A very curious thing is happening in the parliament today. The Social Services Legislation Amendment Bill is set to be waved through the House with the support of the Labor opposition. From there it will go to the Senate and quickly become law.
Hooray! The system works. Well, sometimes.
In truth the bill is a grab bag of amendments for old age pensioners, armed service veterans and retirees, many of whom will receive a one off payment for their energy bills ($75 for singles, $150 for couples) while some 95,000 self-funded retirees who lost their part pensions at the beginning of the year will have their pension cards returned to them to assist in the payment of medical bills, pharmaceuticals, council rates and transport costs.
The energy assistance payment was negotiated between the government and Senator Nick Xenophon in order to ensure the Xenophon Team’s support for the government’s tax cuts to business.
Full column here.
NRL refereeing turning into a huge farce. Just counted 12 forward passes in the first half of SOO that should have been pulled up. Disgusting.
You can see the forward passes, and I can see the forward passes, but the bunker can’t see them. Why is the bunker prohibited from ruling on a forward pass? If cricket and tennis can use technology to rule in or out, it is time for Rugby League to get with the program. I was annoyed with the number of times both sides played the ball incorrectly, yet nothing happened. I’m certain Papalii’s foot never even grazed the ball in any play in the first half. Refs seem to cast the rule book aside for Origin.
Both sides throwing forwards. These days they’re ‘a bit flat’. There’s a lot of rules out the window. But it wouldn’t be like the Maroons to whinge like a Blue-Hoo, would it?
Didn’t say who was throwing them Trivalve, but in one try scored by the Blues-Hoo, there were 3 forward passes that lead to the try. The whole point of the game, #1 rule, basic structure of the game, is to not throw forward passes. Maloney and Pearce, just to name a couple of offenders, don’t seem to know how to throw anything but forward passes. It is turning into a plague. Taking the interest out of the game for me, don’t watch many NRL club games anymore because it just irks me too much.
I was a bit shocked, Mr Insider, at the softness of this 2017 Budget and concur with your comments. Election year next year and traditionally a “soft” Budget but how soft can Turnbull go after this one? I certainly don’t begrudge Pensioners some Electricity money and hope it will go on that and not on cigs and grog! I do wonder what ex ousted PM Abbott thinks of this Budget given his tough and politically unpalatable 2014 one, given he’s still “sparring” from the “shadows”?
I am a believer in death duties. Their disappearance in the 60’s and 70’s was deleterious and one of the reasons govts are poor. The best time to tax people is when they are dead. Long termers here will know that I believe that in a “money equals merit” society inheritance is a corruption. If we want to measure things by money then how about we all start with the same or some approximation of such. I would have massive death duties. With the right set up there could be no other taxes or tax paperwork until you are dead. Utopia! I know that this would destroy the foundations of many dynasties and chunks of society but no point in being an iconoclast without clasting some icons occassionally.
P.S. What is a sugar rush? I am on a ketogenic diet atm.
Yeah great, so the family has to flog their home to pay for it. Do it for the (actually) rich only, if at all.
mmmm …Gavranich
This will add $3.4 billion to the Commonwealth treasury over four years? What does that amount to? About a month of federal borrowing at the current rate?
The whole of Canberra has lost the plot. How many times does it have to be said that the only way to get the Commonwealth budget back in the black is to cut deep and cut hard? None of them want to do it, but done it must be. Just fiddling around the edges, crossing their fingers and hoping REALLY hard that things will get better is not a plan. The Liberals derided Wayne Swan for doing it and they deserve to wear the same opprobrium.
How long before the Boomers bring back Inheritance Taxes to kick just after most of them cark it and us in Gen Y and below get multiply screwed out of it all?
The abolition of inheritance taxes might have something to do with the substantial rise in wealth inequality in recent decades and its redistribution up the age pyramid, too, though.
Also, covfefe.
Seventy Five f***ing dollars , not even enough to buy two packets of JPS Red 40’s at the local servo, I’ve had to downgrade from Winfield Red 25’s to this shit because of the cost , thanks a lot Malcolm for making my life a misery …
#IllSmokeWithYou I’ve smoked and worked hard all my life; It’s legal and the only pleasure I get in my old age. Why is the cost of smokes not inversely indexed to my pension? That’s all I spend my money on. These days I have to go to the local bowling club and trade my subsidized medication to bikers in the back room for a pack of 25s. Shame, Govt shame!
Grow a bit of dope and make some whisky. It’s not hard work and you can trade for all the fags you need.
Show some bloody initiative.
🙂
After all these years of pining social revolution, taking from the rich and anyone who earns a quid in Animal Farm, to give arms to the gang greenies who plan on keeping the world all to themselves, you finally show a modicum of initiative JB! Promoting self employment and self empowerment all in one go, plus encouraging discretionary spending on luxury goods to boot.
We’ll make a capitalist out of you yet. Now if only we could get you out of the black economy and actually making a contribution to indulging the bosses, the job’s done.
No you’ve got that all wrong. The plight of the poor whining sod moved me to make an exception. And it’s the only pleasure he or she gets, and accepting the unlikely story that, that he or she has worked hard all their lives, the Government should sling him or her a few cartons a week just to shut him or her up.
Not expensive untaxed and probably a lot cheaper than the meds he or she is flogging to the bikies.
Wasn’t aware of the #IllSmokeWithYou movement ’til now but in a weird kinda way I like it.
You also appear to know your way around bowling clubs mate. haha
Hats off to you.
Bella
Doris and I are looking forward to the $150 to buy gas for heating and only hope it will last all Winter. Our Flannels are a bit thin too. Thank you Mr Morrison.
Testing………
Testing…..testing, comments are disappearing into thin air.
Maybe that’s all they’re worth …. LMAO…. Sorry …
The Turnbull government has been very disappointing no doubt about that. People work and save and do without for a bit of comfort in their later years and the get shat on. A call from left field. Any changes to super or pension rules should have long grandfathering periods so people can plan accordingly. It’s a money plain and simple. GST on food etc with some pension and welfare increases to cover those in need and we would be out of this mess.
Why GST? Didn’t it destroy the black economy? (is joke) More GST, more black economy and more social injustice. Taking what appears to be the simple quick fix that gives us major social problems in the long term.
At least those who indulge in the black economy have to pay some tax. Even when they buy a bottle of milk. At the moment they pay none!
Black milk?
Who decides who is in need? Dutton or Morrison.