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I would give this QT to the Opposition - Joe is looking more uncomfortable daily and Tony did not look smug . . . says it all.
@ Judith
You mentioned earlier that everyone is doing political books at the moment. It could be that they have seen how popular the Bob Ellis versions of events have been over the years.
I find it difficult to understand that a government backed Chaplaincy program of $244 million is to support religious groups that pay no tax. Is it a compulsory tithe in the collection box or pastoral care for this government?
It is simply a means of funding via the States instead of via Canberra for an institution that has idea whatsoever what it is teaching.
@4:59..... Abbott relishing the chance to be the tough guy again.... The only time he makes any headway is when there is someone or some issue to bully.....
So the toxic Hawke/Keating relationship involved some strange outdoor behaviour. Wait till we hear how the toxic Rudd/Gillard relationship operated behind closed doors. Maybe Therese and Tim could joint author a short gripping melodrama ready to be adapted to a wrestling ring?
Looking to the future imagine the books on the calamitous one term Tony, gripping reading. I venture to say there will be enough material to coax the surviving members of monty python out of retirement.
Apparently Saint Anthony is rewriting The Bible as his memoirs. And he's just given himself $244,000,000.00 of taxpayer emergency funds for his army of ghost writers to help out.
George is now in a cold sweat. He's got until 12pm on September 3 to learn (again) what metadata is.
Malcolm will be no help. He's in the other place, and anyway he's probably looking forward to watching George and (especially) Tony fluff it up again.
"Now metadata, that's the Interwebby thingimy where PI addresses are written on envelopes next to the URL…"
George is in for a bit of URLy learning.
@ 4:24 Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to war we go. The stocks in this government are falling so fast better take a leaf out of JW Howards book commit troupes to the middle east & watch the poles clime.
Tony Abbott is spending tax payers' money on data retention and counter-terrorism units at airports, but isn't going to help the American government to fight ISIS in Iraq?
If Tony Abbott won't help the American government in Iraq, why does Abbott want to spy on the Australian voters with this data retention?
I'm all for helping the American government fight ISIS.
But Tony Abbott is using the data retention to watch all Australian voters and all of his opponents. We have a dictator on our hands.
No money for pensions, the sick, schools, transport etc etc due to the budget EMERGENCY (nb - does not apply in NZ) but cash to splash on religious indoctrination and spin doctors. What a disgrace of a government.
I hope Malcolm gets the chance to explain what a hashtag is before George weighs in
3.12pm photo - warning to aspiring LNP pollies - you too will look like this - a bunch of greying, stooped old men who are past their prime in all ways
Yes and the only one looking back is Tony Abbott. Obviously doesn't know his Bible that well. Eventually like Lot's Wife TA will be turned into a pillar of salt.
@ Pluto:
['You forgot Kevin Andrews. You must be able to think of something!']
I feel its only fair to congratulate the Minister for Social Services for his accolade of the 2014 "Natural Family Man of the Year", awarded by the World Congress of Families, a group who campaigns 'against child-care,
euthanasia, gay rights, legalised abortion, among other "pro-family" issues.'
A spokesman for Mr. Andrews initially denied he will be the recipient of the award but has subsequently confirmed it. It will be presented 'at an international conference on a date to be announced.'
Theresa Okafor, a Nigerian activist, who is a ardent supporter of the law that makes same-sex relationships punishable by up to fourteen years' imprisonment, has been named as the recipient of an equal award.
I suspect the whole Cabinet will be invited to witness Mr. Andrews receive his well-deserved award – probably in Katmandu next Easter.
Well done Kevin. Great to see the Libs being recognised for their firmly held beliefs.
@ davemac:
I think the major worry is: what do they really think away from the public glare?
With Andrews opening the WCF conference and intending to accept its premier award, we're a little closer in knowing.
Thanks for filling us in on Kevin's world.
Gom Jacinta!!!!
Careful what you wish for. Jacinta can't talk about bigotry - she was on a Senate enquiry, which recently met around the country,into recognising foreign gay marriage - as proposed by SHY of the Greens - and flatly refused to listen to submissions which didn't meet with her narrow religious views. Why put such a person on such an enquiry. Oh, it's the Abbott Government therefore religion comes first to ensure the enquiry comes to the foregone conclusion. Pathetic.
If Bill's going to start down the cost of living path again, the government should start raising the issue of the Renewable Energy Target and how much it impacts electricity bills.
I'm on the fence a bit with the RET - it's a big whack on energy costs (more than the CT according to many), but a least it encourages renewables.
But if Labor won't budge on budget measures, bring the RET into play.
As far as I have read even the governments own modelling shows that the RET will bring power prices down in the future.
Errr, Hacka
How about the GST?
There's 10% of the costs, thank you Mr Costello
Big Nic - yes there were those reports around a few weeks ago from ACIL Allen, commissioned by the government.
What they actually said was that prices would rise, and significantly, until 2021, then reduce.
So you'll get whacked for the next seven years but there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So basically, prices will keep rising.
The headline didn't tell the real story once you read the story.
MB - you've forgotten the accompanying tax cuts that offset the GST. No offset for RET, all goes onto the power bill.
Seems like an investment in the future to me.....
So @H the choice comes down to one of vision.
