Gunditjmara: honouring the past and the present

The Guardian, 10 January 2017. Photo Budj Bim

The Guardian, 23 May 2019. Photo Denis Rose

The volanic eruption of Budj Bim (Mt. Eccles) around 30,000 years ago was witnessed by the Gunditjmara people and the subsequent lava flow formed rock over an area 18 kms long & 8 kms wide.

This easily worked, durable rock turned the people into stone masons and around 6,600 years ago allowed them to create one of the world's largest aquaculture systems.

The Guardian, 23 May 2019:

A 6,600-year-old, highly sophisticated aquaculture system developed by the Gunditjmara people will be formally considered for a place on the Unescoworld heritage list and, if successful, would become the first Australian site listed exclusively for its Aboriginal cultural value.

Known as the Budj Bim cultural landscape, the site in south-west Victoria is home to a long dormant volcano, which was the source of the Tyrendarra lava flow.

The Gunditjmara people used the volcanic rock to manage water flows from nearby Lake Condah to exploit eels as a food source, constructing an advanced system of channels and weirs. They manipulated water flows to trap and farm migrating eels and fish for food. It is one of the oldest aquaculture systems in the world.

On Tuesday night in Paris, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world, officially recommended world heritage status for Budj Bim. The nomination will be formally considered by the world heritage committee in the final step in the process in July.

The Budj Bim cultural landscape is largely managed by the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, who also protect the Gunditjmara-owned properties along the lava flow. The project manager and also elder, Denis Rose, said the homes challenge the idea that all Aboriginal people were hunter-gatherers.

“There are around 200 registered and recorded stone house sites, so people were living a sedentary life,” Rose said. “The area had such a reliable water supply from Darlot Creek, and the traditional name for that creek is Killara, which means ‘always there’. It’s a very appropriate name because even during the dry this year, it was still running.”

The Gunditjmara traditional owners have led the process to have Budj Bim added to the world heritage list, and Rose said the recognition would lead to the site being better protected and managed.

Read the full article here.

Quotes of the Week

“Donald Trump has traits of a dictator and after he managed to get out of the Mueller investigation, he turned on the heat and is becoming more and more dismissive of the basic measures of democracy such as free press and the rule of law. I cannot really believe that I am writing these words in reference to America, as from where I came from, America seemed to be the only place where free press and the rule of law mattered. Donald Trump is attacking the blood vessels of democracy and it’s really hard to watch what he is doing to this country…” [Journalist Ksenija Pavlovic, The Pavlovic Today, 23 May 2019] 

“I have always believed in miracles! I'm standing with the three biggest miracles in my life here tonight  - and tonight we've been delivered another one…..God bless Australia!”  [Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott ‘Liar From The Shire’ Morrison in his victory speech after his government won re-election, 18 May 2019]

Tweet of the Week

Scott Morrison’s new tourism campaign pic.twitter.com/xmTlCk5F7o

— Mark Humphries (@markhumphries) May 23, 2019

The 2019 federal election is over - so now the Morrison Government cuts are on again

Patient to GP Ratio [RACGP, General Practice: Health of the Nation,  2018]

Having waited until the 18 May 2019 federal election was over, Prime Minister 'Liar from the Shire' Morrison 7 his cronies are rolling out the funding pennypinching once more - and it's no surprise that it's the very young, very old and the poor who are the targets again.

ABC News, 22 May 2019:

Bulk billing of children and pensioners, as well as home visits to elderly and dying patients, could be scrapped in outer metro areas across Australia because of cuts which doctors say they will not be able to afford.

An incoming change to bulk-billing incentives has pushed GPs to breaking point, medical groups have warned, requiring them to provide crucial primary health services for less than the cost of a barber's cut.

The Federal Government has changed a key geographical classification, scrapping some outer suburban zones of incentives intended for rural areas.

From January 2020, the bulk-billing incentive in outer metro areas will be reduced from about $10 to $6 per patient, per visit.

The changes will affect GP practices in as many as 13 outer metro regions, including in Canberra, Adelaide's south, the New South Wales Central Coast, Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula.

The Australian Medical Association SA president, Dr Chris Moy, said many of the affected regions are low socio-economic areas.

He said the changes could put more pressure on already costly hospital systems, because patients could no longer afford to visit their GPs regularly.

"This is an example of a just a small change. It's not a huge change, but it's enough to break the camel's back," he said.

