Abbott outed as class warrior intent on taking from the poor and giving to the rich

Excerpt from Nicholas Reece writing in The Age 29 April 2013:

As Age columnist Tim Soutphommasane presciently observed in these pages, ''class warfare'' has become the catchcry of a new conservative political correctness.

The truth of this assessment is made clear by an analysis of the competing policy platforms of Labor and Tony Abbott's Coalition. What it shows is that both parties have policies that result in a redistribution of resources from one group in society to another.

This is not surprising. With only finite revenue, a decision to give to one individual or group means, by definition, that another will miss out.

What is surprising is the extent to which Coalition policies will result in a significant redistribution of wealth upwards rather than downwards. Consider the following Coalition policies:

■ Lower the tax-free threshold from $18,200 to $6000. This will drag more than one million low-income earners back into the tax system. It will also increase the taxes for 6 million Australians earning less than $80,000.

■ Abolish the low-income superannuation contribution. This will reimpose a 15 per cent tax on superannuation contributions for people earning less than $37,000.

■ Abolish the proposed 15 per cent tax on income from superannuation above $100,000 a year. The combined effect of these two superannuation changes is that 16,000 high-income earners with superannuation savings in excess of $2 million will get a tax cut while 3.6 million workers earning less than $37,000 will pay more than $4 billion extra in tax on their super over the next four years.

■ Abolish the means test on the private health insurance rebate. This will deliver a $2.4 billion tax cut over three years for individuals earning over $84,001 a year, or couples earning over $168,001. People on lower incomes will receive no benefit.

■ Introduce a paid parental leave scheme that replaces a mother's salary up to $150,000. To put it crudely, this means a low-income mum gets about $600 per week while a high-income mum gets close to $3000.

■ Abolish the means-tested Schoolkids Bonus that benefits 1.3 million families by providing up to $410 for each primary school child and up to $820 for each high school child.

These policies will result in low- and middle-income earners paying billions of dollars more in tax while those on higher incomes receive billions in tax cuts and new benefits. Rather than take from the rich and give to the poor, the Coalition policies are a case of take from the poor and give to the rich. And this remains the case even taking into account the flow-on effects of the abolition of the carbon price and the funding of the Coalition's paid maternity leave through a tax on big companies.

So who is waging the real class war?

Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan thinks he is Barack Obama

One of the crass aspects of federal election campaigning in America are those offers of brand mugs, t-shirts, car magnets, coasters and posters in exchange for donations to someone's political campaign.

President Barack Obama’s campaign team excelled at the hard sell during his first successful federal election campaign.

Now Australian voters are being invited to participate in similar tackiness, without the reward of receiving a mug from China or a t-shirt from Bangladesh.

Kevin Hogan wants voters to clothe his campaign workers. Yes, you read that correctly – the people of Page need to hand over $5 to stop some poor National Party supporter from being forced to door knock bare from the waist up.

The double standard of the Leader of the Opposition

Yet another example of Australian Leader of the Opposition’s view that it’s all right when he or the Liberal Party does it but a sin if someone in the Labor Party does the same thing.

The Age 25 April 2013:

Tony Abbott has attacked a government decision to double termination payouts for federal political staff to four weeks' pay, despite having sought more generous arrangements for outgoing Liberal staffers when he became Opposition Leader in 2009.

Correspondence obtained by Fairfax Media from Mr Abbott to the then special minister of state, Joseph Ludwig, shows Mr Abbott asked for eight weeks' ''settling-out'' time for seven staff who had been employed in the private office of Malcolm Turnbull when Mr Abbott replaced him as leader on December 1, 2009.

Asked about the new payout standard on Wednesday, Mr Abbott was scathing. ''This is another sign of the Labor party's contempt for taxpayers,'' he said.

''This is a taxpayer-funded handout to political staffers and, frankly, it's just not on. It shouldn't be happening.''

Add ups and gazintas

Daily Examiner reporter Lachlan Thompson's piece in today's paper provides proof that he's a words man and not an add ups and gazintas bloke. Check out what he wrote about Yamba Cinema's Merv Cousemacker and do the sums yourself.

End of an era for movie man

Sixty-four years ago a nine year-old boy had to fill in for his ailing uncle and change the reels on a movie film projector.

And as Yamba Cinema moves into the digital age that boy, who is now 81 years old, is sad to see his skills made redundant.