Lets compare 2 cases -
1. OK to whack a medical co-payment on for future research in the hope they find cure to bring costs down.
2. Not OK to have higher power prices for 7 years then reap significant decreases and help set up a green energy economy? Are the Libs that short sighted? Still, expecting RET to be taken apart by TA - it's the ideology that is the important thing here.
And get off that fence - the grass is greener on our side!!
Right on Dave. with regard to the RET, I'd rather pay more for 7 years and then less for the rest of time, than the other way around. In any case the ACIL modelling used conservative figures in favor of coal fired power generation, so it debateable whether the RET will increase prices and/or for how long.
Nic - that's the RGR legacy - spend, spend, spend and claim some futuristic payoff.
Today's lesson is that the NBN has shown that logic to be flawed, and we've finished up with a large $300 bilion debt with nothing to show for it.
Until tomorrow ....
Another lack lustre, primary school debating standard of QT from the ALP. Shorten is on notice from his caucus to improve or step down. The faceless men are circling.
You are putting him on notice @EiE?
I would give this QT to the Opposition - Joe is looking more uncomfortable daily and Tony did not look smug . . . says it all.
Yeah, right. That's why your lot are in a poll losing position and after only 12 months of lies. Just think how much further they can sink.
I think the Liberals have looked into future expenditures on Health which are going to rise exponentially because of an Ageing Population. The core Liberal Constituents "The Wealthy" are forced to get private insurance anyway. Liberals beleive in the least government expenditure possible on health, education and social services so they can use that money for tax cuts for the wealthy. They would justify it by saying lower tax cuts would lead to more job growths and bla bla bla.
I see the Americanization of our health services. Even the well off individuals making more than average individuals need to understand they have a duty of care that all Australians no matter the size of their wallet deserve decent health services.
Libs are interested in funding for Private Schools - but you are right - they have a born to rule mentality and an expectation of a lot of Pork Barrell payouts at someone else's expense
Photo @3.30pm the REAL Tony Abbott.
Well you wanted Tony Abbott, people, and this is what you voted for!
Serious question, requesting considered, rational reply (i.e., eie need not apply).
What is the logic of the claim that the GP co-payment is a way to make people pay for Medicare (age of entitlement is over, make Medicare sustainable in the long term yada yada), when
1) the money is not going to pay for Medicare at all, but to some research fund; and
2) we already contribute towards Medicare through the Medicare levy?
Gigondas - because it will reduce the number of doctor's visits.
But what Joe probably needs to is drop the fee a bit, give the Doc a bit and give the government the rest.
Having said that i heard yesterday in NZ the co-payment is $30 and nobody complains.
@Gig Depending on what day of the week it is, its either (stay with me here)
1. A price signal - don't want those pesky sick people blocking up waiting rooms (Note - price signal medicare=good, climate change=bad)
2. A brilliant forward thinking move that when our well resourced scientists discover the cure for ...insert disease here...that will reduce the burden on medicare. Wow, visionaries these libs. Can't see far enough ahead to build a proper NBN, but there you go.
I don't know how those responses can be taken seriously. I think Joe thought he was being "smart". Had the co-payment tax been to fund Medicare then the outcry would still be there. But why is research funding coming via a tax on a visit to the doctor and tied to this legislation. If Joe was serious about funding Medicare then he would raise the Medicare Levy - perhaps those who virtually never visit doctors could get a tax refund for part of their higher Medicare Levy - that would still give Joe the User Pays impact, and might deter "Dr Feelgood" visits of nebulous value.
Best I can see of the oft repeated spin, is that it's just that-spin.
Tell a lie often enough.
Even the AMA have released the expected breakdown and not a mention of Medicare sustainability.
I suspect (a hunch) that somehow the Research Fund will fit quite snugly with the TPP, where Big Parma is yet again on a winner.
It's also obvious "The Fund" was designed as a last minute sweetener to an incredibly sour feast of punitive and divisive measures.
Why didn't they just raise the Levy?
The money from the GP Tax will be helping with the "budget emergency" by sitting in a new $20 billion medical research fund.
Oh wait a minute - hmmm - that doesn't make any sense.
It would only make sense if there actually was no "budget emergency". But surely Truthful Tony didn't lie about the "budget emergency"? Our Captain wouldn't lie to us would he? Captains just wouldn't do that kind of thing, would they?
@ Giondas Most of Australia understand what you are saying and we do actually pay for Medicare. The buffoon LNP ministers treat us like fools so they can back slap all round and keep congratulate themselves on what a good job they are doing and how clever they are. When they fall they will crash.
Fatal flaw, asking for a logical response.
Hacka - what happens in NZ is not relevant to this discussion - but you can't help yourself - keep your comments relevant or don't bother.
Some amazing economic analysis there chaps and gals. Economics 101 lessons for all of you.
Less doctors visits -> less doctors charge government -> lower Medicare costs -> reduced deficit
"Because it will reduce the number of doctor's visits"
Wow, you reckon do you? That argument is the biggest load of garbage. Taxing people to stop them going to the doctor is a ridiculous argument rebuffed by the medical profession as entirely counter productive. It will have a net cost increasing effect.
Pure political though bubbles from buffoons in high office.
Hacka - majority opinion is raise the Levy - considering the difficulty in getting a GP appointment and the hassle to claim my Medicare payment I am not going for a social visit. I consider the doctor the same as I do the dentist - to be avioded where possible
Okay Master Blaster - Economics 001 for you.
Thanks for replies.
