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Your vote might just be worth something after all

News.com.au have published an excellent and timely article, Federal Election promises, cuts and what they mean for you by Sarah Michael, which briefly examines Kevin Rudd’s and Tony Abbott’s election promises and how they would affect the average voter. The article deserves exposure. It doesn’t appear to be receiving a great deal by the looks of the Most Read Stories section of news.com where it hasn’t even entered the Top Ten even though it was published some seven hours ago. It is doubtful too, that hundreds of thousands of social media users will know the article exists because of the huge (and justified) anti-Murdoch sentiment: people – again justifiably – are deserting his tabloids in their droves.

Subsequently, for those thousands of readers of this site, I have reproduced the bulk of the article below. Here is what you will get with your vote:

If you have school-aged children…

Under Labor, you would receive the Schoolkids Bonus of $410 a year for each child in primary school and $820 a year for each child in secondary school. But your family would only be eligible for these payments if you receive benefits such as Family Tax Benefit Part A.

Labor would also introduce 137 new trade training centres to 225 schools across Australia.

Labor would also spend $8 million on programs to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

The Coalition would axe the Schoolkids Bonus. But it would match Labor school funding dollar-for-dollar over the next four years.

If you have children in after-school care…

Labor would give $450 million in extra funding to up to 500 schools, so they can introduce or expand on after-school care services.

If you’re a TAFE student…

Labor would seek an agreement from the states and territories guaranteeing no further TAFE cuts. If the states refused to guarantee funding for TAFE, the Commonwealth would fund TAFEs directly.

If you want to go to university…

And you are from a disadvantaged background, Labor would give $50 million in funding to 17 higher education institutions to boost participation.

If you’re an apprentice…

Labor would boost the completion payment under the Tools For Your Trade initiative from $1500 to $2000. But Labor has already scrapped $3000 full-time and $1500 part-time incentives for employers of workers who undertake a ‘nonpriority’ qualification. The incentives remain in place if the qualifications lead to occupations on the National Skills Needs List or in the aged, child or disability care sectors, or if they are enrolled nurses.

The Coalition would maintain the scrapping of these incentives. The Coalition would also provide apprentices with a Trade Support Loan of up to $20,000 over four years during your apprenticeship. It will be repayable at the same income threshold for university students who receive FEE-HELP loans (currently $51,309).

If you’re a low-income earner…

And you earn less than $19,400, from 2015-16 you would not need to file a tax return because Labor intends to increase the tax-free threshold.

The Coalition would abolish the low-income super contribution, which pays people who earn $37,000 or less per year up to $500 each financial year to help save for their retirement.

If you’re unemployed…

Labor would spend $35 million over three years to provide about 8900 disadvantaged jobseekers with simulated work experience and training in employability skills such as language, literacy and numeracy.

The Coalition would give people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more and are on Newstart or Youth Allowance a $2500 Job Commitment Bonus if they get a job and remain off welfare for one year. People would receive a further $4000 if they remain off welfare for two years.

The Coalition will also provide up to $6000 for long-term unemployed job seekers if they moved to a regional area for a job, or $3000 if they moved to a metropolitan area.

If you work in the public service…

Labor would increase the public service efficiency dividend from 1.25 to 2.25 percent for three years, a move unions say could cost more than 5000 jobs. The dividend is an annual funding reduction for Commonwealth government agencies, designed to reduce operating costs and lift efficiency.

The Coalition would reduce jobs by 12,000. It says the jobs would be lost through natural attrition.

If you’re applying for a 457 visa…

From next month fees will rise to more than $1000. The cost for a family of four applying to the scheme will go from $450 to $5050.

Both Labor and the Coalition would do this.

If you’re a small-business owner…

Labor says it would cut the red tape by administering paid parental leave through Centrelink for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

Labor would give an upfront tax deduction for small businesses when they buy equipment and assets worth up to $10,000.

Labor would also reduce GST reporting requirements from four times a year to just once a year for businesses with a turnover of less than $20 million a year.

Labor would also extend the free small business superannuation clearing house to businesses with less than 100 employees from July 1, 2014.

The Coalition would spend $6 million to create a Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. It would also spend $3 million to improve access for small businesses to Commonwealth contracts. It would also spend $1 billion to cut red tape including changing superannuation payment methods.

The Coalition would also spend $1 million to extend unfair contract protections so they cover small businesses as well as consumers.

