The Turnbull Government

[PZ.]

On the flip side, having lived in both London and New York, the size of housing in Australia is enormous compared to the shoe boxes in those cities. My eastern suburbs terrace which is of average size (3 bedder/2bath) would be considered huge in London and probably cost double or more given the proximity to the CBD.

I'm not making light of the lack of affordable housing it's a huge issue for people my age (35), just putting things in a bit of perspective.

It's a good point although when it comes to new estates I mostly blame councils for having covenants that force developers to build larger houses than what many people might require. In any case, it's the value of the land itself that's getting blown out of proportion which is why I agree with the idea of winding back negative gearing... if it's done gradually.

 

[SirRumpole]

For people in my age group (65+) affordability was measured against basic needs, not luxury wants. But today, nobody is buying entry-level 2-bed, 1-bath fibro homes anymore. Most of them have been bulldozed and replaced by Tuscan-style boxes or high-rise blocks with all the trimmings. They may look new and en vogue, but are way above an entrant's needs.
just my 2c worth of thoughts

Very true, especially in a suburb of Melbourne of which I'm familiar. Old houses bought by Chinese (mostly), huge mansions erected and suddenly you have $2 million houses in suburbs where families used to be bought up in modest housing.

 

[McLovin]

For people in my age group (65+) affordability was measured against basic needs, not luxury wants. But today, nobody is buying entry-level 2-bed, 1-bath fibro homes anymore. Most of them have been bulldozed and replaced by Tuscan-style boxes or high-rise blocks with all the trimmings. They may look new and en vogue, but are way above an entrant's needs.
just my 2c worth of thoughts

The price of land does not lend itself to first home buyers building 2 bed fibro boxes. That's why they're buying apartments, or renting.

 

[explod]

Somehow we are going to have to storm Parliament when it resumes and ensure that some common decency towards all of our people is restored. The following is an open letter from Centrelink Staff:

CPSU - Community and Public Sector Union
11 hrs ·

An open letter to customers from Centrelink staff:

Dear Customers,

We work for Centrelink because we want to do worthwhile work that contributes to Australia and our communities. But this work is getting harder every day.

As Centrelink employees, we put ourselves at risk by speaking to the media or commenting in public about what is happening at our workplace.

But it’s been a difficult year and there’s some things we need to tell you.

We need to tell you that we see your pain and acknowledge your fear. We know you are angry and we are too. We know that the people of Australia deserve better.

We know that the automated debt notices are unfair, unjust and callous.

We acknowledge that in a great many cases, they are not your debts.

Many of us warned the Department of Human Services that the debt system wouldn’t work. Despite our combined hundreds of years’ experience in welfare systems, the Department is still not listening.

Debt notices are only the beginning – Centrelink is in crisis and the only way to fix it is for the Turnbull Government to make it possible for us to help you.

Minister Tudge needs to take responsibility for this crisis and offer the Australian public real solutions.

5,000 jobs have been cut from the Department of Human Services in 5 years.

We need to fix that. We need more staff who are permanent and well-trained, and who are genuinely consulted about how things work so they can help you.

We will do our best to be there for today when you come in or call, and yes, we are sorry for the wait.

Yours sincerely,
Centrelink staff and the Community and Public Sector Union

Australian Unemployed Workers' Union shared CPSU - Community and Public Sector Union's photo.
3 hrs ·

 

[noco]

Somehow we are going to have to storm Parliament when it resumes and ensure that some common decency towards all of our people is restored. The following is an open letter from Centrelink Staff:



Australian Unemployed Workers' Union shared CPSU - Community and Public Sector Union's photo.
3 hrs ·

Looks like some Fabian violence is in the wind.

 

[Smurf1976]

They are just as bad and that is why we need a revolution in politics....While we have these two useless major parties, the country is going no where......It is going backwards.

Agreed there.

I really don't think that in 2017 either of the two major parties have a coherent plan for the future. On a few individual issues maybe but not overall.

It's not like in the past when we had, for example, Keating versus Hewson battling it out with serious debate over the GST which had the public engaged. Compare the public debate over the GST when Hewson proposed it versus modern politics and there's a world of difference and not for the better.

I'm by no means a Greens supporter but in the past I held considerable respect for them actually standing up for what they said they'd stand up for. I may not have agreed on the details, but certainly in the early days they did do what they said they'd do - credit where it's due. Unfortunately in more recent times the Greens seem to have become just another party not much different to any of the others.

We desperately need change that's for sure.

 

[SirRumpole]

We desperately need change that's for sure.

I'm reminded of the old saying, "be careful what you wish for, you might get it".

If the change is to loonies like Hanson, then we are likely to be worse off than we are now.

I guess the best way is for the polls to say that there will be a massive swing to a minor party which will force a leadership change in the major parties, and then we may once again get some quality leadership in the majors who are worth voting for.

Who they may be I have no idea at this stage, the Conservatives are woeful , even more so if they go back to Abbott or one of his acolytes.

Labor has a few young guns, Bowen, Jason Clare, Mark Butler and Albo. Whether they are ready is debatable at this point.

 

[noco]

I have sent 3 emails to Turnbull this week......The first was accepted.... the latter two were returned as mail undeliverable.....He obviously has closed his email account in embarrassment.

I asked him to resign on both occasions.

Peter Costello warned the Liberal Party back in 2008 that he would destroy the Liberal Party.

I would say he (Turnbull) is working with Bill Shorten because both have the same idea to send Australia down the gurgler.

What the hell is this great country of ours coming to with all the crap that is going on.

Where is that rising star we are all hoping for?

https://www.facebook.com/politicsag...241439020260/1107566909354373/?type=3&theater

 

[PZ.]

