There will blood all over the Liberal Party brand if it goes ahead with the rumoured threat to use Coalition Senate numbers to block any legislation needed to create a means test for the $5,000 'baby bonus'.Liberal MPs will find the lower income half of their electorates at the front door ready to rip their bl**dy arms off, for wanting to give this increased bonus to the wealthy.
The wealthier half of their electorates will be waiting by the car with a noosed rope ready to string them high, because not means testing this increased bonus will result in the expectant parents among them falling within the Rudd Government net of managed cash transfers.
After all it's introducing periodic 'baby bonus' payments over 13 weeks to avoid paying out the $5,000 upfront, and even the rich couldn't be trusted not to splurge any lump sum on a new plasma TV or trip to the snow (the excuse for removing the lump sum from less wealthy parents).
And you can bet your last bob that these staged payments will require that a lot more information be supplied to Centrelink.
Either way Labor wins. It either gets to make the Libs look stupid or beat-up on the poor without much opposition.
There is also likely to be further blood splattered across the party brand when Liberal MPs realise that neither Nelson or Turnbull are going to come out of the budget debate looking credible - constantly repeating the phrase "high taxing budget" is not going to cut it in an electorate with tax cuts in its pocket and when the bulk of Labor's election promises are being met.
Graphic found at The Age.
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