The Nationals and political advertising cons

The three days preceding the political advertising blackout at midnight on Wednesday were more than a little painful, as television screens were blitzed by campaign advertising by all major political parties. Here on the NSW North Coast it was a veritable snow storm of spin.

However, what really took the top prize was the Nationals running with one ad which brazenly stated that it was the only party which helped to get an increase in the pension.
Not even lipservice paid to truth there. In fact, putting it bluntly, that would have to be a blatant lie.

The Nationals were not the only party debating pension increases over the last three years and, I can recall that in 2008 they supported an increase of only $30 a week and even then not for every class of pensioner. Remember that vacant space in their initial argument when it came to disability support pensioners?

Every Nationals candidate in 2010 from party leader Warren Truss down to novice Kevin Hogan seems to have conveniently forgotten that fact.

Oi Kev, there's an ugly rumour doin' the rounds.........

There's a rumour doing the rounds that the Rudd Government intends to make income management compulsory for Centrelink and Vet Affairs income recipients.
Income management for all is expected to;
tie up a good percentage of any pension, unemployment benefit, family tax benefit, austudy, carer allowance, other allowance or payment - possibly 50% or even higher;
link this amount to a Basic Card which can only be used at approved stores for government approved purchases - merchants of course having a right to reject the card simply because they can't be bothered or refuse to sell certain goods if a card is presented;
have a daily limit on the amount which can be spent;
and then probably (as soon as technology is ready) allow the card to be tracked so that bureaucratic sticky beaks can see just how money is spent.
And all this expected to happen sooner rather than later, with no respect for a person's dignity or standing.

Here are some of the things which can't be done with the Basic Card now.

You cannot use your Basic Card:
* at an ATM;
* for "cash out" transactions;
* to purchase gift or store cards, or vouchers;
* to repay debts or credit;
* at merchants that are not Approved Merchants;
* for internet, mail order or telephone-based purchases;
* for direct debit transactions;
* for BPAY transactions;
* for transferring any funds;
* to purchase alcohol, cigarettes or other tobacco products;
* to purchase a lottery ticket, Lotto entry etc;
* for instalment payments on goods and services, such as a "lay-by" payment scheme;
* to purchase goods or services from a petrol station (other than petroleum, other fuel products and automotive goods and services); or
* to purchase goods and services from an Approved Merchant utilising a paper based or manual transaction procedure.

According to the National Wefare Rights Network, one of the things you're apparently allowed do with a Basic Card is pay for a funeral - not that you'd have enough money on the card to do so.

Boy, Kev - you really know how to create the mother of all vote losers for Janelle Saffin (Labor MP for Page) and Justine Elliot (Labor MP for Richmond) both of whom have large blocs of voters receiving pensions, family allowance etc. in their NSW North Coast electorates.

The things is, mate - you'll deserve every vote loss if this rumour is indeed true and a stake through the heart for being such a callous bloodsucker.

KRudd makes the Top 10 list of the world's most well-paid pollies and Oz pensioners are happy for him

According to The Times online Oz Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is the world's 10th highest paid political leader.

This fact is of course immensely pleasing to aged and disabled pensioners across the country - particularly those he promised to protect against the recent pension increase being eaten into by public housing rent rises.

Oh, he didn't keep that promise did he?

KRudd pic from News.com.au

Stop it or they'll go blind!

Now I've heard everything! The Rudd Government is reducing the Medicare rebate for cataract surgery from $831.60 to $409.60, according to the Minister for Aging and Member for Richmond Justine Elliott.

There are already quite a few worrying out-of-pocket expenses associated with eye surgery for those pensioners without savings or investments (as well as waiting lists which can still see a older person wait up to a year for publicly-funded eye surgery) and now the federal government is about to put such surgery almost out of reach for people living below the poverty line.

Right now if you have the money up front or private health insurance a cataract operation can usually be performed within 6 to 8 weeks on the NSW North Coast (by the same specialists and hospitals which make the poor wait and wait for exactly the same medical procedure), so the health system is already biased against those poor sods with no money in the bank.

Bluddy Kevin Rudd and his merry troop have just made this unfair state of affairs even worse and their piddling little national grant for rural & regional areas will go nowhere.
This counter-productive cost cutting stupidity ranks alongside the Clayton's public dental system - obviously those in power won't be happy until pensioners and those on low incomes are blind as well as toothless!