But the Coalition would axe a $6500 instant asset write off for small businesses with turnover less than $2 million.

It would also axe a tax-loss carry-forward scheme, which allows businesses to claim losses of up to $1 million against tax they have paid in the previous two years.

If you work in manufacturing…

Labor would invest $35.6 million to assist about 6800 new and existing manufacturing workers in upskilling for hi-tech manufacturing.

The Coalition would introduce a $50 million manufacturing transition grant program over two years. Grants would be available to communities, business and stakeholders to help them transition to competitive industries.

It would also restore funding to Export Market Development Grants starting with an initial $50 million boost.

If you work in health or community services…

Labor would spend $30.6 million to support more than 5800 workers to be upskilled in sectors such as disability services, aged care and childhood education.

If you work in the car industry…

Labor would give a $500 million boost to the car industry funding to the end of the decade and $300 million a year beyond 2020. If you work for Toyota, Labor would contribute $23.6 million towards Toyota’s $123 million investment in its local manufacturing operations. The government would also pay $1 million this financial year and $1.4 million per year from 2014 to 2017 in assistance to Ford Australia workers.

The Coalition would cut $500 million from the Automotive Transformation Scheme and would launch a Productivity Commission review into public funding for the Australian car industry.

If you’re working and studying…

Labor would defer and review the introduction of a $2000 cap on tax deductions for self-education expenses.

The Coalition has called on Labor to scrap the cap completely but has not committed to doing the same thing.

If you work for defence…

Labor would introduce measures so all families of Australian Defence Force personnel would be able to receive reimbursement for gap expenses when visiting a general practitioner.

The Coalition would also reimburse ADF families for out of pocket GP expenses. The Coalition would return defence spending to 2 percent of GDP from the current level of 1.59 percent within a decade.

If you don’t like the carbon tax…

Labor would terminate a fixed carbon price from next July. Families would save an average of $380 in the first year, plus the household assistance package linked to the carbon tax would remain in place. Labor would instead introduce an emissions trading scheme with a floating carbon price of about $6 a tonne.

The Coalition would axe the carbon tax. It would instead establish an Emissions Reduction Fund of $3 billion to allocate money in response to emission reduction tenders to projects designed to reduce carbon emissions.

If you’re in a same-sex relationship…

And want to get married, Labor would introduce a Bill into the Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage within 100 days of being re-elected.

If you use the internet…

Labor would roll out the National Broadband Network which aims for speeds of 1000 megabits per second by 2021.

The Coalition broadband would aim for at least 25-100 Mbps by 2016 and 50-100 Mbps by 2019.

If you’re planning on having a baby…

You are eligible to receive Labor’s current paid parental leave. This is 18 weeks’ pay at the rate of the national minimum wage.

The Coalition would give mothers who give birth after July 2015 six months’ leave on full pay, capped at $75,000.

If you are a victim of terrorism…

The Coalition would provide assistance to Australians and their families who have been victims of terrorism overseas since September 10, 2001, up to a maximum of $75,000. Currently, this assistance would be available for future victims but is not available for existing victims.

If you are an Indigenous Australian…

Labor promises a large number of measures under its Closing the Gap policy, including

$777 million over three years to continue the National Partnership Agreement for health and

$1.5 billion to provide job seekers in remote communities with local support.

The Coalition would spend $10 million to fund four trial sites for jobs training for Indigenous Australians.

It would also provide up to $45 million to support the GenerationOne employment model, creating job opportunities for up to 5000 indigenous Australians. The Coalition would also establish a Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

If you plan on buying a car…

Labor would axe the fringe benefits tax break employees receive for buying cars through salary sacrifice.

The Coalition would abandon these planned changes.

If you have a disability…

Labor would invest more than $14 billion for disability services over seven years for DisabilityCare.

The Coalition has also committed to implementing the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

If you require aged care…

Labor would invest $3.7 billion in aged care reform over five years, including more than 40,000 extra home care packages.

If you’re a victim of assault…

… that is sexual assault or domestic violence related, Labor would spend $31.2 million to support victims.

If you have health issues…

Labor would spend $50 million to improve care for stroke sufferers, $10.5 million on emergency asthma training, $3.2 million funding for Arthritis Australia, $21 million for family mental health services and $30 million for STI and blood borne virus prevention.

