Cartoon of the Week

The Guardian 30 April 2014
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About those Coalition promises

       

A Clarence valley resident's view of the Coalition's promises

Work Choices: "Dead buried and cremated?" This has now become Tony Abbott's biggest lie yet. SPC were offered $25 million if they would put their workers back on the minimum wage only, which is $16.90 per hour, meaning a loss of $15,000 to $20,000 per year, which would send these workers who are paying off home and car loans bankrupt. Another proposal that Abbott is making is that the workers can trade off their penalty rates if they wish to change their hours of work. This is the start of the smashing of the conditions that we the unionists fought for over the years so that our children and grandchildren will be entitled to a decent day's pay for a fair day's work. This could eventuate into being the demise of all workers' rights.

Promises that were made before the election seem to mean nothing to this Coalition. What they told the electorate to get elected is completely different to what they are doing since they were elected.

Charles Lincoln Gulmarrad

Source: SMH, 22/2/14

Abbott and the Coalition refuse to release Parliamentary Budget Office advice on the limited number of policy commitments it submitted for costing

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the Coalition released unsubstantiated policy commitment costing figures on the afternoon of 5 September 2013 which was less than two days before the federal election polling booths open.

Abbott refuses to release Parliamentary Budget Office advice on the limited number of policy commitments actually submitted for independent assessment.

The following document produced by Abbott, Hockey, Robb et al would be a rollicking eight-page farce or fractured fairy tale if the implications were not so serious for the country.

Coalition Costings Table by politicalalert

*Abbott photograph found at Google Images

Abbott the Boastful forgets his own Medicare safety net history

The Daily Telegraph reported on 1 April 2012 that: Senior Gillard government ministers have confirmed that while "no final decisions have been made" the government is considering a nip and tuck to the generous Medicare safety net that has faced multi-million-dollar cost blowouts.

Also on 1 April Opposition leader Tony Abbott told 9 News:  "The Medicate safety net was put in place by me. I have the copyright on the Medicare safety net. It is very, very good policy and it should not be further damaged by this government."

This is a typically inaccurate statement by Abbott. There was a safety net written into the Australian Medicare universal health care scheme before he became Federal Minister for Health and Ageing in the Howard Coalition Government. A position he held from 7 October 2003 until 3 December 2007.

In 2003 the existing safety net thresholds were $306.90 for concession card holders and other low income families, and $716.10 for all other families and individuals, indexed annually.

In November 2003 the Extended Medicare Safety Net was proposed. It came into effect in March 2004 and, provided for safety net thresholds of $300 for concession card holders and low income families and $700 for all other individuals and families. In other words, after thresholds had been reached Medicare paid for 80% of any future out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital Medicare services for the remainder of the calendar year.

In the lead up to the October 2004 federal election Health Minister Abbott was interviewed by ABC TV Four Corners on 6 September and gave a guarantee that the safety net threshold would not be changed:

TICKY FULLERTON: Will this Government commit to keeping the Medicare-plus-safety-net as it is now in place after the election?
TONY ABBOTT: Yes.
TICKY FULLERTON: That's a cast-iron commitment?
TONY ABBOTT: Cast-iron commitment. Absolutely.
TICKY FULLERTON, REPORTER: 80 per cent of out-of-pocket expenses rebatable over $300, over $700?
TONY ABBOTT: That is an absolutely rock solid, ironclad commitment.

However, just six months later in April 2005 the Howard Government was announcing that Medicare Safety Net threshold levels would increase from $306.90 to $500 for concession card holders and other low income families, and from $716.10 to $1000 for all other families and individuals from 1 January 2006.

In that same month the Howard Government provided figures showing a further increase in projected Safety Net expenditure and the Prime Minister told ABC radio that if the current threshold levels were maintained, the cost of the Safety Net would be $1.65 billion over the next four years (to 30 June 2009)—almost four times the original projections.

By 1 January 2007 Tony Abbott had again raised the safety net thresholds to $358.90 (from $345.50) for the Original Safety Net category and $519.50 (from $500.00) for the lower Extended Safety Net category and $1,039.00 (from $1,000.00) for the upper category.

All of which can hardly be characterized as Howard or Abbott being fiscally responsible in relation to health care policy and doesn’t support Abbott’s present boastful tone.

For the record. Under the Gillard Labor Government Medicare benefits for out-of-hospital services are usually 80-85 per cent of the schedule fee, except for GP consultations where the Medicare rebate is 100 per cent of the schedule fee.

In 2012 the Original Safety Net threshold for all Medicare card holders is $413.50 and the Extended Medicare Safety Net threshold for concession cardholders and people who receive Family Tax Benefits (Part A) is $562.90. For all other singles and families the annual threshold is $1,198.

So is he the brawler, the boozer or the cheater?

 

“I converted very quickly from a first generation city-bred Australian into a characterisation out of that classic Australian movie Sunday Too Far Away.” {‘Steve’ Gulaptis MP in his maiden speech on 21^st February 2012}

WHK Horwath has verified Abbott & Co policy costings? G'arn!