"It's more difficult for individuals to pay a gap in those situations so it's unfortunate this has happened."

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Harry Nespolon said general practitioners in the city and in the country were effectively being asked to work for free.

"The Medicare rebates are insufficient to provide the care that patients need," Dr Nespolon said.

"I don't think people want their GPs to do work for nothing but that's effectively what we're being asked to do.

"If the services become marginal in the sense they don't cover their costs, then they've got a choice — they can either go out of business or charge a fee.

"GPs in practices everywhere, rural or otherwise, are considering whether or not the current amount of rebate if they do bulk bill a patient is able to keep them in business."…….

Quick explanation of rebates:

·       The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) is a list of medical services for which the Australian Government provides a Medicare rebate.

·        Each MBS item has its own scheduled fee — this is the amount the Government considers appropriate for a particular service (e.g. getting a blood test or seeing a psychologist).

·        Rebates are typically paid as a percentage of the Medicare scheduled fee. In the case of GP consultations, the rebate is 100 per cent of the schedule fee.

·       This means that bulk-billing GPs agree to charge patients the Medicare schedule fee ($37.60 for a standard appointment) and are directly reimbursed by the Government, and there is no cost to the patient.

·        GPs who don't bulk bill charge a fee higher than the Medicare schedule fee, meaning patients must pay the difference between the schedule fee and the doctor's fee — out of their own pocket.

·       For example, if your doctor charges $75 for a standard consultation, you'll pay $75 and receive a rebate of $37.60 — leaving you $37.40 worse off.

According to the federal Dept. of Health areas which will be losing the higher bulkbilling incentives (for treatment of patients with concession cards and children under 16 years) include:

Mandurah (WA)

Mornington Peninsula (Vic)

Canberra (ACT)

Newcastle (NSW)

Central Coast (NSW)

Queanbeyan (NSW)

Maitland (NSW)

Sunshine Coast (Qld)

Gawler (SA)

Geelong (Vic)

Melton (Vic)

Pakenham (Vic)

Ellenbrook (WA)

Baldivis (WA).

However the existing patient to GP ratio in an area is not necessarily the primary factor in determining who is on or off this list.

It seems you only have to live in an area where the local town/city has grown to over 20,000 residents since 1991 to find GPs being deprived of the full incentive payment per concession card/child patient seen.

Anyone living in the regions mentioned will know that what can appear to be a comfortable patient to GP ratio is not always evenly spread and in some areas certain GPs have already closed their books and are not taking new patients or are having difficulty attracting new GPs to established practices to fill unmet needs.

Just to make matters clear. some of the named places which will see GP incentive payments reduced on 1 July fall into the categories of regional or peri-urban area and, as at 30 June 2018 Australia-wide there were only 6,994 GPs in Inner Regional areas and 3,285 GPs in Outer Regional areas, according the the federal Dept. of Health statistics.

Where Australia's finances stand ahead of the convening of the 46th federal parliament

Given that Australian Prime Minister Scott ‘liar from the shire’ Morrison has already signalled that he does not intend to allow truth to interfere with his political rhetoric – describing truth telling as verballing that he “won’t be allowing to happen” – now is perhaps the time to remind ourselves of the truth about the nation’s finances under Morrison & Co ahead of the commencement of the 46th Parliament.

According to the Dept. of Finance the Morrison Government’s Assets and Liabilities as at 31 March 2019 (12 days out from the start of the 2019 federal election caretaker period) were:

• net worth minus $450.5 billion;

• net debt $376.7 billion; and

• net financial liabilities $656.4 billion.

In March 2019 the general government sector’s total revenue fell short of its total expenses by $1.5 billion.

The Australian Office of Financial Management reported on 17 May 2019 (the day before the federal election) that the face value of Australian Government borrowings (ie the national debt) stood at $538.2 billion.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s May 2019 Statement on Monetary Policy - Economic Outlook  has expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the year ending in June 2019 at 1¾%, revised down from 2½% due to a slower domestic economy.

Kevin Hogan still pretending he went to the May 2019 federal election as an Independent now surfaces as the Nationals MP he always was

MP for Page Kevin Hogan while remaining a member of the parliamentary National Party of Australia, while still the Party's Whip in the House of Representatives and the Liberal-Nationals Coaltion Government's Deputy Speaker, attempted for over 8 months to pass himself off as an Independent sitting on the cross benches.

During those 8 months Hogan routinely voted with his government.