The Coalition would increase mental health spending by $430 million, spend $35 million to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes and provide a further $200 million over five years for dementia research.

If you have private health insurance…

The Coalition would “fully restore” the private health insurance rebate. The 30 percent rebate is currently means-tested for individuals earning more than $83,000 and families earning more than $166,000. Singles earning more than $129,000 and families earning over $258,000 receive no rebate.

The Coalition would also scrap the means test but has not said when they would do this.

If you’re a senior…

The Coalition would index eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. This would allow more self-funded retirees to access the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at the concessional rate.

If you run a company…

The Coalition would cut the company tax rate by 1.5 percent from 1 July 2015. But if you run one of the 3200 biggest companies in Australia, the Coalition would impose a 1.5 percent levy to pay for part of its Paid Parental Leave Scheme.

If you’re a smoker…

Labor would increase the smoking tax so a pack of 20 cigarettes would cost you an extra $5.25 by the end of 2016.

The Coalition would increase the smoking tax by the same amount.

If you pay super…

The Coalition will delay increases to the super guarantee. This means it will be frozen at its current rate of 9.25 percent until July 1, 2016, when it will increase to 9.5 percent.

If you’re anything like me, after reading that you’re probably picking yourself up from the floor! A Murdoch article that actually makes Labor look good! Now we just have to get the message across.

Your vote might just be worth something after all.

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64 comments

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  1. johnlord2013

    A well collated list of policy areas. The one area that concerns me more than others is the environment, and the fact that the opposition intends to waste 3 billion of taxpayers money on a scheme that simply will not work. The opposition in four years has never been able to produce one expert of any standing too agree with them.

  2. Michael Taylor

    Reblogged this on Café Whispers.

  3. Heather

    Wow! great work. Thank you!

  4. Fed up

    Nice clear and easy to read comparison.

  5. Colin Thai

    Very good article, reading the form for this 2 horse race, I know where my money would go, labor would get my vote, and they always will, great article, I’ve got a few friends here and they are all reading it, great stuff, keep it up, thanking you……

  6. Pamela Rawlings

    Yes Labor all the way for me. Would not vote any other way.

  7. lbruce401

    Nice good simple unbiased policy. Like a breath of fresh air to see it side by side with each party’s promises…

  8. BAGMan

    Labor after 6 years of chaos wants our vote to give them another 3 years.
    You must be joking you don’t get 9 years for manslaughter

  9. Möbius Ecko

    C’mon BAGMan put your knowledge where your mouth is and tell us about the 6 years of chaos.

    My bet would be on you coming up with Murdoch news pieces and Liberal party slogans without a single detailed reasoned point.

  10. Fed up

    ME, that is a question one never get an answer to. No example ever given,. The few that are, are quickly proven to be lies.

    Maybe he can tell us, how many pieces of legislation, Abbott will have to rescind, to get rid of the so called carbon tax.

    The quicker that DD is called on the better. Trouble for Abbott, due to Constitutional concerns, it will be a long way down the track.

    Is Abbott going to put all on hold for a year or so.

    By then, I believe the public will be aware of what they will lose, and just might turn.

  11. Fed up

    Also, they will have has a chance to see the man in action. I suspect, they will not like what they see.

    Abbott., still is not popular, and for all that ABC survey told us this morning, less than 5% though he was trustworthy or competent.

  12. martha

    may I suggest printing numerous copies for hand bag , car sports bags ect and offering to give to people so they know what they would lose with abbott , I have a hair appointment tomorrow so that’s may first port of call on the way home the local shop and the butcher

  13. Jason F

    clearly BAGMan failed to read the above article before expelling the above statement.. 6 years of chaos was it.. why because tony told you what to think? good boy!

  14. Kez Mar

    Pyne has announced that there will be no extra funding for education for those states that didn’t sign up to Gonski/Better Schools Plan.

  15. Michael Taylor

    Big thanks to those who want to share this post. It really needs to be OUT THERE.

  16. armproductionsrockadz

    I’ve always been a Labor supporter, although it was hard to vote for the Gillard Government after the factions had Kevin Rudd sacked, I feel this was un-Australian for the labor government not letting him run for a full term.
    I feel proud to be an Australian Labor supporter now that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has taken up office again even though some mistakes have been made. Mistakes have been made by both governments. Education is a great asset however once money gets involved it becomes a weapon of power.
    Labor has always been for the battlers, focusing on real issues and spending money where it needs to be spent, on things such as health, education and Universities.

