Aussie Politics: Please post your response (No stamp needed)

[Yukle]

2 hours ago, Stubby said:

That's only part of it though.  It's more the fact that his views seem to have popular support.

On the plus side, though, Barnaby has shuffled back to the back bench. So we have that little piece of schadenfreude to take into the weekend.

His seat should be vacated. Fifty charter flights to Canberra when Parliament isn’t in session so you can have an affair is not acceptable.

[Squab]

Were any of you a part of the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory? I believe the submission side of it has finished now but was reading parts and thought someone here might have been involved. Good to see such community involvement and that they are loading some of them to youtube so people can watch the submissions to witness their sincerity.

[Yukle]

Wow... this seems to be a really good way of conducting the process. I really hope that they act upon the wishes of what these people say, rather than just hearing them out but barreling ahead with what they were going to do anyway.

[Paxter]

Some reports emerging that Bishop is considering pulling the Socceroos out of the World Cup in light of the nerve agent incident. It would be a bit of a shame if we didn’t end up competing having worked so hard to get there, but perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise after our new coach’s debut!

[Stubby]

19 hours ago, Paxter said:

Some reports emerging that Bishop is considering pulling the Socceroos out of the World Cup in light of the nerve agent incident. It would be a bit of a shame if we didn’t end up competing having worked so hard to get there, but perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise after our new coach’s debut!

She later said that the team will still play, but government level dignitaries would likely not go.

[Yukle]

Anyone notice how the Taswegian opposition pitched a campaign on making pokies far less predatory, far less harmful to communities and imposing far tougher rules on gambling organisations?

And then anyone spot the entirely predictable advertising campaign against them from all gambling companies, who bankrolled the incumbents with a blank cheque?

[Paxter]

4 hours ago, Stubby said:

She later said that the team will still play, but government level dignitaries would likely not go.

Makes sense - it did strike me as slightly odd that the England was still sending its team but we were thinking of pulling out.

[Paxter]

Pell to stand trial for historical sexual offences. I’m pleased that the complainants (and Pell) will have their respective days in court - whichever way this goes we can at least say that it has undergone a proper judicial process.

[Yukle]

I think the Catholic Church has been historically terrible at assisting victims of sexual abuse. Yet it seems that the (still too slow) shifting happening under Pope Francis means that even cardinals must stand trial if need be.

It's good that this is going to trial. Although it's far too late for many, it's still something.

[Paxter]

More scalps claimed by s. 44, though you’d think the Coalition will not contest all of the by-elections. Longman in Queensland could be a nail-biter.

Pretty funny that the entire Xenophon team elected in 2016 (Nick himself, Kakosche-Moore and Sharkie) have all now resigned from Parliament.

[Jeor]

Bill Shorten's "rolled gold guarantee" that Labor had no problems and always vetted people properly, and his high-handed moralising about other parties is pretty funny, too.

I guess it was too good a political opportunity to pass up when it first came along, but there's always the chance it could bite you on the backside.

[Paxter]

I think all sides have egg on their face after the comments they made about the Greens’ Waters and Ludlum.

Certainly the PM didn’t cover himself in glory (“and the High Court will so hold!”)

[Jeor]

True. I'm guessing we're not going to see many political ads about it on the next campaign trail because there's been blood all over the walls in pretty much every party.

A bit disappointed by the Coalition budget. It's a bit mealy-mouthed and it seems like they want to say they're doing a little bit of everything - some tax cuts but we'll still be responsible about the deficit etc. It's one of my main beefs with the economic right-wingers with whom I would normally associate. You can't really be a party of tax cuts and deficit hawks (taken to extremes this is what the Republican party in the US looks ridiculous about).

We've been very fortunate with the Australian economy. The 90s Labor government put us on a decent footing with superannuation (which helps the government get off the hook for most pensions long-term) and the following Coalition government introduced the GST (which broadens and future-proofs the tax base). But for 20 years now we've lacked a coherent economic vision or big picture thinking.

Personally, I think we ought to increase the progressiveness of the income tax (move those brackets way up so that lower earners get lots of tax cuts and higher earners don't really get as much), and then increase the GST base or rate. It could be done in a way that roughly balances and it would put the country on a stabler footing with the baby boomer demographic trends.

