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.

Two good reasons why you should stop buying chocolate, icecream, frozen desserts, biscuits, crisps or soap and shampoo products made with palm oil

According to Barbi this Orangutan mother was captured stealing fruit for her undernourished infant.
You can feel proud the next time you put a chocolate bar, ice cream cone, slice of cheescake, sweet biscuit or handful of crisps in your mouth, shower with a soap bar or shampoo your hair from the usual range of toiletry products.

Abbott & Co.'s sovereign risk claims don't stand up to scrutiny

“Since 1999, the Behre Dolbear Group Inc. has compiled annual political risk assessments of the key

players in the global mining industry.”

In 2010 the Gillard Government announced it was introducing a national price on carbon, the 18 clean energy bills were passed by federal parliament in 2011. The start date for the provisions of most of this new legislation is mid-2012.

This is Australia’s global mining industry risk assessment ranking as one of the international Behre Dolbear Group’s “key players”:

2010 ranked at 61

2011 ranked at 57

2012 ranked at 57

Err, Tones, Uncle Joe, Poodle – what happened to the “sovereign risk” for mining companies you were all shouting about?

Australia’s risk level has gone down and not up since the PM announced the “toxic tax” you’ve been wailing about.

It takes very little effort to correctly fill in the Parliamentary Register of Member's Interests. So why does Tony Abbott continually mess up his form?

Here is the link to the current and updated Register of Member's Interests for Abbott, The Hon Tony, Member for Warringah.

In it he lists his spouse as holding an unspecified number of shares in General Gold Resources Inc. In 2007 he listed these shares as General Gold Resources NL.

However, this WA mining corporation changed its name in July 2002 to General Gold Resources Limited and a month later to Yilgarn Gold Limited. At some later date it again changed its name to Kairiki Energy Limited. The company is currently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange as a petroleum exploration, gold mining, exploration and investment company operating in the Phillipines.

As all shareholders would have been informed of these name changes, one has to wonder why Abbott has not changed the details recorded on his RMI form for at least the last four years.

Given his history in relation to the Register of Member's Interests this current inaccuracy isn't good enough.

Though at least we know that he is still turning up to some doorstop interviews in tailored suits he hasn't paid for.

Wanted: A local hero willing to lay down their life for their council

A North Coast Voices reader contacted me the other day to draw my attention to the fact that Clarence Valley Council was not optimistic about attracting government funding for a roundabout at the intersection of Yamba Road and Treelands Drive, because local residents have been so inconsiderate as to not get themselves killed or injured in high enough numbers to satisfy the NSW Roads and Maritime Service.

Apparently the highest priorities would come from those with 3 casualties or more in the previous 5 years and, so far Yamba has only been able to produce two at that particular intersection and in that time frame.

The local wag suggested that Yamba trawl its 7,000 plus population for someone willing to lay down their life to make up the numbers, so that the roundabout could occur in his lifetime and a reluctant Grafton-centric Council didn’t have to put its hand in its pocket for the full $400,000.

Cartoon from Google Images

The Clarence River Historical Society’s January 2012 Newsletter reproduced a piece that appeared in The Clarence and Richmond Examiner on 26 November 1887. The CRE didn't claim it as a scoop - just as well, because it's suggested in some quarters that Gutenberg cast an eye over it but elected not to print it. However, the message it contains is as relevant today as when it first appeared.

 



Another Cansdell admission finally goes public?

The allegation of misusing parliamentary allowances has been quietly circulating in the NSW Clarence electorate since last year, initially making it into newspapers in relation to one instance of allowing a staffer to work on a federal election campaign in the seat of Page and initially denied by Cansdell.

However, this is the first time I have seen it in print couched as an admission of wrongdoing.

Barry to build himself a big legacy in News.com.au 25 March 2012:

Nationals MP Steve Cansdell was forced to resign from parliament after admitting to falsifying a statutory declaration and misusing parliamentary allowances.

Did Cansdell make undisclosed admissions to Stoner in September 2011 and, what else is the electorate not being told by Premier O’Farrell and NSW Nationals Leader Andrew Stoner concerning these allegations?