    It will be interesting on the to see how the refugees are going to be handled under a liberal government.

  17. Pingback: Yet more reasons to prefer a Labor government next week | Curi-Oz Corner

  18. MK

    Just one question . . . . there are a lot of promises and billions of dollars being pledged by the ALP has anyone bothered to do the math and wonder where it will come from if not from the global moneylenders who are the puppet masters of weak governments like we have had to put up with for the past 6 years. And why is Rudd promising to legalise single sex marriage/unions 100 days after being elected when again the ALP has had 6 years to do this and when it was put before parliament they voted against it . . . . another example of pathetic pandering to selfish constituents instead of looking at the bigger picture and coming up with ways to get this country out of debt once again and actually provide assistance and financial incentives where they are really needed. This is also the government who axed the $500 annual pensioner bonus but brought in a school kids bonus . . . . . if you can’t afford to send your kids to school then don’t have them! Axe the school kids bonus and bring back the pensioner bonus. And as for Labour focussing on real issues such as health and education many people (including pensioners) can’t afford to go to doctors anymore, nor can they afford the medications prescribed. Education? What a joke. Children coming out of our schools today are ignorant, lazy and incapable of basic math or English, but then again why should they bother to study because our welfare system encourages people to slide into a life of self indulgent laziness. This may be 2013 but it is time Australians took a good look at how far down the decency scale this country has slipped. Where is our ANZAC tradition? Where are the mates and hard working aussies? Where have the family structures gone? They may still be here in small quantities, but the guts of our country has been shattered. I haven’t decided who I will vote for but I can guarantee that it won’t be for the spendthrift idiots who have taken this country from financial stability to crippling financial ruin in 6 short years. They wouldn’t handle their personal family finances like this so why do you let them handle your financial future and the future of this country so irresponsibly?

  19. CMMC

    Trolling imbeciles are like zombies, of the computer game variety of the undead.

    They just keep coming, no matter how many you blast away with your shotgun there is another violent, grasping creature to deal with.

  20. Kristoffer

    Whatever party wins, needs to speed up the delivery of the NBN.

  21. David Cann

    MK m…less knit? Real issues are when Abbott will not even divulge bottom line. He asks us to trust him when he does not trust us with his bottom line.

  22. Carol Taylor

    MK and,

    Children coming out of our schools today are ignorant, lazy and incapable of basic math or English, but then again why should they bother to study because our welfare system encourages people to slide into a life of self indulgent laziness.

    That might be your own experience, but the reality is somewhat different with more young people than ever and especially girls studying to a tertiary level. I personally find young people intelligent, eager to try new experiences and ready to engage in debate at a very mature level..and that’s just our neighbor’s primary school age granddaughters.

  23. Carol Taylor

    Kristoffer, sadly you are out of luck with the Liberals who have promised to dismantle the NBN and instead of the speed of 98kbps which I currently enjoy you will be receiving around 20kbps..if you’re lucky. With that speed you might sometimes be able to download the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald without it crashing…

  24. archiemoore

    I think you meant news.com.au

  25. Aaron

    MK….. Sorry to say but you sir are stupid! None of the statements you made have any real weight in them. You say six bad years you say massive dept. Well mate fact is and go check them they are facts! That we have more disposable income now then we did before, the dept we have is a joke compared to the rest of the world and most believe we should have more to improve on infrastructure, dept is not a bad thing especially one so small like ours. I ask you how much dept are you in? Same principle if you can service the dept then ur fine and mate this country is more than able to service the dept! Why not think along the lines of maybe if you can’t afford to retire then don’t instead of the school kids way? Fact is you made some statements that if you had brains, even small ones, you would not have said what you did as if you knew the facts all your points are well pointless at best!