Seems the official LNP line from head office (thanks Hacka) is 'reduce visit numbers and we reduce costs'. On the face of it this may appear logical.
But what if it decreases early intervention as people are less likely to go to a GP early in an illness, resulting in far higher costs later on? And, has research found any link between a co-payment and a reduction in service requests, or this simply Hockeylogic? What will the cost of collecting the co-payment be? Will this be deducted from the research fund?
As ACG says, why not just raise the levy? Seems simple, it targets the (supposed) problem, and the mechanism is already in place.
Hacka, Less Visits?
Why because there'll be so many more unemployed that they won't require a Drs Certificate for work.
Or perhaps Nash has done an about turn and decided she is not at the beck and call of the Junk Food and Processed Food Industry.
Maybe the Govt will relax laws on having to visit the Dr for a repeat script for chronic illnesses so often.
Or we'll all be living in Nirvana, blissfully happy and healthy devoid of illness, accident or disease under this Govt.
# The hypochondriac excuse affects such a small %, it's not worth considering in the equation.
10 points for trying out your Economics 101
lesson. Trouble is the reality is that with poverty comes increased malnutrition and consequently illness and disease (mental and physical).
For the umpteenth time over the past fewt months: the Abbott PPL (like the current one) is welfare. It is to be paid out of tax revenue (regardless of whether the tax is levied on one sector or another). It is therefore just like DSP or Newstart. Do we propose to pay merchant bankers more 'dole' if they are retrenched than check-out operators who lose their jobs? Pilots get higher pensions if they become disabled than labourers? PPL at pre-existing salary to date has always been a negotiated condition of employment contracts.
For being logical. It so seldom seen here!
Photo at 3:12: Team Bloke in Dark Suit
Who only allows frontal pics these days.
And the caption?
"We're right behind you, Captain!"
It's interesting that Joe Hockey is now perceived by Labor as a weak link, when previously his slightly manic Keating impersonations were the only real positive performance to Bronwyn's right (with the possible exception of Malcolm, who at least has some knowledge of his area of responsibility, and is able to adequately explain the term 'metadata'). It's also instructive who has gone very quiet of late- Christopher, Eric, George- all the merry members of Team Gaffster.
And is Peter Dutton a real person? If he is, he's the personification of the term 'low profile'.
Another duplicitous "statement" - that any "Co-Payment" is going to fund Medicare - have you changed your proposed legislation Joe ? Is this your way of communicating that ? Not even Hacka would give you a "Credit" for that.
3:05pm. Christopher Pyne says that the Fair Work Amendment Bill "will rebalance power relationships in the workplace away from union bosses, who have been using the act to "intimidate and control particularly greenfields developments". We must protect those greenfield developments at all costs, because I, as a Liberal have a big interest in property development which must be protected at all cost. The activities of property developers more so.
Just wondering Judith, when they get booted out by Madame do they go to a Naughty room - like we had to as school students?
Do a few lines perhaps (writing).
I must not......
I must not.......
I must not........
I must not........
2:34pm: Hockey 2.
Gee this picture is telling.
Joe's not happy is he?????
Looks to be under a bit of pressure!
What's going on here? A Minister, Julie Bishop answered a question. She'll be ostracised by her party.
The Conrovian Drip - love it !
Correct me if I'm wrong.. but don't I already pay for the right to use Medicare? I pay over $1,000 a year each time I lodge my Tax Return. I believe it is called a Medicare Levy and most working Australians pay it plus high-end earners pay a Medicare Surcharge on top of this! I only go to the Doctors a couple of times a year, so someone else is benefiting from my levy amount paid (which is fine with me!). So, has anyone told Joe that Australians already pay for Medicare??? Seriously this is the most embarrassing Government I have ever ever seen!! Makes the Gilliard Government look brilliant!!
Look at it from Joe's perspective:
Those on Newstart, or those receiving pensions as their only source of income, they are getting Medicare for free!
Joe, the big regressive tax inventor, is coming to get them.
That was always going to be the case !
You are right about you paying for somebody else, yes you are paying for all the people that use bulk billing for free doctors treatment mainly Pensioners , Disabled and partly disabled, unemployed plus paying for all the medical staff that are involved with bulk billing, plus all the people who use the free hospital system
, plus all the doctors who are over servicing the system and getting kickbacks from the specialists for referrals. Allof these are using your contributions and the list is growing exponentially with the immigrants coming in, legal and illegal. This is what the $7 fee is to cover so that this system will continue to operate so you don't have to contribute more than what you are already paying so that all these freeloaders have to go without one pot of beer a week or one cup of coffee, etc, etc,.
How come they keep saying "The bottom line is, yes, we are asking Australians to contribute to the cost of Medicare," re GP co payments? I thought the co payment $ was to be used on the future research fund, not Medicare??
I'm in favour of a small co-payment, but the government hasn't handled the thing well.
David - so you are happy to make a contribution to medical research - that is fine - but your contribution will not be to fund Medicare. If you are funding research then it is generally tax deductable . . . .
I'm in favour of a small co-payment to go straight to Medicare. Please don't put words into my computer.
The govt arent even answering the questions :-/ At all... :-/ non-gov "what is the state of the budget, what will it look like in 10 years" gov "we have a responsiblity, thats all" - How bout, medicare needs to be sustainable... Then how does the co-payment make it sustainable if its all going to research??????
