What do you think is the most important issue at the next election?

Well said, we can`t afford to be the dumping ground for the losers of the world. As you so rightly say, we should only be accepting people who qualify as human assets for the country. Not bludgers, or people who belong to any cult that could have a destabilising effect on the future stability of Australia. Future generations will judge us as gutless idiots.

 

I think we see some very good points here, unfortunately at this time I am strangely tired as I have been busy for the last 72 hours and my thoughts are little muddled. I would like to reply in kind and examine the points your raise. I hope to return to this later today or tomorrow...

I really do like the points and the level headed responses we are now getting here.

 

looks like you & I are in the same boat, time wise, Garry.

 

The most unfortunate part of the story is that while the rest of the world where these programs have been adopted and work extremely well they have honoured the nurses and their commitment to their communities. They have honoured the intelligence and sacrifice of these people who made this happen. BUT Australians do not even know these things occur, they claim they know what it is to be living in the "lucky country", clearly they don't even know what it means. The government knows with Howard sending accolades on retirement. Rudd even sent awards for dedication to community so the hypocrisy of cutting the program and bringing it back NOT SIX YEARS LATER claiming the policy as his own is just staggering.

I am sure the ALP drones will want to make some stupid point with this program, I just wonder what crap they will try and make.

there is no doubt scumbag is a fake, but what really gets me is that when you know Abbott personally he is an incredibly intelligent, principled and ethical person. BUT his public life is extremely different; I just cannot figure him out. I know he is attracted to intelligent, strong no nonsense women, so I would respect the fact his wife must be an incredible woman. How the hell she puts up with the difference of his public and personal life has me baffled. For all I know she might bash him every night when he gets home for being such a dick. BUT you tell that to the ALP drones and they would proclaim something stupid about him.

Welfare will kill Australia, by the time the problem reaches levels the happily ignorant realise there is a problem and demand the government fix, it will be far too late. As far as I am concerned if these stupid NBN supporters want fibre to their front door let them pay, I think you would see a big turnaround over the issue then...

Unfortunately Whitlam began the problem, but he did have good intentions. BUT really since Whitlam governments have continued to grow this mentality with simple stupidity, placing the problem that now people rely on welfare simply to survive. FFS I even have had people telling me it is the government’s responsibility that they are paid enough so they can have parity of living standards without lifting a finger for work.

 

I do tend to have changing hours and time frames depending on demands of work... but at present it is similar from what I see...

 

Yes they are, but they only rim the edge of the problem. As pointed to return the business to levels of 2007 will take far greater time than what it took to lower. In part the Howard years and policy allowed the growth of productivity. This brought the levels of employment to such levels as near parody which had the effect of growth of business had to have greater growth in productivity causing business to force this growth.
But the food bowl really is simply to pander to people who know little about the real situation of the rural sector. Now people look on it as being very little percentage of GDP yet what else does Australia have? With little effort to procure overseas markets the rural sector has dwindled to the levels it is at this time. BUT the necessary costs needed to reintroduce the sector into a hugely subsidies and tariffed market will be extreme and the fact Australia has little resource (government resources) it will fall on the heads of many extraordinary people to deliver results to the sector who are prepared to sacrifice their time and efforts to create a market as long as the government keep their nose out. Do you really see any government doing that?
But really again, this will need that middle sector (that group of people who produce nothing) to be basically eliminated as it is a cost impost on Australian manufacturing that has little to no benefit. This was one reason I figured Howard needed to go, by changing the focus from substance production to the cities, short sighted in the best. Sure it produced short term economic gain but considering the focus of the group Howard backed was the commodity market, it ignored the fact those commodities came from the rural sector the government left to for the glitz of the city.

Few realise what the rest of the world is about. They believe the rhetoric of politicians on how things are and the impacts of what the policy they introduce are. People in Australia are simply lazy when it comes to these things, they do not want to consider the problems and definitely not the solutions. In part this comes from the attitude of finding somebody else to blame because they cannot accept any responsibility of their own actions. Simplest concept of government increasing the cost of production forcing increase in price are missed on them and as long as they can ignore it or blame somebody else all Is fine.

Really the original mining tax had two major issues, the retrospectivity and the fact it was before capital spending. The retrospective aspect effectively doubled the impact and the issue over capital spending reduced the investment opportunity. However, the intention was good but as usual ALP bungled the entire thing and then spent the money they calculated they would get before they got it.

Investment in education is good, if done effectively. The Gonski reforms (now named something else) is only a model to fund schools and have nothing at all to do with education. This reform simply builds the assumption that if you throw endless amount of money at education then it must get better. It ignores the fact of better curriculum better teaching methods and basically stop telling kids who and what to believe but show them how to think about things. BUT no, the government simply want to remain the focus of this issue. Abbott makes all the right noises, but time will only tell if the Coalition will bring real change here.

The strangest thing is the while Australia continues to accept and detain asylum-seekers for the bleeding heart pretenders, they also import workers to fill jobs. Considering that now unemployment is expected to reach 6%+ at best government estimates( so expect it to be higher) how can a government justify the increases of welfare with the reduction in revenue. Only a fool would consider this situation as being fine. Maybe they should get out more and see how bad things in the Australia economy is doing… Not as good as these clowns make out.

Some very valid points, but can we expect the Australian people to respond in kind. As you say it would be political suicide for many changes that are needed. BUT without the ideals of the last 200 years which have been eradicated by the last 20 odd years of government I feel the hurt will be far greater than will be acceptable to many.

Great post.