Going without this Christmas

Television is littered with Christmas greetings from station personalities, carols and hymns are aired on radio, shops are decked out in tinsel and baubles; but this facade hides a grim truth for many on the NSW North Coast.

 

More than a few people are struggling just to meet the rising cost of living. Young families on minimum wage, retirees, the unemployed and pensioners are all in the same boat when it comes to the festive season.

In regional areas with a high seachange/treechange population the problem is compounded by the distance from family. High petrol costs mean that some relatives will not be making that Christmas visit journey.

 

Christmas can be a depressing time of year when you can't even put together a decent traditional dinner because of rising costs. The only free dinner that I know of is in Yamba and the numbers attending are growing each year.

 

Australia-wide it appears to be a similar story.

"With one in 10 Victorian families having found themselves without enough money for food at some time in the past year, charities expect more families than ever will be forced to ask for help this Christmas — many for the first time."

The Age today:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/christmas-time-a-feast-or-famine/2007/12/22/1198175413350.html

 

So as you raise a glass and Ho, ho, ho, this holiday season - spare a thought for those not as lucky and think about what your own community might do in the coming year about the pockets of quiet desperation in many local streets.

 

Ex-British PM Tony Blair applies for "Get Out Of Jail For Free' card

Media reports today say that former British PM Tony Blair has converted to Roman Catholicism.

Want to bet one of his first acts as a new convert will be to ask for a remission of his sins for unlawfully invading Afghanistan and Iraq.

Only counts if you mean it, Tony. Really and truly only counts if the people of Afghanistan and Iraq forgive you for their prolonged and unnecessary suffering.

Camden goes crazy, egged on by Rev. Fred Nile MLC

Watching televised footage this week of the Camden public meeting to protest an Islamic school development application was a real eye opener.

Xenophobia was rife, near hysteria evident......and a little something else.

 

"Mr Nile told the crowd he opposed the school because Islam opposed Christianity."

The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nile-party-behind-antimuslim-school-rally/2007/12/21/1198175341971.html

 

Is it any wonder that the Christian Democratic Party did so badly at the recent federal election when it ran candidates in 44 of the 49 electorates. This party currently has no members in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.

Rev. Nile is a poor advertisement for this political party's so-called Christian values.

Rudd family in The Lodge for Christmas

Nice to see the Australian Prime Minister's official residence, The Lodge in Canberra, is once more being used for the purpose it was designed.

Nice too to see a family in residence, along with their pets. Gone are the days of sterile emptiness caused by John Howard's erratic tenancy.

Let's hope the new prime minister resists the urge to undertake major renovations - the country cannot afford such luxury given the rather bleak international economic forecasts of late.

 

Bouquets and brickbats

Bouquets for Federal Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Minister for the Environment and Arts Peter Garrett for achieving a backdown by the Japanese Government over plans to hunt and kill Humpback whales in southern waters.

 

Floral posies also to Clarence Valley Council who adopted a Humpback male whale last month and Ballina Council who named their adopted whale "Shelly" last week.

The Daily Examiner:

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3754630&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=

Ballina Shire Council:

http://www.ballina.nsw.gov.au/cmst/ballina004/view_doc.asp?id=303&cat=319

 

Such grassroots support has not gone unnoticed by Japan.

"Machimura said Japan and Australia had cultural differences over whales but that Tokyo hoped to preserve relations with Canberra, where the new Labor government has stepped up pressure against the hunt.

"Australians consider whales to be very affectionate, something I can't really relate to. But apparently they give names to every whale and there's quite strong public sentiment," Machimura said."

The Courier Mail  yesterday:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22960510-953,00.html

 

Brickbats to the Japanese Government for continuing to call the intended slaughter of over 900 other whales this season "scientific research".

The great government lie about pensions

Your only income is a full old-age or disability pension? Facing the usual Christmas without any of the trimmings? Well be heartened and start carolling - you are in the money! Or are you?

 

That old Howard Government lie about how well pensioners fare out of government payments is still out there.

"Improvements to pension indexation have greatly improved the economic status of the elderly and those on disabled and single-parent allowances.

Pensions used to be adjusted according to changes in the cost of living, but now they track average male weekly earnings, which rise more quickly as productivity increases."

The Australian article:
 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22889379-5014047,00.html

 

Any one living on a full pension can tell you that this was a load of codswallop. The Howard Government may have promised to keep pension payments at one quarter of average male weekly earnings but this promise was never fully implemented and resulted in continuing poverty line payments.

 

During the recent federal election campaign I heard Kevin Rudd himself state that line about guaranteeing pensions would be 25% of average male weekly earnings.

While Jenny Macklin was somewhat more circumspect. 

"Jenny Macklin's reply was as follows:
I understand that it can be difficult for many pensioners to meet the rising cost of goods like food, petrol and utilities bills. Federal Labor's plan to help pensioners with the costs of living – Making Ends Meet – was released earlier this month, and includes increases to the Utilities Allowance and the Telephone Allowance for eligible pensioners. We hope that this will go some way to helping pensioners with their cost of living pressures. We have also committed to increasing the pension in line with a new pensioner cost of living index, which would more accurately reflect the wider consumer price index, or in line with increases to the benchmark of 25 per cent of average male weekly earnings, whichever is higher."

About Seniors: 
http://www.aboutseniors.com.au/index.php/articles/category/federal_government/

 

Now the Australian Bureau of Statistics Key National Indicators show that average weekly earnings for an adult in full-time work at ordinary rates this period last year was $1,058.90.

In the twelve months to August 2007 an increase in the male average weekly earnings of 5.2% was recorded.

This example sounds a lot, but using this calculation criteria will still see pensioners and the disabled scratching to house, feed, clothe and manage their health from a current pension allotment of around $537.70 per fortnight plus $5.80 pharmaceutical allowance or $271.75 per week.

 

So Prime Minister, what's it going to be? Are Australian pensioners going to continue receiving fortnightly pension payments calculated on CPI or the percentage increase in AMWE (both of which keep them on or below the poverty line) or are they going to receive payments which are set at a more realistic level? 

Never mind the quality - feel the width!

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met yesterday for the first time since the 24 November federal election completed a Labor hat trick across the country.

 

The communique issued at the meeting's end was optimistic, covered quite a few areas of concern and did seek some restructuring of how COAG operates.

The 20th COAG meeting communique:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/files/coag_minutes.doc

 

However, most recent COAG meetings ended with an upbeat communique running a spin on cooperative effort across many areas of concern. The meeting last year was a good example.

The 19th COAG meeting communique:

http://www.coag.gov.au/meetings/130407/index.htm

 

The proof of true COAG cooperation will of course be tested further down the track. Right now there is more than a little hype attached and everyone is still visibly overattached to those underwhelming campaign slogans.

One has to wish COAG well and hope that years of entrenched adversarial interaction have not ruled out change for the better.

Wall-to-wall Labor governments are a yet untested combination.