Doesn't bluddy bode well. One of the only concrete things Abbott and Co actually do in the middle of all their campaign spin is to sidestep the Australian Treasury and contract the frequently rebranded accounting firm WHK Horwath (which is a listed company and the member firm representing Crowe Horwath International throughout Australia and New Zealand) to run a calculator over their policy costings.
"We aim to establish strong relationships with our clients, becoming an integral part of their organisation, adding value every step of the way through our proactive approach and driving their success." sez Horwath.
Gawd, I 'opes not!
In 2006 as Horwath & Horwath this company settled a claim "made in respect of 6 audits conducted by Horwath & Horwath as well as in relation to the preparation and verification of various financial reports pursuant to certain provisions of the trust deed. In particular the claim relates to the way Horwath & Horwath reported on, and failed to conclude that the provision for bad and doubtful debts in Geneva's financial statements was materially understated. It also concerns their failure to report on how Geneva did not have in place and maintain a satisfactory system of internal controls, as a result of which it followed poor lending practices."
And in its current manifestation it's into online footy tipping!
In 2010 WHK as it's now known may have agreed to honestly report on Coalition costings, but really, what in earth was it thinking to land the accountancy group in the middle of this particular political pottage.

Now I've heard it all! Transcript of Tony Abbott's official election campaign launch 8 August 2010

When an official Federal Coalition election campaign launch includes the following lines delivered by its Brave Leader then one knows the rhetoric can only go downhill from there:

So today, my fellow Liberals and Nationals, we face a historic challenge. Not since 1975 has there been such a time in Australian politics. Our task is nothing less than to save Australia from the worst government in its history.

Full transcript here.

Abbott and his Amazing Technicolour PLP Coat

First the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced that, if elected to government on 21 August, he would introduce a paid parental leave scheme which was very different from the Gillard Government scheme which commences next January.

His scheme would provide mothers with 26 weeks paid parental leave, at full replacement wage (up to a maximum salary of $150,000 per annum) or the Federal Minimum Wage, whichever is greater and, include superannuation contributions.
All of this to be paid by a 1.7 per cent levy on business with annual taxable incomes in excess of $5 million.

Well, the scheme entrenches income inequality (because not every woman will have $1,500 to $2,000 or so in the weekly take-home pay packet) but it probably passed muster with many voters because the taxpayer was not paying these wages. But wait.......

Now we find out that the scheme will be funded by a 1.5 per cent levy on business (offset by a 1.5 per cent company tax cut) and, an estimated $100 million annually from taxpayers will supplement public service 26 week paid parental leave - all starting on 1 July 2012.

Still, what's a hundred million between friends. Think of the dear babies. But wait there's more......

The levy on business is designed to cut out and all paid parental leave under his scheme will be funded from the Budget by 1 July 2013 according to Abbott.

Er, now doesn't that look suspiciously like Abbott's paid parental leave scheme will always be fully funded by the taxpayer after that first year?

How do you feel about paying some women over a thousand dollars a week (plus super contributions) to stay home with their babies, while your own children or grandchildren do without essential services/infrastructure in rural and regional Australia?

Abbott's credibility gap widens?

ABC News online 19 July 2010:

On Saturday, as the election was being called, Mr Abbott moved to neutralise that scare, promising that WorkChoices was "dead, buried and cremated" and to make sure a Coalition government would keep Labor's law, The Fair Work Act, in place for its first term in office.
"The Coalition won't change the Fair Work Act, at least for the duration of the next parliament, at least for the three-year life of the next parliament," he said.
On Saturday Mr Abbott told Melbourne radio 3AW he will put the death of WorkChoices in writing if it will help.
"Give me a bit of paper, I'll sign it here. Dead, buried, cremated," he said.
But this morning on ABC's AM, Mr Abbott caused confusion by saying he would never, ever make changes to the Fair Work Act, rather than giving a guarantee of three years.
"We have no plans, no plans whatsoever to make any changes to the legislation. Not now, not ever," he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, I have no plans for any change to the laws, not now, not next year, not the year after, not ever."
However the issue of WorkChoices did not die. Just an hour later on 3AW he was not giving that guarantee.
When asked how long he would guarantee not to touch the laws, Mr Abbott said he could not say that he would never change them.
"Obviously I can't say that there will never, ever, ever, for 100 or a 1,000 years time be any change to any aspect of industrial legislation, but the Fair Work Act will not be amended in the next term of the government if we are in power," he said.
This afternoon he was back to saying Labor's law would stay in place beyond just one term.
"You cannot bring back WorkChoices, other than through legislation," Mr Abbott said.
"The legislation will not change, not today, not tomorrow, not next year, or the year after, not in three years time, not in ten years time."

Abbott's doorstop on 19 July did not rule out a return of regulations similar to those which accompanied the Howard Government's WorkChoices which allowed for punitive individual employment contracts and summary dismissal in certain circumstances.

On the same day elsewhere in the mainstream media:

The Essential Report for 13-18 July 2010 reports these polling statistics from 932 respondents:

40% approve Tony Abbott’s performance as Opposition Leader and 44% disapprove.
Since this question was asked 2 weeks ago, approval has increased
by 3% and disapproval decreased by 3%.
82% of Liberal/National voters approve and 10% disapprove.
Among Labor voters, 19% approve and 69% disapprove.
There were some differences by gender ‐ men 45% approve/43% disapprove and women 35% approve/46% disapprove.

Abbott in The Age on 20 July 2010:

Asked about a pledge in his budget reply to remove the unfair dismissal burden from the back of small business, he said: ''I think that there are provisions within the existing legislation to make our workplaces fairer and more flexible.''

Then on 21 July Abbott exposed his political rear by saying he will create law which supersedes certain provisions of Fair Work legislation.

The Daily Telegraph reported on 24 July 2010:

Support for the coalition has fallen over the past fortnight, with the latest Nielson poll putting Labor ahead 54-46 on a two-party preferred basis. Labor also leads 58-42 per cent among women voters, and is tied 50-50 with men.