Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2014 12:07:13 GMT 7
www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/treasurer-joe-hockey-warns-of-cuts-to-come-in-federal-budget-20140331-35stk.htmlTreasurer Joe Hockey has stepped up warnings of a tough federal budget as the federal government seeks to reduce spending growth to less than 2 per cent each year. The government will receive the final version of its Commission of Audit report on Monday, but Mr Hockey gave no indication of when the findings of the spending review would be publicly released. Speaking to reporters in Sydney, Mr Hockey said the federal budget had reached a point where current levels of expenditure could not be maintained and flagged possible cuts to welfare to curb spending levels. The Treasurer said there would be “hard decisions, unquestionably, but everyone has to help do the heavy lifting here”. Advertisement “I'm dealing with the reality here,” Mr Hockey said. “The reality is that if we do not make the decisions that are necessary in the May budget and if we allow the budget to continue running deficits and increasing debt, Australia will have a lower quality of life, a lower standard of living than that which we've had in the past.” Mr Hockey struck out at his Labor predecessors, accusing them of massive increases in spending. He said expenditure was currently growing at more than 3.5 per cent per year in real terms. “And in the year that was never published of the budget, the fifth year, there are massive increases in expenditure,” he said. “In fact, a 6 per cent increase in expenditure in that one year alone as a result of initiatives taken by the previous government.” Mr Hockey warned that some parts of the welfare budget had grown to “well beyond the norm”. “The fact is sooner or later governments run out of money and are unable to maintain current expenditure,” he said. “We've reached that point where we cannot maintain current levels of expenditure and importantly we can't maintain current growth in levels of expenditure that were left behind by Labor.” Follow us on Twitter Read more: www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/treasurer-joe-hockey-warns-of-cuts-to-come-in-federal-budget-20140331-35stk.html#ixzz2xVvH4aBj
|
|
|
|
Post by dani on Mar 31, 2014 16:25:02 GMT 7
The government has been stating that they need to make cuts to welfare for the last 3 months so this article is no surprise. Looks like the budget will be brutal for welfare recipients. The Commission of Audit report should be released immediately, but doesn't look like anyone will know what cuts the govt plan to make until the budget in May. There is so much secrecy and no transparency which is making everyone more frightened of what awaits us.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 12:11:28 GMT 7
Do you think they will crack down on middle class welfare and assett wealthy old age pensioners to balance the budget or will they just pick on us DSP's by trying to kick us onto newstart.
|
|
|
|
Post by dani on Apr 2, 2014 13:29:49 GMT 7
Do you think they will crack down on middle class welfare and assett wealthy old age pensioners to balance the budget or will they just pick on us DSP's by trying to kick us onto newstart. Just read an article in the newspaper which stated the Commission of Audit report will be publicly released about 3 weeks before the budget so we will find out soon enough. |
|
|
|
Post by itsmylife08 on Apr 2, 2014 14:34:17 GMT 7
I'm sick of all the rhetoric being spouted from Hockey and his cronies Heavy lifting etc , I,ve worked for over 30 years that's why my back is f***ed heavy lifting my ass you wouldn't know what hard work was if it came up and bit you on the ass. I was in a Qld hospital recently where I could see at least 2 wards closed down by your mate C.Newman 50 beds god knows how many staff is this type of policy more important than peoples health to balance the books SHAME ON THE LOT OF YOU  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 15:59:41 GMT 7
I'm sick of all the rhetoric being spouted from Hockey and his cronies Heavy lifting etc , I,ve worked for over 30 years that's why my back is f***ed heavy lifting my ass you wouldn't know what hard work was if it came up and bit you on the ass. I was in a Qld hospital recently where I could see at least 2 wards closed down by your mate C.Newman 50 beds god knows how many staff is this type of policy more important than peoples health to balance the books SHAME ON THE LOT OF YOU Yes will it just be people on low incomes that have to do the heavy lifting while all the well off do no lifting, Will Hockey and the liberals lead by example and take a small pay cut on their huge salaries as hockey said ' the age of entitlment is over' or does that only apply to people at the bottom. ANdrews who earns $6,000 a week from the taxpayers purse says we DSP's get too much on $400 a week because newstarters only get $250. |
|
|
|
Post by stomppr on Apr 2, 2014 19:18:01 GMT 7
If you read this a few times you should be able to figure out what is going to happen!