Conrovian - So last year Mal - move on nothing to see here. Another sound bite from yesterdays boys
I wonder if Clive Palmer goes to China to have his shirts made?
This includes him telling a woman with multiple chronic illnesses on Q&A after the budget that "you wouldn't be hit by the so-called Medicare co-payment".
How the hell could you believe anything this bloke says. Thank god for now I am healthy.
At least this government provides laughs. When the last government was in power we had deaths at sea and kids dying installing pink batts. Not so funny back then.
Nor were the weasal words to Gillard after her father died
@MST. So true.
for someone who wants to throw disability pensioners out into the street I really cant see you have any right to comment here. And for someone who supposedly left Australia because no one liked you, you certainly don't have any right to make a comment on Australian politics.
@MST. I Don't recall any Lib minister saying her father died of shame. Jones was condemned by everyone on all sides of politics.Try again.
Forgotten the coalition of the killing Piped? Perhaps 200,000 deaths because of Howard and Bush's invasion of Iraq doesn't count hey? That worked a treat didn't it.
CSIRO research shows the rate of fires, injuries and deaths was actually four times higher during the Howard years than during the period of the home insulation program.
pp - check Hansard Tony Abbott repeated it in parliament
Yep, I'm laughing so hard I'm starting to cry.
For the record I was against the Iraq War. Not common for the other side of politics to break ranks on issues that tear at the conscience. Can't say the same for the left who believe their party does not wrong. As for leaving Australia. That was not me. As for throwing disabled pensioners on the street. I have been vocal in not allowing the cuts to extend to the truly vulnerable. My gripe is with the long term unemployed.
3:01pm: Catherine King asks Joe Hockey how many GP visits Australians will avoid because of the co-payment?
"The bottom line is, yes, we are asking Australians to contribute to the cost of Medicare," the Treasurer replies.
Can someone tell Joe that we already contribute to the cost of Medicare. Its called the MEDICARE LEVY!!!!!
It would also be great if he could actually make some sort of effort to actually answer the questionasked of him for once.
And personally I find his attack on welfare recipients in light of his dipping nto the public purse for mortgage repayments to be a much better of "abject hypocrisy" than the one he cites
There was "NO" Liberal ministers then cause they were in opposition.....
And yes "Abbott" said in QT very simular to Gillard's farther died of shame.....
But wait the funniest moment was when Tony got sent to the sin bin. behind that was Pyne and Abbott bolting out the door because of Thompson
Phrase of the day "the govt has to live within its means" - so Joe - attack all the revenue Pork Barrells and stop Pollie Waste - apparently the PM is going to out travel 747 Kevin on his global junkets - hasn't he heard of skype ?
So Joe Hockey,
the Coalition wants to get more women into the blue collar workforce just so they can work harder to generate more taxes.
And in turn, Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott will give that money to the women receiving the Upper Class Baby Bonus Welfare payments.
That is, the men of the Abbott government want the women from the "lower classes" to work harder and longer so the women of the "upper classes" will have more cash to spend on themselves.
It's time for that election Tony Abbott!
Spot on.
12.19 The Budget, because that's what should be being debated.
The Statement written by ACOSS is spot on and addresses the core problems with the Budget and it's attack on the young, the disabled, the poor and the elderly. it represents why Australians will not accept it in it's current form. The list of organisations endorsing it is long and impressive.
If Hockey does not accept it and consider its worth and credibility he should immediately hang his hat in shame and walk.
How often do they have to be told!!!
How predictable that the Dixers will be about baddies.
They really do take the public as idiots, I guess they think people were stupid enough to vote for them, that they'll continue to swallow the baloney.
You know the old saying @ACG:
Fool me once - shame on you
Fool me twice - shame on me
Joe how does a co payment going to a medical research fund help keeping Medicare sustainable ? He must think we are idiots.
A price signal on visits to otherwise bulk billing doctors minimises uneccessary visits. Not rocket science surely.
It discourages people who need to go the doctor from going to the doctor. It's a short term fix as they will go to the hospital later when they are much sicker.
Jofek, in NZ their equivalent co-payment is NZ$30 per visit yet nobody is getting sicker there. In Singapore they pay the entire cost of the visit yet their life expectancy is longer than ours.
In Canada it's free, Abbott being such a good friend of the Canadian PM should ask him how it works. Not sure Singapore has a Medicare levy? Australia has the highest out of pocket medical expenses in comparable countries.
Why can't the money generated from the price signal be used to make Medicare sustainable? If Medicare is unsustainable and will cost more, shouldn't the money raised go into making it sustainable? On your theory, we should be charging higher tolls on roads as a price signal to discourage congestion and putting the additional money raised into public transport. Would you support that?
Lewis, I call BS on the NZ argument; you cannot possibly know that. Notwithstanding the difference between us and Singapore is so small as to be within a margin of error, there would be other factors coming into play. I'm not across the demographics but I suspect the lower life expectancies for indigenous people in Australia has a meaningful impact.
My first comment on SMH..be nice guys
First time for me watching question time. No constructive discussion. Liberals asking party scoring points and Labor asking same dud questions. To a first time observer Question Time looks like retirees enjoying tea after they have had lunch.
Welcome : )
Well - might seem like same dud questions - if there was a real answer the questions could be filed . . .
Can I ask what is the purpose of Question Time. How about Australians asking questions to Parliamentarians. This looks like a waste of time.