He used this political deceit in order to hold on to his chance for re-election on 18 May 2019, when he like many other government MPs and Senators thought it was likely that they would lose government.

Of course ahead of the federal election being declared he still sought and received National Party preselection as its candidate in the seat of Page.

The Murdoch media assisted this deceit by referring to him as sitting on the cross benches.

Now that the Coalition has been returned to government at the recent election and is preparing to sit on the right hand benches of the 46th Parliament, Hogan has finally abandoned his pretence and announced that voilà! he is a National Party MP once more and will sit once more on the government benches.

Government benches which in fact he was mostly found on even when pretending to be a cross bencher.

The flim flam man Scott Morrison knew when he dissolved the Australian Parliament that he wouldn't be giving anyone a new tax cut this financial year

In June 2018 the Australian Parliament passed the first year of this 2018-19 Budget item:

Step 1: immediate tax relief for low and middle income earners

The first step will deliver tax relief to low and middle income earners to help with cost of living pressures.

The low and middle income tax offset will provide tax relief of up to $530 to low and middle income earners for the 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 income years. 

The offset will assist over 10 million Australians and around 4.4 million people will receive the full $530 benefit for 2018-19. The benefit is in addition to the existing low income tax offset, and will be available on assessment after a taxpayer lodges their tax return.

With regard to this tax relief Australian Taxation Office stated:

A new low and middle income tax offset applies for 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22 income years.

Australian resident individuals (and certain trustees) whose income does not exceed $125,333 are entitled to the new low and middle income tax offset. Entitlement to the new offset is in addition to the existing low income tax offset, and is available on assessment after you lodge your income tax return.

If your income:

·         does not exceed $37,000 you are entitled to $200

·         exceeds $37,000 but does not exceed $48,000, you are entitled to $200 plus 3% of the amount of the income that exceeds $37,000

·         exceeds $48,000 but not $90,000, you are entitled to $530

·         exceeds $90,000 you are entitled to $530 less 1.5% of the amount of the income that exceeds $90,000.

It would appear that Morrison then changed the details of this tax offset* and the wording in the 2019-20 Budget papers reads:

Immediate tax relief for low- and middle‑income earners of up to $1,080 for singles or up to $2,160 for dual income families to ease the cost of living.

While remaining silent on the fact that this change no longer specified that this new offset amount would be legislated by 30 June - letting the media and voters assume that he was still intending to deliver the second tax offset by end of June 2019.

On April 8 (three days before Morrison called the election) The New Daily reported that: The Australian Tax Office has warned the government it will not deliver planned $1080 tax cuts from July 1, unless they can be rushed through Parliament before the end of the financial year.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison via @iborgward  

As a politician who obviously believes no lie is too big or too small to utter to secure his political leadership, the statements above are another instance to add to the list.

When Scott Morrison appeared to promise workers on up to $125,00 per annum to be delivered by 30 June 2019 as a tax offset he knew that the timetable for any federal election is a set one. 

This means that no later than 110 days after the election writs are issued they have to be returned.

Only after that can the 46th Australian Parliament begin its deliberations and legislate election promises.

In the 2019 federal general election the writs were issued on 11 April 2019. This was Morrison's personal choice as he called on the Governor-General the day before.

That means writs have to be returned by 20 July 2019.

At the 2013 federal election the writs were returned in 100 days and at 2016 federal election writs were returned in 84 days.

Morrison is now saying that the 2019 writs will probably not be returned until around 28-30 June 2019.

There is no way that during the election campaign when he was repeating his promise of an immediate cash tax offset that he had not calculated that the election writs wouldn't be returned in under 74-76 days.

The seventy-fourth day is Friday 28 June 2019. There is no way that the Australian Parliament can convene before the start of the next financial year.

Those who expected to see a $1,080 to $2,160 reduction in their tax liability anytime soon may well be waiting a full twelve months until 30 June 2020 to see the promised tax offset land.

Meanwhile Morrison and Frydenberg with an 'Ooops! Sooo sorry' probably see this move as cleverly saving money at workers' expense in order to help their government's fiscal bottom line in the face of a slowing economy.

Morrison's new 'promise' as of 21 May 2019 is that he will deliver the promised tax offset sometime in the 2019-20 fiscal year. 

All of which confirms his lack of political integrity.

Note

* A tax offset reduces the amount of tax payable on an individual's annual income. It doesn't necessarily result in an Australian Taxation Office cash refund.