  26. Bacchus

    MK is big on Lieberal rhetoric and completely lacking in fact 😉

    has anyone bothered to do the math and wonder where it will come from if not from the global moneylenders who are the puppet masters of weak governments

    FACT: The Australian government hasn’t borrowed in overseas markets since 1987

    This is also the government who axed the $500 annual pensioner bonus

    FACT: There never was a “$500 annual pensioner bonus.” Just an “ooops, we’ve got boatloads more taxation receipts than we’ve budgeted for – let’s bribe the pensioners again” on a year to year basis. Compare that with genuine pension increases brought in by Labor which weren’t doled out annually at the whim of a clueless government.

    if you can’t afford to send your kids to school then don’t have them

    How about if you’re earning $150K +, don’t expect the government to pay for your maternity leave – if you can’t afford to have kids when you’re earning more than double the average wage, then don’t have them. If you think you should have maternity as a workplace entitlement (as opposed to government welfare), join a union and negotiate for your workplace conditions – don’t expect self-funded retirees to pay for it!

    And as for Labour focussing on real issues such as health and education many people (including pensioners) can’t afford to go to doctors anymore, nor can they afford the medications prescribed.

    I’m not a pensioner, but it costs me nothing to go do the doctor – he bulk bills. The specialist I see also bulk bills pensioners. Pensioners get prescription medication at a maximum $5.90. Further, once a pensioner or concession family spends $354.00 (60 prescriptions x $5.90) on medicines in a calendar year, they are issued with a PBS Safety Net card that lets them receive their medicines free of charge for the rest of the year.

    Children coming out of our schools today are ignorant, lazy and incapable of basic math or English, but then again why should they bother to study because our welfare system encourages people to slide into a life of self indulgent laziness

    Astounding ignorance here – where do you think the thousands of university entrants come from each year? Where do apprentice tradies come from?

    They wouldn’t handle their personal family finances like this so why do you let them handle your financial future and the future of this country so irresponsibly

    Once again, astounding ignorance – maybe the education problem was your own, rather than contemporary education? The federal budget isn’t in any way like “personal family finances.” There isn’t a budget emergency. We don’t have to reduce deficits and debt urgently. I guess you haven’t noticed how Tones & Joe “Eleventy” Hockey have changed their rhetoric from “budget emergency” to “we’ll get the budget back into surplus at about the same time as Labor will, but certainly within a decade?

    Just as an aside, how well does your political hero manage his personal finances?
    http://www.marketeconomics.com.au/2400-a-true-story-about-a-man-named-tony

  27. Bacchus

    And just on debt, what does a Nobel laureate in economics think of our “debt crisis”?

    Kevin Rudd, who was prime minister when the crisis struck, put in place one of the best-designed Keynesian stimulus packages of any country in the world. He realized that it was important to act early, with money that would be spent quickly, but that there was a risk that the crisis would not be over soon. So the first part of the stimulus was cash grants, followed by investments, which would take longer to put into place.

    Rudd’s stimulus worked: Australia had the shortest and shallowest of recessions of the advanced industrial countries.

    http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-crisis-down-under

  28. Aaron

    Bravo, like I said he had pointless fact lacking comments

  29. Kaye Lee

    For those people who don’t think the media has been complicit in lying to and influencing Australians (and I know that’s virtually no-one here) just have a look at the number of people like MK who talk about our financial crisis. Since when did THEY become experts on global finances and economics? All the expert opinion from economists and monetary funds around the world, who have no political agenda in this country, have held up our handling of the GFC and our resultant strong economy as an example to the rest of the world. So why do so many Australians think we have a “budget emergency” and debt spiralling out of control? Oh that’s right…Piers Ackerman and Andrew Bolt and Ray Hadley and Alan Jones said it’s so and of course their economic credentials qualify them to discount what those other “experts” say…you know…the one’s who have degrees and whose JOB it is to get this stuff right.

    Rupert Murdoch has every right (apparently) to lie and distort because he OWNS the media. Tony Abbott and Joe Hocket do NOT! Their retreat back to “climate change is crap” is a crime against humanity. Their misrepresentation of the facts, their scaremongering and lying, is criminal and points out even more forcefully that they are NOT fit for office.

  30. Daniel

    And how much more money does Labor intend to borrow. Seriously anyone can throw cash and look good…. the trick comes in paying for it all.
    I don’t trust Labor no matter what they “promise”. LNP has my vote.

  31. Dean McDonald

    Love your response to the troll Bacchus. Just one thing, havve you got a link for the “The Australian government hasn’t borrowed in overseas markets since 1987” quote

  32. richo

    The sad thing is how so many of us Aussies go down the me first what’s in it for me attitude.