Underwhelmed by the thought of digital televsion

The Federal Communications Minister may have overdosed on happy pills when praising the national introduction of digital television by 2013 starting with rural Australia in 2010, but I am less than impressed.
In fact I almost gagged when I read People need to know what equipment is digital-ready and that upgrading can be as simple as adding a set-top-box to an existing television set," said Senator Conroy, who announced a labelling scheme in-store to assist consumers with their purchases.
The television I watch is so old it doesn't even have a video jack, which of course means it's so ancient that it cannot be adapted for a set-top box.
Renting on a pension with no extra income of any kind, there's no way that I'll be able to save enough for a new digital TV in the next three years (and I'm not alone in that).
Hells bells, I don't even have a lousy dollar left the night before the fortnightly payment goes into my bank.
When you're old and poor there's not much room to manoeuvre, so how am I supposed to invest in new technology?
Answer that Senator Conroy.

Turned Off
Grafton

And here comes Hartsuyker trailing in the rear....

Since he was turfed from the government benches along with his Coalition mates in 2007, Nationals MP for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker has suddenly discovered the lives of ordinary Northern Rivers folk.
Surprise, surprise; this month he's noticed that single pensioners are doing it tough and has to tell the world about it.
Pity about the timing - his media release (and its beaut go at rewriting a little slice of history) lost much of its punch once Tony Abbott opened his mouth.
Luke now looks less like a self-styled local hero and more like the meat in the sandwich, as mainstream media records the difference of opinion between Truffles and the Mad Monk.
ABC Mid North Coast Radio News this week:
"The federal Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker, says the Nationals remain committed to raising the single aged pension.
Opposition families spokesman Tony Abbott appeared to be pulling away from supporting a payment increase after telling 2GB radio that the increase was not viable.
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull then issued a statement calling on the Government to raise the pension.
Mr Hartsuyker says the change would bring Australia into line with key OECD countries.
"The Nationals are absolutely committed to raising the single aged pension by $30," he said.
"We have a situation where single aged pensioners are doing it particularly tough. It's important that they receive a pension that is around two-thirds of the married rate.
"In many countries around the world that is the status that exists. It is vitally important we support our single aged pensioners."

A Hartsuyker staffer also sent out a media release which was passed on to me this week by Clarencegirl.
It seems Luke is also hot under the collar over the coming redistribution of federal electorates in NSW which will see one seat go.
He's called on "North Coast residents to oppose any plan to reduce the number of Federal seats which exist in regional New South Wales".
As no North Coast electorates are affected by this redistribution, what little electoral gerrymander or two are we being asked to help create elsewhere?
He says he wants a Sydney seat to disappear - presumably one held by Labor's Murphy or Plibersek.
Or could his plea be a move to protect a couple of Lib MPs in Gilmore and Macarthur?

North Coast pensioners took your advice, Kev - so how about it?

The Prime Minister gave pensioners a one-off bonus payment in December 2008 and told them to go out and spend to help the Aussie economy.
As far as I can tell on the NSW North Coast they did just that.
They spent it at the dentist, at the vet, buying clothes, sheets for the bed, tyres for the car, a new fridge, shoes for the grandkids and extra Christmas groceries - simple things like that which sent money straight into the tills of local businesses.
So Rudders not including a commitment to Aussie pensioners in his latest stimulus package anounced this week was a little alarming.
Is the Rudd Government going to put the promised mid-year payment increase for single pensioners on the backburner as it did paid maternity leave?
I second Senator Bob Brown when he called on the Rudd Government to once again include pensioners in the stimulus package by ensuring that they get a pension increase this year.
On the North Coast pensioners and seniors (besides being the backbone of many not-for-profit community groups and the bulk of the population in some areas) are what makes the money go round. I kid you not.

Overhead on the bowling green.......

Pensioner bowler to his team mate (overheard as I was watching a game last F'dee):

"Rudd says that pensioners should spend because the banks won't lend.

Why should I beggar my kitty so the banks can grow fatter - where's the sense in that?"

Little did he think about what may lurk around the corner..............................

Moir cartoon from The Sydney Morning Herald

Costello on the pension ...

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

Former treasurer Peter Costello must be a worried man. The poor bugger has a dilemma - he has to decide when he will leave the federal parliament.

Peter Martin, The Age's economic correspondent, has taken a look at the options Costello has.

1. As a backbencher, the former treasurer is earning $127,000 a year. But calculations performed by The Age using tables prepared by the Finance Department suggest that if he retired instead, his annual income would jump to $176,633 courtesy of Australia's parliamentary superannuation scheme.

That payment would grow with increases in parliamentary salaries and would stay with the 51-year old for the rest of his life.

2. If he wants, he can halve his $176,633-a-year pension and turn the rest into a lump sum of $1.77 million.

Let's put all that into perspective.

Single old-age pensioners get $273 a week.

Yes, they get $14,196 a year.

Putting it another way, that's "a mere 8% of what the former treasurer will make."

Perhaps Costello is looking for a shoulder to cry on as he contemplates how he'll survive after he departs the Canberra scene.