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Written by joni
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 08:29 |
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There are a few politcial stories around this morning, so I thought we could have a open(ish) thread on politics.
The first is the Foil Insulation story where The Australian is outraged (outraged I tell ya) that the taxpayer is going to have to pay "$50 million bill to strip foil insulation from up to 50,000 houses or install electrical safety switches to help correct faults in the federal government's bungled $2.45 billion home insulation scheme."
The second is from the SMH which details how Tony's Great Big New Tax would cost the big companies almost as much as the ETS scheme that was so bad.
Bluescope Steel would have to pay about $19 million for carbon permits in the first year of the ETS, at an estimated price of $26 a tonne. Based on its 2008 pre-tax profits the company would face an annual bill of about $16 million under Mr Abbott's plan.
So we have those two stories for a starter, you can discuss them or any other political stories that you want to raise.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Possum reported on the latest Essential Report polling which had the government on a primary vote of 43, with the opposition on 41 (up one to the government). This gives a TPP of 54/46.
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Written by joni
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:12 |
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A black kettle has written a humorous article in todays SMH, where he says the following about Kevin Rudd:
It looks as if Kevin Rudd is not the bureaucratic messiah after all, but just another headline-hunting politician.
Because the stimulus (whether it was poorly targeted or not) worked. We stayed out of recession, which means that government finances are better than what they looked like being.
Now where is that debt-truck Malcolm with the $315 billion debt - that never eventuated? Could it be that you are also another "headline-hunting" politician?
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Written by joni
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 21:26 |
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SMH reported today that a home owner "has been ordered to pay $70,000 in compensation to the widow of an electrician who died after working in his roof".
Allan Harley had been working on a terrace in Darlington in October 2004 when he was electrocuted after coming into contact with an exposed live wire from a previously used solar hot water heater.
How many of the deaths or accidents that occurred during the Insulation program also had these sort of circumstances?
Professor Peter Cane from the Australian National University said the judgment had followed the general legal principal that property owners bear certain responsibilities for people's safety while on their premises. However he said many people would have ''no idea that they would be responsible in those circumstances''.
Interesting in light of the hounding of Peter Garrett (who I still think needed to go, not because he was responsible for the accidents, but because he mismanaged the fallout). |
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Written by joni
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 15:43 |
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SMH is reporting that Abbott did not take his Great Big New Tax plan to the shadow cabinet before making the announcement yesterday.
Tony Abbott has sought forgiveness from his party room after failing to consult it about his plans for a paid parental leave scheme.
The opposition leader made the announcement yesterday - which was International Women's Day - without taking the scheme to shadow cabinet.
So instead of running a shadow cabinet, Abbott is running a Keep-them-in-the-dark Cabinet.
I am sure that this will win over the 41 coalition member who did not vote for him in December (remember that only 42 votes for him).
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Written by joni
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Monday, 08 March 2010 21:05 |
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Tony - who we all know hates taxing people - has decided that his "generous" maternity leave plan will be funded by a Great Big New Tax. The only saving grace is that it will be companies who will be taxed and not individuals.
He estimates his plan to charge a 1.7 per cent levy on businesses earning more than $5 million a year would raise $2.7 billion a year.
What a minute. Didn't Tony tell us that taxes like a levy (or an ETS) eventually mean that the consumer pays as the costs get passed on?
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