  33. Truth Seeker

    Great work as usual Migs 😀
    A fine comparison that should be compulsory reading before people vote 😀

    Cheers 😀

  34. Enn (@EnnDai)

    Australia’s constituion: voting only for the candidate of your choice. http://youtu.be/phL0b18ruGM

  35. Bacchus

    PolitiFact Dean:

  36. kayelee1

    “Technically speaking the last government borrowing in overseas markets was in 1987, according to the Office of Australian Financial Management.

    After that the government decided to concentrate its debt domestically. It repurchased the foreign debt and retired the loans.

    “The Australian Government no longer needs to borrow in overseas markets and is able to issue more cost effectively in domestic markets for the volumes it is likely to require,” the Office of Australian Financial Management said in its 2003-04 annual report.”

  37. respallturner

    MK: people like you who tend to blame absolutely every social problem on government, are the ones who are “ are ignorant, lazy and incapable of basic math or English” which you unjustly attribute to the Australian youth of today. If children go wayward, a lot of the blame has to be laid on the kind of parenting they receive, as well as the quality of socialisation they receive — in fact, Labor’s Better Schools scheme is exactly aimed at giving our kids a better start to a useful life.. You think that’s not good? As for : “They wouldn’t handle their personal family finances like this so why do you let them handle your financial future and the future of this country so irresponsibly” – my heavens, have you been napping all this time? The world’s leading economists applaud Australia for the way the government has managed the economy while the rest of the developed world – US, UK. Ireland. France, Germany etc etc have been crumbling under worldwide recession!

  38. kayelee1

    snap Bacchus 🙂

  39. Rebecca

    There goes Labor… Spend Spend Spend. Where is all this money coming from when we are in so much debt? So much ‘what’s in it for me’ rather than what’s best for this country’s future.

  40. Bacchus

    Sorry Enn – that’s just the ranting of an ignorant tin-foil hatter. Interesting that never once does he reference the constitution in his rubbish. Why is that?

    For a start, the AEC is not a private corporation but an independent statutory authority established under the Commonwealth Electoral Act.

    Perhaps you’d be better off reading your constitution, rather than listening to some nutter trying to mislead you…

    http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Constitution

  41. Bacchus

    Sounds like Rebecca has bought the spin of old Tones & Eleventy 😀

    We are NOT “in so much debt.” If you had any understanding of economics, you’d know that NOT investing in the nation’s future leads to greater debt and lower living standards for decades to come.

    Tones & Eleventy are selling voodoo economics and the uneducated are buying it!

  42. Bacchus

    Notice what Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz says about debt & deficit (linked to earlier)…

    Citizens should consider the legacy they leave to their children, part of which is the financial debts they will pass down. But another part of our legacy is environmental. It is two-faced to claim to care about the future and then fail to ensure that the country is adequately compensated for the depletion of its resources, or ignore the degradation of the environment. It is even worse to leave our children without adequate infrastructure and the other public investments needed to be competitive in the twenty-first century.

    (bold mine)

  43. grant

    The U.S is in massive debt and if ANYBODY thinks that Australia will ride out a world recession based on a few decisions made by EITHER of our puppet Govts ,they are simply kidding themselves . The amount of debt in the U.S can never be come back from as the figures are astronomically staggering and the recession of recessions is still coming ,it is only a matter of time . The ONLY people that can possibly come through what is inevitably coming are the rich one percent upper class of the world and the rest of us I am sorry to say will suffer as we have never suffered before ! Wake up !

  44. Pingback: Election weekend is comming | Sydney Speaking

  45. James Marsh

    Trying to buy votes, Labor renowned for its ability to fulfill election promises. Watch out with spending like that it looks like there’ll be another recession we needed to have on the way. The mining boom masked poor economic management by the Rudd/Gillard Govt, i frankly am not willing to give them another shot with no safety net this time round.

  46. Littlejim

    Why is everyone saying Labor are throwing the cash around this election? Labor are getting it from the Carbon Tax. Their costings show that. Every time Tony Abbott talks he is giving 100 million here, 250 there. Where is he getting the money from, that’s what I want to know? Especially when he is aboloshing the Carbon Tax. If you can answer me this, then I will vote for the Liberal Party. If you cant, then my vote is staying with Labor.

  47. Aaron

    Peoples memories are soooo short it astounds me! Howard literally bought votes wen he gave everyone 100 dollars back in the day to vote him in…….. Liberals do it all the time only difference is after elected they come out and say due to a miss count we are short a few billion and can no longer come through with what we promised, but hay you all got 100 bux!