Fastest growth in DSP is psychiatric condition's so that is where they are going to make majority of changes (age group well my guess is 40 and under) muscular skeletal i think they will leave alone as they have tried to tackle that before with minimal results. Anyone over 55 years of age i don't think they will mess with but under that i recon they will try and make it tougher! share the load do the heavy lifting ..that always cracks me up..reason i am on the pension is because for 40 years i did just that! We will know soon enough.
The Government has flagged plans to alter the Disability Support Pension to make it harder for some people to receive it permanently.
More than 800,000 Australians receive up to $813 a fortnight on the pension, for people who are permanently blind or have a physical or intellectual condition that stops them from working.
The Government says the number of people on the pension has grown by 20 per cent in the past decade and the cost to the budget last financial year was $15 billion.
Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews says not everyone receiving the payment should be on it permanently.
"I think we have to look at people on the DSP not as a homogeneous group. Obviously someone who is in their 60s on the DSP, and has been on it for a very long time, has very little job prospect if we were to review them," he told AM.
"However, that can be quite different for people, say, in their twenties where there may be every opportunity, with some assistance, to get into work."
Mr Andrews says he is looking at a number of options for change, and would prefer a two-tier system that separates permanent and temporary recipients.
"We don't want to condemn people to what is virtually a dead-end these days in terms of the DSP," he said.
"What we want to do is to look at whether or not people have got a capacity to work because we know work is the best form of welfare.
"We know it's good for people in terms of their psychological outlook as well."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 21:25:31 GMT 7
everyday you read about some company closing down and sacking its workforce and moving to Asia, theres probably 1 million fit healthy people out there looking for work so where the hell is Mr ANdrews going to find jobs for disabled people many who have been out of the work force for years or is his plan just to save money moving them to newstart which isn't enough to survive. Mr Andrews gets $6,000 a week , newstart is $250 a week. How many employers will want to give jobs to people with psychological problems , hasn't he heard of employer discrimination . Theres really no need at all for the government to make things worse for us DSP's they would raise far more money in the budget if they cracked down on welfare handouts to the rich in the form of tax concessions on multimillion dollar superannuation , negative gearing for property investors and family trusts which the rich use to dodge paying tax, also welfare handouts such as family payments to people eaning over $100,000 or people who own multi million dollar homes and still receive welfare.
MORE jobs are leaving Australia with 830 positions cut in just one day by three big employers.
Only hours after BP and Philip Morris announced 530 job cuts between them, Boeing on Wednesday evening said up to 300 jobs would go from its Port Melbourne site.
The aerospace giant said the jobs, mainly of contractors, would go by the end of 2014.
Philip Morris will also close its Moorabbin-based cigarette factory in Melbourne by the end of the year at the cost of 180 jobs.
BP's Bulwer Island plant in Brisbane will shrink from 380 staff to just 25 by mid-2015, while another 300 contractors could be affected.
Boeing said it would work to minimise job losses by not filling open positions and natural attrition.
"In line with a long established financial forecast, we will be releasing up to 300 people, primarily fixed-term contractors, by the end of the year," Boeing said in a statement issued on Wednesday night.
"Reducing employment on these programs is a natural part of the manufacturing cycle.
According to its website, Boeing Aerostructures Australia employs 1300 people at its Melbourne site, in design, test, certification and manufacture of advanced structures for commercial airplanes.
BP said the emergence of large low-cost oil refineries in Asia was the reason for its decision to close its Brisbane operations.
