he exploited public uncertainty about the character of the Gillard government, Abbott deserves to be punished relentlessly for his breach of faith. In our democracy, holding the government to account for their actions is the opposition’s constitutional responsibility.

    It is equally clear that something more is needed. We need to draw the increasingly obvious conclusion – that Tony Abbott, the prime minister, is a dud – and also engage in a substantive debate about what it will actually take to fulfil the potential that this nation’s wealth, talent, location, history, relationships and hard work have created for it in the 21st century.

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/02/abbott-deserves-to-be-punished-relentlessly-for-his-broken-promises?CMP=soc_567

  194. Speaking of the lady the left loves to hate…Gina received a lifetime achievement award last night in Malacca, Malaysia.

    It was awarded by CILT, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport which is a global organisation. Gina couldn’t make the event and someone else accepted the award on her behalf but a video was made for the event and friends.

    Roy Hill is the most modern and largest mining infrastructure project thus far on the planet. Almost 50% completed without the finance that was received lately. The photos reveal something Australia used to do but hasn’t for over fifty years but that will change.

    Won’t post the video because it is private.

    I see the attacks on Gina continued last night and my response? The truth is pretty much the opposite but that won’t alter feeding frenzy of hatred.

  195. Yes indeed Gina is just the milk of human kindness..and the bread, the butter and 90% of the pudding..

    Ms Rinehart’s decision comes as another mine project threatens a “Lost World” of creatures, cave paintings, and sacred “cocoon” burial sites in a largely unexplored part of far north Queensland.

  196. Interesting categories!

    Politics
    Social Justice
    Literature
    Environment
    What’s Trending

    And then we have:
    Rossleigh 😆 😆

  198. I watched an old film clip I think on the ABC a few years ago
    It was a much younger Gina with Lang sitting around a table
    With quite a few influential people, and Lang saying back then ,
    we should become another China, they loved how China treated it’s people
    I was quite shocked at their bizarre views for Australia
    We’ll looks like little Gina got her way,

    Maybe we need to find that old TV clip
    It was someone at the dinner party that exposed it for what it was
    I think from memory, but can’t be sure
    A group of rich people with bizarre views for this country even back then
    There may have even been a couple of pollies at dinner, but can’t quite remember who was there
    Like I say it was quite few years ago now I saw it

  199. I am with Alannah MacTiernan, in the sense we must do something about the mining tax. Swan and Gillard were sold a pup. (Just imagine, they conducted the negotiations without the benefit of public service experts).

    The bottom line is that these assets are owned by all Australians, yet 83% of the profits are exported overseas. They are laughing all the way to the bank.

    If the ALP run away from some type of super tax on mining profits they will suffer at the ballot box, except perhaps in WA.

  200. Failed ideas are still failures. Do you think roads are built by robots? Do you believe Gina’s one single mine that she’s ever attempted to build, is also built by robots? I dont know where you live Kaye Lee – but you dont know much about construction. I dont know anyone who goes out and spends billions, doesn’t finish the project and achieves nothing and says “well at least it was hailed as a good idea, money well spent”. Though you seem to back projects that have “unknown benefits” – so I guess when you dont know what they are meant to achieve, you never really know if its a failure. Participation trophies for all.

  201. “More BS. I am not wealthy. Wish i was. A lot of poor people vote for the Colition because they believe it is a better govt for Australia. Socialists just get us into debt with nothing to show in return.”

    Neil, what do we have to show for Howard’s government? Racism in the form of the One Australia policy, the GST – which hurts low income earners, the sale of billions of $ worth of revenue-generating assets at rock bottom prices – the proceeds of which disappeared along with the Liberal government, and Workchoices – allowing employees to be exploited.

  202. You’ve obviously never watched question time. Rudd/gillards government was the first government I’ve ever seen that acted like the opposition when in power. Capped off by spending millions on policy advertisements, when they were already in power and the policies had already been passed. I think they forgot they were in Power because Bobby Brown was making all the calls.

    It was frightening – a government that preferred to attack the alternatives to their ideas rather than articulating their own. Now they are in opposition, jeepers – no doubt little union Billy has realized that after you’ve knifed two of your team mates for their policies, you have to come up with your own….and little union Billy, only has the sick and the poor to talk about. I bet he misses having Bob Brown and co. there to distract from their incompetence with questions on gay marriage. Life was so simple when you could spend spend spend and use Bob as a distraction.

  203. Neil, Kaye Lee points out the libs never use percentages as if percentages are the only indicator. She doesn’t like it when percentages contradict her triumphs….in those cases she likes big numbers. How many jobs did the resources sector create and indirectly create in the last 5 years? I’m gonna guess its a pretty decent percentage of that 900,000. Swanny can take credit for that.