  48. Dave D

    Why is it that Labor supporters come through with well referenced facts but Coalition supporters come through with rhetorical slogans? I think it comes down to the fact that the Coalition supporters are voting based upon emotion rather than thinking with more depth than the 30 seconds of a Coalition ad.

    My greatest concern is that there are a lot of people out there who are angry with their current situation and when you have a populist turkey (saying this, I think KRudd also falls into this pot) come out and say all your woes are because of the government I can heal it all, they are quick to jump on that bandwagon. If the Coalition are successful on Saturday (heaven forbid!) that bandwagon will go over the cliff and next election we will get Labor being the opposition and able to use the track record of the Coalition government to their advantage. And away we will go again.

    While the Labor Party has been a melodrama for so long, in that time they have still managed to pull together some very decent policy and strategy for our country and for current and future generations. No mean feat, and while there are a large number of anit-Julia people out there, what her government achieved in a hung parliament is quite astounding.

    Thanks for this insightful page, I hope that it can make people realise what an important decision they need to make on Saturday, and it is not an emotional one but a rational one.

  49. grant

    Liberal here,Republican there ,The stories the SAME… their everywhere , The rich don’t care about your troubles of woe ,cos all they care about is all that DOE !!!!!!

  50. Pingback: DON’T WHINGE ABOUT THE ELECTION. | TheWall

  51. Ingito

    It baffles me why people even bother bickering, we are a country of swinging voters who ALL vote based on emotion and our government changes and round and round we go. Labour is about to be decimated at the polls because frankly they have done what they came to do, spend some money and build some school sheds. helped some disabled people. I will be voting the libs in because in the end labour are the grass hoppers who sing all summer and liberals are the ants who save all summer. We need both at different times. The hard fiscal years are coming and the liberals will guide s through that. then we will have plenty of cash and labour will know how to spend it.

  52. amyphun

    How is this balanced when the Greens are not included?

  53. cornlegend

    Ingito
    Where do you come up with all this crap?

  54. DeniseC

    Why oh why are the comments from the likes of Daniel and Rebecca “where is Rudd getting the money from” when, to date, the ALP promises add up to 2.4 billion and financial wizarding duo that is Abbott and Hockey have committed to 15.9 billion!!!
    Yes, budget emergency indeed… when you are talking about ‘the others’

  55. Fed up

    Well we know where Abbott is getting some of the money from for his grandiose schemes like his PPL. From low income earners and small business.

  56. Marisol

    What about first home buyers?

  57. Jill

    Nice article except for the underling assumption that people should vote according to what directly benefits them.

  58. Möbius Ecko

    Only problem with your generalisation of the two parties Ingito is that it’s utter crap.

    The biggest spending and most wasteful governments have been Liberal governments, not Labor.

    First that you spelt Labor wrong and second belittled the largest ever infrastructure program rolled out in Australian history, done in record time and with a success rate much greater than 90%, something all major businesses would give an arm for, by calling it “some school sheds”, reveals your true ignorance more than anything else could.

    You’re exactly the type of voter the Liberals love, and will do everything in their power to keep ignorant, as can be seen by the Liberal State governments’ actions.

  59. Aaron

    I like you, I like you alot! Best possible “sit down and shut up” ” go educate yourself” I have herd! Well done

  60. Paul

    I’m amazed that so many labour supporters have spent so much time writing about an election they know they are going to lose?

  61. francescagasteen

    Reblogged this on Project ME! and commented:
    In the lead up to Saturday’s federal election, this provides some understanding on the differentiated policy stances of the two major parties….
    #auspol

  62. Sarah

    All the things Labor says they would do if they were elected? Do they realise they’ve been in power for the last 6 years? What have they been doing all this time apart from spending money on programs of questionable value and working on a long list of flashy election promises. A depressing case of image over substance and spending money just to be seen spending money rather than where it’s actually needed. Like the billions spent on over-priced, shiny, new buildings for schools and we still have students who can’t read and write when they finish their schooling.

  63. richo

    I see the Liberal’s that can’t even spell Labor are out in force. To describe needed buildings as shiny new buildings shows just the ignorance that abounds in the born to rule class.
    In an education facilities environment where schools have been neglected by liberal state governments these building were well and truly needed.

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