"While this decision will significantly improve our competitive position, it will result in job losses and I would like to acknowledge the enormous commitment and contribution made over many years by our staff at Bulwer Island," BP Australasia president Andy Holmes said.
Tim Wall, the managing director of the Bulwer Island refinery, said it was a sad day for all of the plant's staff.
"We will be putting measures in place to assist our affected employees, including transitional support and job placement assistance," he said.
Philip Morris is sending its cigarette production to Korea, partly blaming over-regulation in Australia for the move.
John Gledhill, PMI managing director for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, said the introduction in 2010 of reduced-fire risk requirements for Australian-made cigarettes had resulted in products that did not match consumers' preferences in other markets in the region.
"Despite the introduction of plain packaging and the continued growth in illicit trade, PML's volumes were stable in 2013," Mr Gledhill said in a statement on Wednesday.
"However, with any significant export opportunity restricted by Australian government regulations, our Moorabbin factory is significantly under-utilised, operating at less than half of its currently installed capacity."
The Australian Workers Union said it was in negotiations with the company over the shutdown.
"These are people who have done an honest job, been loyal to their employer and contributed to the life of this state. They need jobs," AWU Victorian secretary Ben Davis said.
|
|
|
|
Post by desperate on Apr 3, 2014 15:00:55 GMT 7
I have a friend who knows someone in C/L and the latest info they have is that Abbott will cut the pensions of all people living overseas. Not sure if that means UDSP or OAP as well.I think we all should be very worried come budget night
|
|
|
|
Post by Denis-NFA on Apr 3, 2014 15:52:39 GMT 7
I have a friend who knows someone in C/L and the latest info they have is that Abbott will cut the pensions of all people living overseas. Not sure if that means UDSP or OAP as well.I think we all should be very worried come budget night An OAP or DSP pension, whether paid to an Australian residing in Australia or overseas, cannot be varied. |
|
|
|
Post by Banjo on Apr 3, 2014 18:02:51 GMT 7
Anyone in Centrelink would have about as much idea what's going on in the ministerial office as the people lined up at the job centers.
People like Hank Jongen would be so busy covering their arses and worrying about their fatcat jobs they wouldn't even consider telling their deputies the minister had new shoes on let alone policy.
|
|
|
|
Post by zorro1 on Apr 3, 2014 20:46:08 GMT 7
I have a friend who knows someone in C/L and the latest info they have is that Abbott will cut the pensions of all people living overseas. Not sure if that means UDSP or OAP as well.I think we all should be very worried come budget night Rubbish! and you know it is |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2014 5:06:27 GMT 7
I have a friend who knows someone in C/L and the latest info they have is that Abbott will cut the pensions of all people living overseas. Not sure if that means UDSP or OAP as well.I think we all should be very worried come budget night Rubbish! and you know it is Yes l don't think even ABbott ,Hockey and ANdrews would go that far, but l guess they have created a whole lot of worry and uncertainity for people because they are not releasing to the public what they plan to do to the DSP in the budget but keeping it secret. All they have released is a bunch of things they said they might possibily do like review everyone under 40, create a universal welfare payment and saying things like theres too many people with mental illness on the DSP |
|
|
|
Post by desperate on Apr 4, 2014 5:57:36 GMT 7
I have a friend who knows someone in C/L and the latest info they have is that Abbott will cut the pensions of all people living overseas. Not sure if that means UDSP or OAP as well.I think we all should be very worried come budget night Rubbish! and you know it is I sure hope you are right zorro1. |
|
|
|
Post by anotherdsp on Apr 4, 2014 11:01:56 GMT 7
to desparate, i could be wrong or read it wrong but isnt australia saying that the english pensioners that live outside of england have their pension linked to the rises in their pension an not rozen at the rate it was when they left( it was in a post from banjo).? so to me it doesnt add up that they would to cut the aop to people outside australia? correct me if i am wrong?
|
|
