Aussies LXII: ICAC, Budgets and Beer

[Jeor]

The only thing I'd be terribly against is the copayments for doctor visits. It penalises the people who can least afford to pay and should be funded by a rise in the Medicare levy if the situation is really that bad. I fear the slippery slope of beginning to charge for doctor's visits, even if initially the payment is set at a low rate.

Uni fees is a big mess but the reform needed to fix the system is not going to happen with just the budget, they will need to institute quite a few non-financial changes as well if they want to really fix tertiary education.

[arya_underfoot]

So Joe starts off by talking about doing away with corporate welfare, and then, bang! He wants to cut company tax by 1.5%. WTF?? Seriously, that's deeply hypocritical even for a politician.

But overall, it was an impressive speech. He arranged all the really unpopular stuff neatly in between the so-called "sweeteners". Wayne Swan should watch and learn how's it done, though he won't ever get another shot at being Treasurer one feels.

[brook]

Yeah fuck that budget.

[Horza]

26bn cut from health and welfare over the next four years

The thing that wasn’t leaked from this most leaked of budgets was the extent of the cuts to health and welfare.

An average of more than $6 billion a year is being cut from health and social services programmes -- $25.8bn over four years, from dozens of programmes. It goes far beyond what the Commission of Audit recommended, and is one of the biggest reductions in Australian health and welfare spending in history.

It turns out that this is what the 2014-15 budget is all about, not the budget repair levy, or the infrastructure spending, and it will undoubtedly be the big story in the weeks ahead, as the enormity of it sinks in.

Almost $30bn is being cut from government spending over four years, starting with $1.9bn in 2014-15, of which 88 per cent is coming out of health and social services. The rest comes from education, industry assistance and a huge cut ($7.6bn) to overseas aid.

all those state-federal funding agreements just got flushed down the tube.

EDIT: Channel 9 have uncovered the fact that Hockey was dancing in his office to Nickelback's "Best Day Of My Life" prior to delivery, in case the bile wasn't rising fast enough.

I am not responsible for any emotions generated by clicking this link [EDIT: hahaha nice try Daily Tele journo, but internet never forgets.] Or this one.

[Ouroboros]

Fuck them and fuck anyone that voted for them.

[Paxter]

Very tough budget on young people and families; great budget for the big corporates. But we knew that would be the case.

On the other hand, it is a credible move to surplus, which I am broadly in favour of ATM. Just would rather that it happened primarily through revenue raising, not spending cuts. And not this quickly - there are no bond vigilantes out there about to smash our interest rate spread.

[Horza]

The full weight of the cuts really kick in in 2016-2017, and if followed through entirely would be a staggering 80bn cut from federal health and welfare spending over ten years.

Also we're nailed on for a GST increase as the states are going to be desperate to plug this gap.

[brook]

The fact that we're dumping a heap of disability funding programs to schools and the Gonski disability loading bothers me a great deal, but hey at least we still have money for Chaplains right?

[Paxter]

Yeah...looks like they will bring a GST increase to the next election. Meanwhile, they plan to cut income taxes later in the decade :bang: .

The fact that we're dumping a heap of disability funding programs to schools and the Gonski disability loading bothers me a great deal, but hey at least we still have money for Chaplains right?

And paid parental leave...

[Stubby]

The fact that we're dumping a heap of disability funding programs to schools and the Gonski disability loading bothers me a great deal, but hey at least we still have money for Chaplains right?

This budget has fuck all to do with good government or necessity and everything to with ideological dick waving.

[karaddin]

I find the chaplains more offensive than the PPL scheme though, at least I agree with PPL in theory if not this particular implementation, but I think chaplains should only be allowed as an option alongside regular counsellors - to have the government increasing the amount it gives for chaplains while removing funding for non religious counselling and cutting mental health services is a blatant attack on both mental health and an attempt to further entrench religion (which we knew they were trying to do).

[Ouroboros]

Hopefully Palmer sticks to his guns, clogs up the Senate and we can get a double dissolution.

[Paxter]

Help me Clive Kenobi. You're my only hope.

Never thought I'd see the day!

[brook]

It's a bit terrifying really.

So what do we all think is likely to get past the senate? Greens have already said they'll back the debt levy (which is sensible of them), Labor look set to try and block the fuel excise which imo is a really dumb move but... that's Labor. Surely the greens would have to eventually come round on that though?

Nobody looks at all inclined to pass the medicare co-payments, that one may end up dead in the water unless the government do some huge deals.

[Lady Woodland]

Those expensive fighter jets Tony Abbott bought pre budget - where did he find the money for that & why did we need them so urgently. I can to an extent understand the subs & ships but the aircraft not so much. Seems like a huge amount of money & the deal was done pre budget.

[karaddin]

I think they basically came down to the US told us we needed to buy them to hold up our end of the strategic alliance. Neither side wants to in any way diminish the alliance at this point, so we went along with the marching orders and bought some planes.

[andrew_]

As a uni student I am appalled with the changes made to our higher education system this budget. The changes will make it nearly impossible for the lower socio-economic high school students to attend and afford university. They're essentially turning it into the US deregulated system which is outrageously expensive for students but as a result of the increased funding, rewards various university research programs (which is the only benefit of the new system). The average course price will likely skyrocket to $50k as a result. I'm just glad I graduate next year and don't have to deal with any of it.

[karaddin]

Now now Andrew, there can't ever be any issues with the cost of our degrees because we have HELP loans! That's what Christopher Pyne kept saying last week, lets ignore the cost of that debt and it's repayments, not to mention the costs of living while attending university and accumulating that debt, there are loans that pay for tuition fees so it's literally impossible for someone to not be able to afford to go to University!

[Paxter]

To be fair to Pyne (can't believe I just said that), the HELP system does make things considerably fairer here than they are in the States. But I totally agree that the burden of debt is a difficult one to bear, especially for people graduating in areas that don't end up being particularly high-paying. Personally I started off life with a $45,000 HECS debt, but I am lucky enough to be employed in a reasonably well-paying job, so it's not as crippling as it might otherwise have been. Won't be quite so easy for other graduates.

[brook]

My biggest worry is that the minor drop in the repayment threshold will be dropped further in subsequent budgets.

Starting to repay the debt at 50kish isn't so bad, but when I first went into the workforce was before the income limit was in place at all and HECS payments took a big chunk out of my just-slightly above minimum wage pay.