Constituents do ask Qs to their MPs and in an ideal democracy those queries are then raised in QT.
EG- You would've noticed Clive of late with his four elderly nursing home anecdote re the copayment.
Clive is Clive
I think Question Time needs to be looked into. It is mostly point scoring. Both questioning and answering is deplorable. I have been to council meetings which were more organized and professional.
Just my 2 cents
Great idea for Question Time! Ordinary Australians could send in video questions & Tony Jones could run it instead of Bronnie Bishop.
Welcome to Question Time! I would say that since the 1950s it has deteriorated because:
very few if any questions these days actually seek information
rarely if ever is there a genuine question from government members- at one time there were a few here and there
many of the questions are repetitive, badly worded, badly asked and not asked through the Speaker
I may be nostalgic, but QT was better before about 1975.
I think the standard of Question Time tells more about us voters that Politicians. We have let the standards slip and dont care anymore. So the Politicians cant seem to care either.
Why are so many Opposition members ignorant and apparently unable to ask questions through the Chair? It becomes tedious to hear so many questions start in a way such as "Treasurer, do you...?" Surely they can ask a question in the third person- "Madam Speaker, I ask the Treasurer, does he...?" Is that too hard for Labor people?
The Speaker is at fault too in not pulling them up.
You already know the answer to this David. I tend to ignore people I have no respect for too. Bronnie by every action in the chair, has demonstrated that she (not the chair, or office she holds) deserves no respect from this parliament.
Rugger- You and I both know that respect for the Chair has nothing to do with the incumbent. It also has nothing to do with the ignorance of people who don't know how to address questions properly.
Joe the world is over populated we don't need to be giving out fancy PPLs or baby bonuses.
Anti Family, Anti Women's rights are you ?
Absolutely agree Amro.
Kelvin Thompson is about the only one in the House that takes Population issues seriously.
They should just bury the 'eugenic' PPL for once and for all.
PPL as it currently stands is good enough. All the money the Coalition would collect through its tax on big business should go to making child care affordable. I am for PPL and affordable child care. It would boost the number of women returning to workforce. But I dont think the Parliament wants that.
Not at all your probably too young to remember a scientist named Sir Mcfarlane Burnett warned about over population in the 60's we seeing it now with the them and us attitude. Indecently I'm a feminist.
LOL "Indecently" I presume you meant incidentally, nothing indecent about being a feminist. I'm one too.
Guess when we're nude or rude we might be.
Tks ACG I'm getting angry about the budget sometimes it's difficult get it right.
Maybe it should be called "answer the bloody question" time, on the odd chance that someone actually might
What is the estimated annual rate of growth in spending for the PM's paid parental leave scheme over the next ten years? Australia needs to increase workforce participation, particularly for women between the ages of 25 and 54.
"Paid parental leave is part of the equation." PPL is so relevant to woman over child bearing age - perhaps I at 55 can find a way to qualify ???
The Tasmanian independent asks Christopher Pyne. What is the government doing to arrest the decline in forestry research expertise in Australia? You would expect this to be addressed to the Science Minister . . oh that is right - we don't have one.
2:34pm. Joe does not look happy. Twice. And Barnaby, by the look on his face, is thinking, I'm glad I'm not Joe.
The Independent from Tasmania - is again seeking long lost attention - his role in Parliament is justifiably meaningless
The Q from Wilkie is extremely pertinent and relevant given their big dud Direct Action. It's also timely given the Budget has severely affected Forestry Research. Creswick near Ballarat a world renowned facility was targeted in the Budget. Not sure if totally closed down but Forestry Scientist positions were slashed. Some may not realise but we export forestry expertise and seed to many countries. India, Israel, USA et al have Eucalyptus forests for timber/oil and to address salinity.
I expect Wilkie was more focused on Tassie but it's an Oz wide problem.
To add, Large swathes of plantation timber and natural forest are subject to various threatening diseases.
WA has a huge problem with a fungal disease commonly called die back.
It has spread to the East. the economic and environmental damage by disease can be huge. That is another reason why we need Forestry Scientists and why Wilkie has asked a serious Q, far from the irrelevance of the Dixers.
I just wonder why they can't just put out a bottle of water instead of the attendants bringing them a glass of water looks very subservient.
The Libs would be into that, Product Placement for Coke. LOL.
At least jugs or perhaps a Grange or two.
Guess it keeps the servants employed.
"I would ask the Leader of the Opposition not to cry crocodile tears over this issue ... Labor never lived within its means." Quick - don't look at me look at them . . . . thought this was the Govt of no excuses, all accountable . . . for nothing - not even thier own behaviour
Melissa Parke is very correct on this one!
Hockey getting particularly nasty with BS by the look of it. His pulled out the crocodile tears line.....:) Who is advising Hockey?
Based on his below par performance probably someone of school age - playground antics indeed
The PM announces that an extra 80 Border Force officers will be stationed at Australian airports to monitor the movements of people on national security watch lists. Is that on their way in or out of the country ? Next will be all flights leaving an empty seat so an "official" can join the flight on suspicion - particularly to desirable locations.
The Treasurer says the government needs to live within its means. So how does doubling the Deficit in 12 months do that Joe ? Maths is not your strong point . . . . .
he is correct but he has mistakenly assumed that means that we don't desire to run a deficit which is absolute nonsense. Just like any business the government will have occasion to run a deficit.e borrow the money) which is more than okay if they can generate enough revenue to service that debt.