[Paxter]

Personally I’m not that exercised about economic policy. Watching the two major parties trying to differentiate themselves on that front is actually quite funny most of the time, as they often just “match” each other. I don’t think our country (small, open economy that it is) would be in a drastically different position if the other side was in government. The corporate tax cuts are a salient difference I guess, but it’s all moot until the Coalition is actually able to pass them. I have been on the record for several years in this thread on negative gearing and CG tax concessions, but again, they are pretty much moot until the relevant party can command a majority in both chambers (unlikely).

Environmental/energy and immigration policy are more important portfolios to me at the moment and will continue to drive my own personal vote. The focus on the economy is partly because successive government have failed us in these areas.

[Yukle]

They make tax cuts just so that they can boast that they cut taxes.

Meanwhile, the ABC, poor people and everyone else the Coalition hates lose out.

Our tax take is getting really low and then, as usual, next year the cry will come, "Oh, we must cut spending because for some reason we don't have as much money as we used to! Sorry poor people, tighten your belts!"

[karaddin]

Yup ^ 

Taxes have been cut repeatedly while we sold off all the revenue raising assets in the first round. Shockingly this has resulted in government revenue collapsing, so we just cut the rampant spending! It's a framing that entirely favours the small government ideology and if you believe in a bigger government that does more for its people you need to stop buying into it.

[Jeor]

6 hours ago, karaddin said:

Yup ^ 

Taxes have been cut repeatedly while we sold off all the revenue raising assets in the first round. Shockingly this has resulted in government revenue collapsing, so we just cut the rampant spending! It's a framing that entirely favours the small government ideology and if you believe in a bigger government that does more for its people you need to stop buying into it.

Well, this is why I think we need to look at the revenue side of things (rather than expenditure). We ought to raise the GST and lessen the reliance on income tax. With baby boomers retiring, as well as income tax being inherently dependent on the strength of the economy and unemployment, the GST is at least a fairly robust and dependable source of revenue that everyone in the country pays, even if you're retired. Now the GST is a regressive tax (in that for the poor it's a higher percentage of their incomes) so I'd advocate cutting income taxes for the lower brackets to balance it out.

However, as someone in their early 30s, I do worry that we are not prepared for the surge in retirees, the decrease in revenue and increase in Medicare expenditures etc. Private superannuation has done a lot, but it also needs to be increased up to 12-15% to properly support retiree lifestyles. Otherwise my generation is going to be taxed to hell and back. So I think we need some tax reform in there.

I'm for rolling back the investment property deductions and other loophole closing ideas too. For what it's worth I don't think we should cut company tax either. We probably ought to spend more on infrastructure and education.

 

[Yukle]

So Barnacle Joyce, apart from being a scumbag who had an affair and then suggested his mistress was such a loose cow that he may not even be the father, did an interview for $150,000 with Channel 7.

But to cap it all, apparently he'd have done it for free but his mean and nasty mistress pressured him into taking the money and putting it into a trust fund.

Poor man. Nothing is his fault, and everyone is so mean to him. His four daughters have stopped talking to him, which was so cruel of them and he didn't do anything to deserve it at all.

[Paxter]

Yes, Joyce has copied Dastyari's mistake of triggering a second wave of negative headlines after being dumped from a senior role. Probably not material in the overall scheme of things though.

Will be interesting to see how the by-elections go. It could be a non-event with all sitting members holding on or it could prove to be a useful consolidation for the PM. 

[Yukle]

Christian Porter should drop off a cliff.

His decision to merge the Family Court is utterly disgusting. A review of the family court is ongoing, and is not due to finish until March 2019. To pre-empt it is a disgusting attempt to spin favour their way before the upcoming by-elections.

The most disgusting part, though, is that the Family Court is underfunded! It is completely outrageous, albeit expected of conservative morons, to say that merging government departments magically solves the issue.

Legal Aid and the Family Courts are struggling because they lack for resources, not because of the usual bullshit right-wing complaint that "There's too much red tape." I hate that argument and I hate that this cynical and garbage policy is still propagated: that government is "Too big" and "bloated" and "there's too much spending."

It's the usual garbage: tax cuts, and then complain the next year, "Oh, we don't have enough money! How did that happen? Let's take money form poor people, they aren't pulling their weight!"

The Family Courts were targeted in this case because they overwhelmingly help women and children.