    But then it was just Labors stimulus package and infrastructure projects that kepts us out of the GFC. Because the GFC only lasted a few months. Having low debt, a surplus, a trading partner who wanted everything we could give them, a strong banking system, high interest rates…contributed nothing. “Mining went into recession therefore did nothing”. Um….for about 3 months, then in the 3 months after created twice as many jobs that were lost and commodity prices doubled. Strange recession.

  204. <

    Hi Michael,

    The new site looks good, but I must admit it is a bit hard to read.

    My thoughts are the font needs to be bolder or larger or both.

    In saying that, looking at my Comment as I type it is exactly as I would like it to be.

  206. <

    @Bacchus

    Yeah that works but how many visitors to the site will know, or do it.

    It still has that washed out look.

    The font needs to be bolder.

    The same as it is here when typing a Comment.

  207. <

    @Bacchus

    And using Google Chrome up in the top right corner left click on the three bars and a drop down box will give you zoom to toggle between font sizes.

  208. Kaye Lee – its near impossible to truly calculate the impact of the resources sector in a place like Perth. In the last 5 years the number of new shops amd restaurants that have opened up is incredible. Perth use to be a bit behind i’ll admit, but now shopping, fine dining and events could be considered a real attraction. This isn’t because of anything but we have a crap load of people with money and had a population boom due to mining. That creates jobs in services. Then of course the effects of all of these new business and jobs, is jobs open up to support these…and so on.

  209. Jonny Fraser, missed these pearlers.
    (A) Australian students should go into debt to get an education.

    So are you telling me HECS was once a system that you never had to pay back? The purpose is to achieve this without going into debt,

    (B) Australia should not go into debt to employ these Australians to do research.

    So we are no longer employing people at the CSIRO? Last I checked they are reducing staff levels by 500 people….down from 6500 people to a mere 6000! 8 research sites from 56 sites are closing. They work out of 1100 buildings!!! That’s like, each building will have to hold less than half a going away party. Or are you telling me the remaining 6000 aren’t going to do any work. Shit, we better get back the other 500.

    (A) Medicare is a community … when 1 person gets sick the community chips in to help pay for their treatment.

    Medicare is a medical subsidy fund. I pay $70 a visit, every visit…have always….and pay $100 health insurance a month that I can’t use at a GP. Just so a few of you can visit a bulk billed doc when you dont need to. Maybe if the ones who didn’t need bulk billing stopped going there, there wouldn’t be a need? Apparently some aren’t prepared to help out others. I already am – are you? 75% of Aussies or something use bulk billing apparently..I’m pretty sure they dont all need it. Well i know they dont – theyre the bastards. Speak to them.

    (B) Medicare should be run as a business… if the client can’t pay they should go into debt.

    No, you see people on welfare never go into debt. No one lends you money silly. So dont worry. I’ve never heard anyone whinge about $7. Didn’t I read you uses drugs on that other page? Prioritize.

    (A) Australia’s debt is manageable.

    No, that’s the issue – its not. Dont give me %s compared to other countries…consider australia for a moment…stop trying to be like the USA.

    (B) Australia’s debt can only be repaid by those least able to pay it.
    Abbotts gang are B********s.

    Why is he getting more cash from the people who are most likely able to pay it? Do you forget everyone pays for all of these changes. You cant say you pay $800 a year for a schoolkids bonus to pay off the governments debt, silly….if i took $100 out of my wallet and put it back in, i dont feel like my money has gone anywhere. Just as if you take nothing out of yours and give nothing to anyone, you havent lost any money either!! No ones a loser!! Some even pay income tax, a new 2% tax…the list goes on and on. Yet they aren’t whinging.

  211. kobymac

    “When commodity prices fell during the global financial crisis the first thing the mining industry did was sack thousands of their workers. Indeed, according to Treasury, if all industries had been as quick to punt their employees as the mining industry the unemployment rate would have hit 19 per cent rather than its peak of 5.9 per cent.

    While the miners are quick to claim credit for all the ”indirect jobs” their projects create, they refuse to take responsibility for all of the jobs that the mining boom – and its accomplice the rising exchange rate – have helped to destroy.”

    Mining companies come in, towns grow, mining company uses FIFO workers, closes down. town dies. Just ask Gove.
    http://www.ntnews.com.au/business/refinery-lifeline-becomes-a-noose/story-fnk2tq5v-1226769075092

    And it’s not like Gove is an isolated incident.

    26/6/2013 – Peabody Energy Corp and Glencore Xstrata will cut around 500 mining jobs in Australia, a company official and trade publication says, as a global glut in coal supply pushes down prices.

    29/6/2013 – Dark clouds continue to gather over the nation’s coal industry. Job cuts at dozens of foreign and locally owned mines in Queensland and NSW total more than 10,000 since the start of last year.

    26/9/2013 – In the mining industry, job vacancies fell by almost 40% to 4,900 in the latest survey from a year earlier.

    3/10/2013 – Almost 16,000 workers have been lost from the mining industry as companies rush to slash costs amid a perfect storm of high costs and tumbling prices.