Pulse @1.50pm: I couldn't help but notice you blew your lunch "hour" by 20 minutes. Is that in the award?
will the opposition be able to resist asking the Prime Minister about his recent travels to Melbourne? Probably not - but Bishop the Elder will shut it down . . . . doesn't matter . . . it is out there and no matter what Truthless may say we all can see him all the more for what he is
Hmm a one hour lunch starting @12:30 and finishing @1:50, sounds like Hockeynomics to me!
Trust you all had a great lunch, this lot put me off my food.
Wait for the ALP and Greens to really give you indigestion. Maybe Headache Bill can recommend some pharmaceuticals?
BTW - your Internet speed looks like its working very well.
I'm on wifi. it's either that or Landline, no ADSL available.
Landline is absolutely woeful.
Refer to my reply to Koel and 'it's not about me' comment.
12:04pm. Yes, time passes, and David Leyonhjelm is still wondering what on earth he is doing in this place. And whether it's achieving anything.
What did you have for lunch?
Soylent Under-30s-Job-Seekers washed down with a glass of Pensioners Tears. Mmm, salty.
Lunch of [LNP] Champions.
The injury list grows for Team Australia.
• Eric Abetz is having difficulty walking with his foot in his mouth.
• George Brandis too is needing a podiatrist after shooting himself in the lower extremity.
• Joe Hockey has tripped over some ill-timed words and bad statistical selections.
• Julie Bishop has starred recently staring down the opposition, but can't do it all on her own.
• Christopher Pyne, the snipey backpocket tagger, has gone quiet
• David Johnson in charge of the defence structure has gone MIA probably from jet lag
• Scott Morrison, the star centre half forward, has been isolated so many times in a game. Having not attended any training camp it looks like he may have missed the boat this time around
• The usually industrious Ian McFarlane has been constantly bypassed and has nothing to do
• Greg Hunt, once the crowd favourite is still stuck on the (left) wing and getting little encouragement from his team-mates
However the captain coach, Tony Abbott, will soon be told that he has the full support of the board (IPA and Rupert Murdoch) and then he'll know his job is in doubt.
Meanwhile former captain coach Malcolm Turnbull sits on the pine week after week wearing the green vest, unable to get a run and starved of opportunities.
You forgot Kevin Andrews. You must be able to think of something!
Pluto- Andrews is busy preparing his Speeches for the World Family Congress on Saturday in Melb. You know breast cancer caused by abortions etc.
Should be some extra good quotes after the weekend for our pious Kev.
And none of them knows which way they are kicking.
And what about that assistant health minister who did the bidding of her lobbyist chief of staff to pull the healthy food website.
What has Kevin Andrews done? He is blissfully unaware that there is a game on as he lives in his socially disconnected world.
@A country gal. Yes, it looks like it's going to be a big weekend for Kev. All his beliefs about how the ideal society should operate will be confirmed. There will be a warm glow.
Pluto, I'm in Melb on the weekend and will coincidentally be walking past the venue.
Might pop in for a look, NOT.
Hope there's a bit of a protest at the radicals talkfest.
To think they are running the show!
I see our beloved Captain of Team Austrayer has been rorting again, oh dear, what does that do for Team morale ??
I think it proves his not a team player.....
Depends on how much they raised at their big 'Nosh Up'. And whether they get their "Man" in. They only care about themselves and how much milk they can get in the bucket.
They are all on the same "Team" - their slogan is JFK in reverse "Do not ask what you can do for your country - ask what it can do for you" - and then take all of it and more.
ACG - if it is not already sour it soon will be
I would have tho it would make it pretty good considering he is leading by example and that example is to go for every freebie and tax payer funded lurk that they can get. Don't worry about that pesky little thing like entitlement being wrong as that only applies to the poor and schmucks like them.
Junket. Just add a Junket tablet and hey presto. (Hard to find junket tablets these days unless you're in the know)
Thanks, better renew my Union membership whilst I have lunch.
IPA Membership more likely
If you are interested in maintaining your working rights you better yes......
Give our best to Holiday Hockey - AWOL in the face of massive derision of his complete lack of skill. At anything.
Mate, keep up.
The Union of Socialist Soviet Republics is long gone.
It was nice of Hockey, Evans, Kelly et al to help stock George Brandis's new bookshelves.
All this time I thought it was George Orwell.
It's his ENTITLEMENT!
It's only lifters who aren't allowed to have entitlements.
The leaners can have as many as their rorts allow.
So Ricky Muir is open to further discussions about the GP co-payment. Looks like the chicken feeding is in full swing. What will Ken McPherson tell Headache Bill to do next?
Amazing what happens when you have your nose in the public purse, money is no longer an worry as I get paid and will receive a pension for life. Who cares about the ordinary folk who pay my salary.
So what is Abbott going to give Ricky in exchange for his vote?
How much is this going to cost us?
@Steve. Probably a free yearly subscription to Ricky's favourite motoring magazine.
So when are John Howard, Robert Menzies and the entire Liberal front bench going to apologize for preferencing Ricky Muir. Huh?Huh?
Not only does SHY think that Sea Patrol is a documentary series but she also cannot spell 'wimp'.
An embarrassment to the Australian education system and the current standard of Greens politicians. Milne will be swinging proverbial cane today.
