Counting the pennies: Federal Budget night 13th May 2008

Well, the media is locked up with Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan's 2008-09 budget documents and the rest of us wait for the 7.30pm kick-off tonight.

The NSW North Coast which was promised a bag full of goodies by Rudd & Co. during the election campaign is holding its breath.

In the Page electorate alone a cool $26 million plus in promises need to be confirmed by the Treasurer before the end of his speech.

 

The Treasurer's speech and the budget transcript will be here from 7.30pm onwards.

The Sydney Morning Herald will have live coverage and analysis here from 7.30pm onwards.

Debit card reeks of Big Brother

So ran the banner above yesterday's editorial penned by David Bancroft in Grafton's The Daily Examiner (Clarence Valley locals will remember David as a former staffer for then NSW Labor Minister for Local Government, Harry Woods).

SOME disturbing signs of social engineering are starting to appear from the new Rudd Government.
It is widely expected the Government will announce in tomorrow night's Budget a scheme to issue parents of neglected or abused children with special debit cards so money can't be wasted on gambling, drugs or alcohol.
On face value it sounds like a great idea.....
But serious questions remain about the scheme.
Firstly, who decides.....
What is to protect decent parents from unfair allegations?
Even if these questions are sorted out, many others remain.
The identity of abused or neglected children should not become public knowledge, but in small communities such as those we have here, retailers will soon know 'abusive' or 'neglectful' parents as they present their debit cards and, consequently, the identity of their children will be known.
What happens if not all retailers participate in the scheme?
What happens in a place like Lawrence or Copmanhurst if the general store does not accept a debit card? How will those parents be able to buy anything.
There is also talk the scheme be extended to old age and disabled pensioners, which expands the potential problems.
All these issues may have been addressed, but there has been so little public discussion and consultation that it is difficult to tell.

Searching for water in hyperspace

water drought climate change global warming

History of Google Australian internet searches July 2007 - April 2008.

Liberal Party determined to devour itself

If it wasn't enough that Brendan Nelson was declared leader of the federal parliamentary Liberal Party with a bloody knife visibly sticking out from between his shoulder blades which appeared to encourage the party to indulge in a fresh round of divisive state leadership games, now we have in-fighting at the Victorian state body level which has blood running in the gutters.
First it was discovered that the blog Ted Baillieu Must Go was administered by party members.
At least two staff sackings came out of that and it's rumoured that the party went directly to Google to have this blog snuffed.
Now a state campaign manager has been outed (in what looks suspiciously like internal payback) and forced to resign over an anti-Semitic email sent during the 2007 federal election.
Victorian Lib leader, 'Red' Ted Baillieu, is hitting out at all and sundry by pledging a 'purge', with Melbourne's The Age happy to oblige with publication of any details.
Red Ted's public hissy fit shows just how thin the Baillieu blood runs in the current generation.
Word is out that prominent names at state and federal levels will get an airing before the Victorian Libs stop devouring themselves.

Like just about everyone else I managed to get a look at the ditched blog and the Baillieu montage above comes from that site.

Meanwhile in New South Wales the cracks widen...

Yesterday Crikey reported:
Debnam has resigned from the Opposition’s front bench, paving the way for current Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell to announce a shadow cabinet reshuffle this morning (11.30am).
In an unexpected dummy-spit which has annoyed many of his colleagues, Debnam has sent a private email explaining his action:
I have been opposed to Michael Costa’s electricity privatisation and despite lacking the numbers in Parliament to stop it, I’ve argued for the Coalition to take a strong stand against the privatisation and in favour of clean renewable energy. However, in my view, the conditional acceptance announced late last week by the Coalition effectively surrenders to Costa’s privatisation. Given my strong views, it is untenable for me to continue as the Shadow Minister for Energy and remain on the frontbench simply biting my tongue.
Debnam has given an undertaking to stay in parliament and contest the next election in 2011 as the MP for Vaucluse – so there will be no embarrassing by-election.