    22/10/2013 – Mining giant Rio Tinto has signed a back-office outsourcing deal with US tech player IBM, which is believed to be worth up to $100 million and will see the company shed between 700 and 800 positions globally.

    22/10/2013 – Gold Fields has cut 60 workers from its newly acquired Lawlers operations, and a forthcoming operational review of the company’s newly acquired Yilgarn South mines has got employees worried more jobs will go.

    25/10/2013 – Centennial Coal is cutting 120 jobs from its operations across New South Wales, with the majority of positions to come from the Mudgee and Lithgow areas.

    5/11/2013 – Mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar has announced it will cut up to 200 jobs at its Burnie plant.

  212. <

    The Abbott gang believe which of the following :

    (A) Australian students should go into ….. excessively high……. debt to get an education.
    (B) Australia should not go into debt to employ these Australians to do research.
    (A) Medicare is a community … when 1 person gets sick the community chips in to help pay for their treatment and the way Medicare is now that person paying $70 for a visit to a doctor gets a $36 refund.
    (B) Medicare should be run as a business… if the client can't pay they should go into debt or ask the doctor for charity.
    (A) Australia's debt is manageable and has been for 80 years.
    (B) Australia's debt can only be repaid by those least able to pay it …. and the "stinking carcass" of Hockeys proves it.

    Abbotts gang answers are B********s.

    Many, many thanks to "kobymac" for posting his entirely inaccurate rant and allowing me the opportunity of updating my original comment.

    Ha ha ha ha "kobymac".

    Hopefully more of your mates will visit the new AIMN site so that everyone can have a good laugh at your stupidity.

  213. John:

    Conservative minds are lost in the wilderness of worn out platitudes and lies trying to justify a system that constantly fails with the usual excuse the cycles of recession and depression are inevitable. After a whole lot of suffering, mostly by the working class and poor, when things return to some normalcy they just give us more of the same because suffering and inequality are intrinsic to capitalism. Well their type of capitalism is dead in the water because after a century of regulation, and the destructive results of deregulation, they just want more of the same. Its projective masochism where you let others suffer the pain while you claim its the greedy bludgers that causes the debt. No originality, no lateral thinking, no great vision of justice and equity just more good old failure. This is a very serious problem the killing of innovation and creativity in financial markets while using the best of science and innovation to make profits with a large dose of planned obsolescence thrown in.

    All up the cultural paradigm has been commandeered by a bunch of greed infested oligarchs who have gotten hold of the universal means of populist communication. In short they own nearly everything including our lives. Eventually something has to give however revolutions lead to more pain and suffering for the poor and marginalized. It’s not that there is not an extensive network of alternatives they are simply shut out by the weight of oligarchic ownership. We know the problem but what the hell is the solution. How to readjust the market economy and prevent this victim blame garbage giving more power to the oligarchs? It is a classic case of blame the victim when they and their political lobbyists actually caused the GFC. The irrationality and lack of logic is frightening when they manage to convince the populace of the efficacy of their twisted justifications. No logic, no consequential thinking, no rational change.

    That is the burning question. What is the solution?

  214. <

    @Stephen Tardrew

    "What is the solution?"

    Sites like this where information can be shared.

    And the stupidity of the likes of "kobymac" et al, can be seen by all.

  215. I love how Kaye writes such amazing pieces then, whamo, all these comments come flooding in. Fabulous!

    And @Stephen Tardrew;
    ” Conservatism is a garbage label for dead and outmoded ways of thinking that hangs onto a nonexistent Arcadian past and presumption of knowledge and truth they do not possess. If they did we would not be in this damn manufactured mess. Good Dog enough is enough.
    Morality comes first.
    Now for you conservatives I know its a it little distressing but let me say it again.
    “Morality Comes First.””

    See…I read and read and read and then finally Whamo! You make me love you!

  216. A new analysis by The Australia Institute reveals that over the past decade tourism to Far North Queensland has slumped on the back of the mining boom driving up the Australian dollar. The analysis shows that over the past ten years global tourism has boomed, with tourist numbers increasing by around 20 per cent. Yet, over the same period, the number of international tourists coming to Far North Queensland has dropped massively by 25 per cent. “This isn’t because the reef is suddenly less beautiful, or that the region’s tourist operators are doing something wrong,” said Mr Ogge. “It is because international tourists are faced with the high Australian dollar which has been driven up by the mining boom. The simple truth is that the boom has made Far North Queensland a far more expensive tourist destination, which is costing local jobs and businesses.

    The downturn in domestic manufacturing is driven by the unintended side effects of the mining boom: a high dollar, high input prices and soaring labour costs. These factors are hurting manufacturing firms trying to export their goods to the world and makes it hard to remain competitive against cheap imports from countries that aren’t ‘blessed’ with a mining boom. All these factors have led to one thing: a dangerous drop in demand and for Australian made manufacturing goods.

    Manufacturing employs 1 million people….mining 200,000.

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