You guys really are getting desperate if this is the best you can come up with to distract from how terrible the current Government is...
But at least she can read an electricity bill - unlike our incompetent PM and (LOL) Treasurer!!
Gillard has now popped up with a book....
Keating calling Hawke a narcissist? Pot, kettle, black!
At least she had the decency to wait until leaving office. *cough* Smokin' Joe *cough*
@Mr Burns. Who is she? Don't think Keating or Hawke were female.
Sorry Cath, my replu was meant for Daniel, one comment above yours. Obviously pressed the wrong 'reply' button.
Sorry Cathy, read it again. It was not Keating, but Evans who called Hawke a narcissist in his book.
@lainie18. It was in the first paragraph of the article. BTW my name is not "Cathy".
What a nautical Parliament we have.
Captain Abbott's SS Liberal is leaking like a sieve and listing dangerously to the right. The SS Labor has Shortened its rigging and is circling in ever decreasing circles (and we all know where that ends up). And Palmer's Titanic seems to have struck a rogue Lambie-shaped iceberg and- with luck- will quickly sink beneath the waves.
Good one Gig.
Drowning not waving!
Yeah what a bunch of misfits have we got.
Pitty about Carlise's hammy too! :(
11:28am: Indeed everyone is writing a book on political history as this Abbott government is about to trash it all. Better get in while you can!
So where in this new report is the cost of maintaining the copper wire that is already valued by Telstra as $0 nationally? Where does it detail the cost of upgrading in 10 years when the bandwidth is not sufficient. Did anybody bother to extrapolate bandwidth usage from the past 10 years over the next 10 years, or is the plan to drag Australia back to 1950's usage rates?
Is there a section outlining the potential loss in revenues as we fail to keep up with our neighbouring countries technology?
No QED nothing about the $1billion annually to maintain the failing copper network, nothing about the exponential increase in usage rates as global businesses become virtual enterprises
Only the word "Surplus" endlessly repeated. No doubt at the insistence of that Coalition/Murdoch mouthpiece ErGashavasay
Don't you know? ASIO will be keeping the metadata which will decrease the load on the network. Could probably run it on two cans and a piece of string now.
Malcom Turnbull explains NBN in white board presentation:
If you are travelling in a line of traffic and are slowed by the crawling vehicle everyone is slowed to a crawl. If you can download and upload at high speed you are still limited by those who cannot.
Can you go around or bypass, or can you avoid these slow travellers? No!
Unless you are in a city hub of NBN or connected to overseas networks life will remain in the slow lane for most and especially in the bush.
Koel, yes we will once again be penalised for living in rural Australia.
My Landline was out for five days last fortnight due to the frost.
At least here it will be tower, which with the real NBN would've been slower.
But my defence of a world class NBN goes well beyond my own self interest. Regional/Rural Oz have been sold a dud by those who supposedly represent us-the lame duck Nats. The opportunity of decentralisation for world class Education, Health and Business in the Bush has been lost on these Luddites.
Using a whiteboard in politics is a big mistake. If you're old enough to remember Ros Kelly and her "great big white board," and the sports rorts affair during 1994, then take heed.
2:08pm. Readers are already rolling their eyes, and saying to themselves: here he goes again.
Hide thicker than an elephant.
What's the bet he was with Roskam, Kroger et al helping with his bid for pre selection in Hawthorn.
My question to Abbott and Bishop. Will you follow the UK or US if it decides to work with Assad to fight against ISIS? If so how will you justify this decision to the 2 million refugees living in Lebanon and Jordan who escaped his brutal regime and what message does this send to Gaddafi Jnr who is waiting in the dock for being involved in the killing of a lot less people?
Oh dear - did they really say that ?
"It's all very good for Kevin Rudd to be solving the problems of the world. What about the problems of Australia?" Mr Abbott asked in 2009. Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop accused Mr Rudd of harbouring an "obsession with chasing the global limelight".
Just when you think things can't get any worse the mod puts up @EiE as the featured comment. Guess there's certainly no bias here - posts that makes sense and drivel in perfect harmony.
The "new plan" is called "MTM".
Malcolm Turnbull's Mess
Gillards comic book launch Anne Summers she's head of the fan club. But who relly cares
You're not grammarian, either.
I am a fan of Ms Gillard, I care and I am looking forward to reading her book
Be sure to go to the fiction section as nothing in the book will have any semblance to the truth.
No interest here - will be predictable whitewash of her dismal time as PM. Everything will be other people's fault (misogyny anybody?) and all unpaid for items like NDIS or Gonski she will take full credit for even though as I said they are unfunded and not started (limitied NDIS trial though).
A pack of lies from a failed (young, naive ) lawyer and equally failed PM.
It was going to be called Young and Naive Junior Tea Lady and Part Time Paper Shuffler at the Local Socialists Collective Thinking Americans Can Do Anything, but that was considered a bit wordy.
If I may use the F35 purchase as an analogy its speed like the Coalition NBN is found to be wanting. The reliance on old technology means it can be seen and cannot climb to the heights of the competition. In fact it is susceptible to lightning strikes, and its slow performance is a crucial factor in its ability to survive. It has already suffered the ravages of superior technologies and like a Sopwith Camel is has useful as the Spirit of Louis to modern technology.
