JC Political Thread - For All Things Political Part 2

[Tasmaniak]

Oh sure, that's the whole reason I was working those **** jobs.... couldn't get work in my industry but I had to do something to get more than 270 a fortnight or whatever it was.

 

[Jesterarts]

The removal of the centerlink safety net is going to really hurt some people out there. What happens to those people if they can't find a job after the 6 month deadline passes? I know everyone says that the bludgers who can work should, but I do believe that there are some people out there who legitimately can't find work.

I do agree that there are SOME people who may genuinely not be able to work, but based on what I read they will be looked after through various catch points.

Once it's implemented, that will be the true test of it's effectiveness and there may be some fine tuning needed, but as a sweeping reform I love this idea.

And if someone cannot find a job after 6 months, they are not looking hard enough. The issue is that some of these jobs are inconvenient for out welfare "entitled" and therefore why we have to ship in labour from overseas who see the value of working to fill them.

I can't be bothered finding the article, but wasn't there a scheme put forward by Abbott that the government would help people move to areas that are in need of labor if they moved and stayed? There was an outcry about how cruel this was because it would move people away from their family and friends.

1. if you have been on the dole for 6 months plus, more than likely your friends are too. Time for new friends maybe?
2. you should only be entitled to chose the luxury of convenience when you can actually afford it. If you don't have a job, you don't have that luxury.

I think I used this example before, my mum and dad are living in QLD and lived in Port Hedland for a while as that was where the work was. My dad is a highly educated and sought after professional yet he was able to justify moving for a job. So why is someone who is on the dole and really should be looking to jump on any opportunity for work able to pick and chose?

This is also the same man who when we came to Australia worked at a petrol station and doing party balloons (He's got multiple engineering degree's) while he was looking for work.

I travel 3 hours a day, every day to and from work. I could not do this and sit at home because i find it highly inconvenient but I have a HUGE issue in asking for help, or relying on what I haven't earned.

 

[Calaber]

I have to agree that jobs are there for those prepared to swallow their pride and put their backs into it.

I retired on medical grounds in 2008, at the age of 56 and enjoy the benefits of a government superannuation pension (ie not a "pension" in the more general terms - I contributed for nearly 40 years). For a few years after retiring, I enjoyed the quiet life, with the hardest thing being caring for my first grandchild.

We moved to a small regional town in 2012 and I soon found that the cost of living had outstripped my super. I needed to supplement my income somehow.

I was fortunate enough to get a job doing newspaper deliveries seven days a week, then off for a week, then back for the next seven. My run is shared with another older bloke who does the alternate seven day shift. The hours are from 1.30 am to around 5.30 am each day, and from 9.30 pm to 5.00 am on Sunday mornings. At my age, you get very tired and you have to juggle your rest times with the other half who still wants to get out and about during the day and has to care for the (now) two grandkids four days per week.

I don't think of how tiring it is. I'm bloody grateful to be able to get work at 62 years of age in a small semi-rural community where jobs are not readily available, particularly for someone my age.

I guess that attitude is typical of my generation. Pity some of the younger ones can't have the same work ethic.

When I was employed, I lived on the NSW Central Coast and for a while, was stationed in the inner Western Suburbs. The distance between home and work was around 90 km. The journey involved two trains because I worked near an intermediate stop that Central Coast trains passed through and the journey each way took over two hours. My work was actually two kilometres from the station so there was a bit of walking involved as well. I did that job for over two years (and absolutely detested the travel), but it was where the job was and the promotion that accompanied it was financially worthwhile. My working day commenced at 7am and finished after 7pm (inclusive of travel) but I was only getting paid for seven of those 12+ hours.

I have absolutely NO sympathy for people who claim that the job is too far away from home. If that is their excuse and it means they can get the dole instead of working, then they get my utter contempt, nothing less.

 

[gopher]

Don't forget he's planning on throwing 16500 public servants out of work just to make it that little bit more difficult for anyone looking for a job to find work

 

[Calaber]

Don't forget he's planning on throwing 16500 public servants out of work just to make it that little bit more difficult for anyone looking for a job to find work

It's likely that a fair percentage of that figure will leave of their own accord. It's also likely that the total is spread over a reasonable period of time and the Senate is bound to make things difficult for Abbott, too.

 

[Reaper]

Don't forget he's planning on throwing 16500 public servants out of work just to make it that little bit more difficult for anyone looking for a job to find work

Sure it'll make the employment market tougher however I'd suggest near all of it can be achieved via natural attrition where people either retire or already have another job to move onto. It's important that we look at it in context (which I'm sure you have but forgot to post the actual numbers ).

In June 2013 there were 248,500 Comm Gov employees. 16,500 represents approx 6.6% of that figure. Most businesses experience a churn of around 10% of employees so really it's a meh bullshit headline. Looks bad, sells newspapers but overall will have 2/10 fa impact on anything.

Employment and Earnings, Public Sector, Australia, 2012-13

	Employees June 2013​	Cash wages and salaries 2012-13​
	'000​	$m​
Commonwealth Government	248.5​	19 724.5​
State Government	1 450.2​	103 237.7​
Local Government	192.5​	10 824.1​
Total Public Sector	1 891.3​	133 786.2​

 

[gopher]

Who's okay with this?

Then and now: the Abbott government's broken promises

What other promises were there?
Bet they fail at getting the budget into surplus too
Personally I think we as a nation were deceived
Wonder how stopping the boats is going since they stopped telling us?

 

[gopher]

Just reading some budget stuff.

Federal budget 2014: Young to wait until 25 to get dole.

That by far is my favourite part at the moment.

This by far was my favourite part

Budget 2014: Here's How The Deficit Tax Will Work | Business Insider

Except that it only goes for 3 years

 

[Grennan]

Who's oak with this?

Then and now: the Abbott government's broken promises

What other promises were there?
Bet they fail at getting the budget into surplus too
Personally I think we as a nation were deceived
Wonder how stopping the boats is going since they stopped telling us?

The boats are at a trickle. So meh. Problem solved.

Serious question here.

What is more important to you? A broken promise or a responsible return to surplus?

What is more important to you. That the government BLINLDY tries and fulfils a promise at the same time being potentially irresponsible. That is, raising taxes, cutting massive expenditure and all round being scrooges.

Or would you prefer, they break that promise and do it gradually? More responsibly by doing it SLOWLY with proper expenditure cuts and less wastage?

Are you one of those people who will not be pleased either way?

Personally, I would rather they break the promise (a promise that was stupid in the first place) in order to slowly build back the economy. I would rather they get 20% of the way back to surplus within 3 years and they go to the election saying debt has been reduced by 20% by these measures, in the next 3 years we aim to be at 50% with these measure and we hope to introduce more cuts for taxes.

 

[Jesterarts]

This by far was my favourite part

Budget 2014: Here's How The Deficit Tax Will Work | Business Insider

Except that it only goes for 3 years

Well there you go! Never thought I would see the day you would say anything positive about a Liberal policy, so it must be a really good policy.

Glad you've seen the light.