If you have watched a film in the Clarence Valley in the past five decades there is a good chance Merv Cousemacker was operating the projector.

Mr Cousemacker's uncle Jack Ellem operated a touring cinema show on the east coast during the 1930s and '40s.

One night Mr Ellem was sick with yellow jaundice and nine-year-old Merv, who had keenly watched his uncle since the age of five, stepped in to help.

There began a life-long love affair with film and projectors which resulted in Mr Cousemacker running a travelling cinema show throughout the '50s and early '60s, operate a cinema in Maclean and finally own his own in Yamba.

During the 1950s Mr Cousemacker and his wife, Elaine, travelled and put on weekly screenings, complete with newsreels in Copmanhurst, Tucabia, Glenreagh, Brushgrove, Lawrence, Ulmarra, Iluka and Red Rock.

"Until television did us out of business," Mr Cousemacker said.

During the 1970s and '80s they operated the Picture Palace in Maclean - the cinema's name is still ingrained in the pavement.

"One of my greatest memories was filling the theatre there, which seated 1200 people, twice screening Born Free," Mr Cousemacker said. 

Read the complete piece here.

Abbott and Hockey condemn National Disability Insurance Scheme to limbo if Coalition wins government

This was Australian Federal Opposition Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey writing to concerned citizens in June 2013:

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott at a press conference on 30 March 2013:

It would appear that neither of these Coalition politicians want to see the National Disability Insurance Scheme launch in 2013-14 or become fully realized by 2018, as planned by the Gillard Government, if they place so many pre-conditions on its implementation.

UPDATE 2 May 2013:

The Opposition Leader has still not given his unconditional support to the levy and continues to misrepresent known details of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

UPDATE 3 May 2013:

Abbott & Co continue to lay the ground work to roll back NDIS funding if they gain government; 

deep misgivings within the Coalition about the potential for its cost to explode in the next decade.

Ballina affordable housing stock grows by 120

THE HON MARK BUTLER MP

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing

Minister for Housing and Homelessness

Minister for Social Inclusion

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform

JANELLE SAFFIN MP

Member for Page

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

120 MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR BALLINA

26 April 2013

North Coast residents will soon have access to 120 more affordable homes in Ballina, thanks to a $5 million investment by the Labor Government under its Building Better Regional Cities program.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Mark Butler, Federal Member for Page Janelle Saffin, and Ballina Mayor, Cr David Wright, said the funding would help reduce the cost of building local infrastructure needed for a new housing development in Ballina.

“We know that housing shortages are creating challenges on the North Coast and The Ballina Heights Estate will deliver much needed affordable housing for the region.

“I gave strong support to Ballina Shire Council's submission, given the community need for affordable housing and the Council's great work and planning.  Mayor Cr. David Wright and his team of Councillors and General Manager Paul Hickey and his team are to be commended," Ms Saffin said.

“This funding will help reduce the cost of the development by delivering essential infrastructure such as stormwater drainage and street lighting in the estate, and these savings will be passed on to home buyers with a $25,000 rebate from the purchase price of land in the Estate.”

Cr Wright said the funding would help more low income earners in Ballina gain access to affordable housing.

“I know how challenging it can be for people on low incomes to get a start in the property market and tohis project will increase the supply of affordable homes for sale and rent and help alleviate housing supply pressures in our community,” Cr Wright said.

“The Ballina Heights development is about more than just housing. It’s about creating a community, with a new school, shops, and public parks, all at the residents’ doorsteps.”

Mr Butler said the Building Better Regional Cities program is part of the government’s record $26 billion investment in housing programs to help address housing affordability around the nation.

“We’re investing in regional centers like Ballina, where rapid population growth is forcing up house prices and rents,” Mr. Butler said.

“This funding is in addition to the $4.5 million we provided Ballina Council under Building Better Regional Cities for the development of sports fields in Wollongbar.”

He said the funding is part of the Labor Government’s $114 million investment over three years to support local infrastructure projects for new housing developments in 16 regional communities across Australia.

“We believe all Australians deserve a safe, secure home, and we will continue to work to provide affordable housing for Australia’s most vulnerable people.”

Media contacts:

Tim O’Halloran (Butler) – 0409 059 617

Lee Duncan (Saffin)      – 0448 158 150

APN restructures - says it believes in the future of regional media

Hopefully the NSW North Coast will retain the regional mastheads which contribute to community cohesion and the conversation between the Northern Rivers and Australia’s three tiers of government.