Agenda 21.... what a dead giveaway as to their political intentions

Tony Abbott is the one destroying the Liberal Party. Malcolm Turnbull won the election that Tony Abbott would have lost. Tony lost 9% in his own seat... Turnbull even had to spend $2mill of his own money to get the party over the line > more here > this story is a real doozy! Ever since that day the divided Liberal Party has been at civil war hence their current polling.

Can't wait to see Tony Abbott's bust in the Prime Ministers Avenue so I can use it as an avatar

People seem to have forgotten why the Liberal Party spilled Abbott's leadership twice because of his incompetency as leader. The funny thing is the first whiff of Tony Abbott being leader started with a clown by the name of Wilson Tuckey... say no more. Abbott is a hilarious fake who doesn't have what it takes to do that job and he knows it better than anyone. Even Cory Bernardi has woken up to what kind of dill Tony Abbott is.

I really do hope Cory Bernardi does the Don Chipp thing and starts his own breakaway Conservative party and perhaps merge with One Nation and become a viable third party.
The Liberal Party can divest itself from the right and return to their colloquial "sensible centre".

The dilution would cause the Coaliton to break up leaving us with 3 or maybe 4 parties with a real chance of winning an election. Labor would then be forced to revert to their roots as a progressive workers' party instead of a neo-liberalistic capitalist wanabee.

Bring it on I say

 

[SirRumpole]

Some Liberals are starting to see the light on negative gearing, but Morrison is still locked in the dark ages, controlled by the privileged few.

Negative gearing: Scott Morrison rejects fresh calls to change policy

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-...ernments-negative-gearing-policy-firm/8219608

 

[Tisme]

Some Liberals are starting to see the light on negative gearing, but Morrison is still locked in the dark ages, controlled by the privileged few.

Negative gearing: Scott Morrison rejects fresh calls to change policy

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-...ernments-negative-gearing-policy-firm/8219608

I think that decision is a strong indicator of a susceptible economy, with GDP propped up by property prices.

 

[Tisme]

Malcolm should be happy this week with the latest trade figures tipped to show a surplus due to Chinese upswing in coal and iron ore purchases.

Lets hope he banks the free ride we are getting this year from China

 

[SirRumpole]

Why we should tear up Free Trade Agreements.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Turnbull Government policy consistency would not go astray after US tore up trade deal

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-...olicy-consistency-turnbull-government/8221684

 

[PZ.]

Workers miss out due to high business tax: PM

MALCOLM Turnbull will pledge to put an extra $750 in the pockets of average Aussies every year at his first big speech of the year.

The Prime Minister is expected to turn up the heat on Labor over its opposition to his government’s $50 billion worth of business tax cuts when he addresses the National Press Club.

He will say that if the business tax rate was cut to 25 per cent, fulltime workers on average weekly earnings would have an extra $750 in their pockets each and every year.

http://www.news.com.au/finance/mone...m/news-story/bd0f07a3f88c2fd1b770e4744e38b24e

Standard Liberal faulty logic at play here. Your employer has more money therefore your wages go up? No way fellas. It just means higher profits for the owners/shareholders... all sponsored by the taxpayers with a balance sheet of negative $300 billion and growing
Abolishing payroll tax (states) would make more sense, yes?

 

[SirRumpole]

Standard Liberal faulty logic at play here. Your employer has more money therefore your wages go up? No way fellas. It just means higher profits for the owners/shareholders... all sponsored by the taxpayers with a balance sheet of negative $300 billion and growing

Quite right. Give the tax cuts to the consumers who will spend it and put it back into the economy and we will all be better off.

 

[noco]

Workers miss out due to high business tax: PM

MALCOLM Turnbull will pledge to put an extra $750 in the pockets of average Aussies every year at his first big speech of the year.

The Prime Minister is expected to turn up the heat on Labor over its opposition to his government’s $50 billion worth of business tax cuts when he addresses the National Press Club.

He will say that if the business tax rate was cut to 25 per cent, fulltime workers on average weekly earnings would have an extra $750 in their pockets each and every year.

http://www.news.com.au/finance/mone...m/news-story/bd0f07a3f88c2fd1b770e4744e38b24e

Standard Liberal faulty logic at play here. Your employer has more money therefore your wages go up? No way fellas. It just means higher profits for the owners/shareholders... all sponsored by the taxpayers with a balance sheet of negative $300 billion and growing
Abolishing payroll tax (states) would make more sense, yes?

Some companies have a scheme where employees can become involved with allotment of shares payable from their wages....I know of a person who was involved in such a scheme with the company she worked for and then instead of taking a dividend every 6 months she was allotted more shares which accumulated over time.

But apart from that scheme, an employee can purchase shares in the company he/she works for on the open market.

 

[Tisme]

So I'm guessing closed, secret squirrel conversations, which apparently is what friends do, haven't worked so well with the Manus swap deal.

I would suggest Trump is a fair weather friend at best and perhaps an open dialogue by our PM would be more in the interests of our nation.

 

[Tisme]

Change again for Manus concentration camp, Trump now standing by agreement .... for now

 

[luutzu]

See I would have said a NOCO is a fella who is denial about his true hardcore socialistic bent, but has a hard time coming out of the closet on the issue. As a real right winger I can spot tarnished pewter trying to be polished sterling silver a mile off, troll or no troll. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Denial is not a river in Egypt. But The Nile is. You welcome

 

[Tisme]

Denial is not a river in Egypt. But The Nile is. You welcome

Hmmm not into puns luutzu?

I think this one dates back to Mark Twain's use, although like many of his attributed quotes they probably came from someone else.