Australian Opposition Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and national unemployment rates

Opposition Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey frequently refers to Australia having had a lower national unemployment rate during the Coalition’s last term in federal government. He was doing so on again on 11 March when discussing that month’s unemployment figures.

On the floor of the House of Representatives in February 2012 he erroneously stated:

Let us remind ourselves of what Labor inherited from the coalition: the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. I was the minister for employment that left Labor in February 2008 with an unemployment rate of four per cent, the lowest in at least 20 years. 

Here Hockey was shamelessly taking credit for a low national unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent (not the 4 per cent he quoted) which occurred during the term of the Rudd Labor Government.

Interestingly, his idea of a generation is somewhat limited as Baby Boomers might recall that unemployment in their childhood years was well below 4 per cent, averaging out at 2 per cent between 1945-6 and 1974-5.

So how much lower was the Howard Government’s unemployment rate during its last term when compared with the current Gillard Labor Government?

Well for the record Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals it was between zero to a provisional 1.2 per cent lower across the Howard Government’s final term, using ‘swearing in’ months, end of year month figures and general election months.

Unemployment rates during the Federal Coalition Government’s last term in office from 16 November 2004 to 24 November 2007:

5.3% Nov 2004

5.1% Dec 2004

5.1% Dec 2005

4.6% Dec 2006

4.4% Nov 2007

A change of federal government occurred on 24 November 2007. The Howard Coalition Government departs and the Rudd Labor Government is sworn in on 3 December 2007, ending the caretaker period overseen by the public service.

Global Financial Crisis (mid 2007 – late 2009) begins to significantly impact on Australia in 2008.

Unemployment rates during the Federal Labor Government’s current term in office 14 September 2010 to date:

5.1% Sept 2010

5.1% Dec 2010

5.3% Dec 2011

5.4% Dec 2012

NK   Sept 2013

Or if you prefer a graph - here is one from Grog's Gamut:

Aotearoa passes legislation establishing legal same sex marriage

The New Zealand Parliament, Pāremata Aotearoa, recognizes the importance of human dignity and civil rights for all

http://youtu.be/DW4DXOAXF8U

Abbott has not won federal government yet, but still the threats have started.....

Conversations at the Qantas Gala Dinner held on 18 April 2013, reading from bottom 51m to top 12m:

By the next day, van Onselen was tweeting:

And the mainstream media had identified the staffer in question as Abbott's policy advisor Mark Roberts and the person most likely to have been on the receiving end of his anger as Australian Indigenous Education Foundation CEO Andrew Penfold.

Making Abbott's most recent Director of Policy Mark of the Seven Hundred and Seventy-Four Days. Though what an Abbott demotion entails is anyone's guess - perhaps a bigger Christmas bonus?

Federal Labor's Craig Emmerson tweeted what many are perhaps thinking:

Menzies House humour: kill the poor

Founded in January 2010, Menzies House is the leading Australian community for conservative, centre-right and libertarian thinkers and activists.

 

Only Tony Abbott supporters appear to find this post by Toby Ralph on the Menzies House blog humourous.

Menzies House 15 April 2013:

Since Labor came to power in 2007, Commonwealth debt has accumulated at an average rate of around $150,000,000 per day, including weekends. That’s about $100,000 a minute, twenty four seven.

To maintain political undertakings it is now apparently imperative to tax earnings on the accumulated life savings of people whom Treasurer Swan deems ‘fabulously rich.’

By astonishing happenstance very few of the victims of this embezzlement are Labor voters.

These soon-to-be-mugged have, of course, already been the major donors to Federal coffers. The top 1% of earners contribute 17% of all tax, the top 10% tip in 45%, in fact after adjusting for handouts, only the top 20% of earners actually top up our $120bn tax reservoir while the other 80% drain it.

Is it fair that those who have underwritten our national prosperity should now stump up even more? I think not, and have a more equitable policy alternative that Government might consider.

Kill the poor.

In contrast to the fabulously rich, the enormously poor make little useful contribution to society. They consume more than they contribute, putting tremendous strain on the national budget.

A modest cull would strike at the root of our fiscal dilemma. If the least productive 20% of citizens were decommissioned it would directly release a recurrent $25bn, which would almost cover overspending by the Gillard…… [my red bolding]

The remainder of this tasteless attempt at satire can be found here.

Moves to include emissions from CSG activities in greenhouse gas reporting in Australia

 

 

Media Statement

 

Moves to include emissions from CSG activities in greenhouse gas reporting

 

It is good that the Australian Government has released proposals to improve measurement and reporting of greenhouse gases from coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and production.

 

A Government discussion paper released today sets out proposals to introduce CSG-specific measurement and estimation methods into Australia’s greenhouse gas reporting framework.

 

This follows expert and community lobbying about the need to measure ‘fugitive’ emissions of methane released during CSG extraction and production.

 

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses building up in the atmosphere.

 

Our local community has pushed for this as CSG activities should not be exempt from greenhouse gas reporting.

 

The Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICCSRTE) has been reviewing existing methods for measuring CSG emissions for several months.

 

In particular I commend Dr Isaac Santos and Dr Damien Maher from Southern Cross University for their study of methane emission levels at Queensland CSG fields, which they submitted to the Department’s review.

 

Their research challenged CSG industry claims that it was a clean energy source and that emissions were ‘negligible’.

 

I re-iterate my commitment to a CSG-free Northern Rivers region, and welcome today’s announcement as yet another step towards investigating the full environmental impact of these activities.

 

Today’s discussion paper, Coal Seam Gas: Enhanced Estimation and Reporting of Fugitive Greenhouse Gas Emissions under the NGER Measurement Determination, has been released for comment.

 

It proposes mandatory direct measurement of emissions from CSG well completions and workovers, and foreshadows further changes including research into methods for estimating CSG emissions beyond gas wellheads and from decommissioned CSG wells.

 

The discussion paper can be found here:  http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/submissions/coal-seam-gas-discussion-paper.aspx

 

16 April 2013          

APPEA spills the beans on coal seam gas industry employment figures in NSW

 

Minview showing extent of industry activity

18 April 2013

 

In New South Wales the entire coal seam gas industry employs only 332 people and has signed just 281 agreements with landholders [Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) April 2013 submission to Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications]

A Lower Clarence Call to Arms

Letter to the Editor in The Daily Examiner 13 April 2013:

Join and take action

If you are one of the 4000 people in the area, not consulted, and who care about Maclean and are concerned about the way the Clarence Valley Council has made decisions in the past, and is making right now, join our new action group - the Greater Maclean Community Action Group (GMCAG). Council will listen because we represent many groups in the community.
If you think Maclean has been exploited and/or ignored since amalgamation and want to address this, join.
If you are concerned about losing Maclean's biggest car park to the proposed IGA supermarket and the consequent traffic and parking chaos, join us.
If you think that this development will close businesses during and after construction, join.
If you are worried about losing some of Cameron Park, trees, and the green space behind the library for car parking, join.
If you think that the CVC spending up to $1million on the strip of McLachlan Park between SPAR and the bus shelter is a completely ridiculous waste of money, join.
If you are not one of the 83 members of the Maclean Chamber of Commerce, but would still like to tell the CVC what YOU want for Maclean, join.
And if you are a member of the Chamber and want to be twice as effective, join. If you want development that preserves our beautiful buildings and assets, join. If you want to be part of a vibrant and passionate group of old and young who want good things to happen in Maclean, join.
And joining will cost you only $5. So please come to the public meeting to be held at the Maclean Public School in Woodford St on Monday, April 5 at 7.30pm.

Nicki Holmes

Member of GMCAG

Maclean