Arh I wondered how long it would take you to " bag the F35"
This is the most advanced ground support/attack fighter the world has ever seen. The fact that it's taking so long to write the code that will make this aircraft strike at a range nearly triple any of its counterparts is testament to the latest technology. It's proving to be much harder than the engineers envisaged. This is not any easy thing to do. It doesn't have to be fast as no one dog fights any more, it has a single engine to keep weight down and its cross section is there for the VSTOL version. It's not a long range fighter as the US still has versions of this. It's delivered next year but only in combat will you see what it's capable off. To say that it's outdated technology is simply ridiculous. Other planes are faster and can turn quicker but that's not what it was designed for.
As for not being able to fly during lightning or at night these problems have been addressed.
Personally I'd have bought the Tomcats ages ago but no one listens to Brettie anymore. Crickey I don't think they ever did.
I see Bill's now suggesting that Abbott is "unfit to govern" based on the trip to the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre.
The two recent Newspolls seem to have rattled him pretty badly to make such a ridiculous claim.
He's really got nowhere else to go for the next two years in terms of personal insults, he's hit rock bottom only a year in.
Yes @H BS clearly incorrect. General TA unfit to Captain Team Australia. Period.
Little preoccupied by polls all of a sudden @H? As John H once said "Everyone loves a good poll"?
Really - maybe it is because he has no scruples - visit a cancer clinic as a "blind" to tapping the Donors while on a gourmet feed up - and all at public expense
Really - did you notice that the budget included provision for a $20 billion medical research fund ?
Do you think it's not in the public interest for the PM to talk to those that may benefit, work out the best ways to approach it ?
davemac - yep polls come and go, but when Bill's carrying on about how unpopular government policies are, recent polls seem to be contradicting him.
OK @H lets review after the next 5 weeks. Poll bounce everything to do with international events and TA helping load Hercules rather than domestic. I mean in that time I'll give you Smokin, I'll give you Abetz, and for good measure throw in Brandis. Search your feelings Luke, you know this to be true.
Note that TA about to overtake Kevin747 for OS trips - expect that to continue as the Libs try every trick in the book.
Hacka - that is a Budget aspiration - and once it is passed fine to consult - there and back in a day and no sidelines to line party pockets . . .
Only a spin doctor could be smug about his team still in a poll LOSING position. No wonder this government has so lost the plot.
No-one could come close to the "insult" to Gillard's family on the death of her father
davemac - that's funny, i didn't notice Newspoll reporting the specific reasons for the bounce. (btw this week only the 2PP number went up as the Greens went down meaning preference reallocation, but last fortnight was a 4 point jump).
However we did see Newspoll reporting the 77% supporting Abbott's crackdown on the home growns. Wonder whether Labor will be supporting Abbott's legislation, or fighting it.
He is unfit because he thinks that the snout in the trough approach is Ok Jack. Despite his significant remuneration, and attempts to milk Entitlements for what they are worth, when he realises that he might actually have to pay for something he uses a Cancer Research "visit" (was he invited) at 8.00am as "justification" for a trip to Melbourne and overnight accommodation. no doubt expecting that the reality of this would never see light of day. Captain Shink.
@H so your reason about the poll bounce is.....?
Don't tell me, strong and stable government, careful, methodical, adult, debt and deficit disaster, we have a plan, they don't have a plan.....
You know that if the next poll is down for the Libs I be waiting, don't you @H? This is the equivalent of calling the Tiges over the line for this weekend. Ehhh. crash or crash through....I have to respect that.
"He's really got nowhere else to go for the next two years in terms of personal insults, he's hit rock bottom only a year in."
What a short memory you have in relation to the comments about Gillard's father - and if Bill is calling Tony unfit because he is hiding behind a charity as a way of getting a freebie then I agree - hardly behaviour of a Statesman. It is the sneaky element that says it all. Can make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
Don't worry davemac, not getting too excited. But given the beltings of recent Newspolls, it's nice to see a small ray of sunshine.
Beside, you'll belt me anyway the next time they head south, as they surely will do at some point :-) Swings and roundabouts.
Getting desperate by the day Hacka, searching through polls to find a result! What result is that Yay were are not losing by as much as we were last week.
Hacka, why prioritise a new $20 billion medical research fund if we're in a "budget emergency"? Shouldn't the new GP Tax be spent on more pressing areas of healthcare? Medical research is important (obviously more important than all the other types of research the government has axed) but it doesn't make any sense to prioritise it when in a "budget emergency". Doing so implies that there was no "budget emergency". Hacka please tell me there was a "budget emergency" because I can't bring myself to believe that Abbott would lie about that!
Judith, love your Keating "quote" caption at 11:31.
Perhaps 11:17 could have been "Heavens, Mister Evans, how I tremble when you call"
I reckon that if Tones went to a pharmacy for a photo op, he'd pose in front of the suppository shelves, and maybe even point out the "suppository of all wisdom" for us. Maybe we taxpayers wouldn't mind spending a few bucks to buy him some to try and relieve his constipated budget...
When will these old farts go away!
Once again we have seen Abbott's true colours. Scheduling a disingenuous meeting with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in order to claim an entitlement for LNP fundraising activities. This whilst attacking pensioners, the unemployed, slashing education and health funding, increasing fuel taxes, higher education fees etc..
If this is true as Fairfax and the ABC are reporting he must resign no ifs no buts. It is unconscionable and an insight into his and his party's priorities. He has previous form in this area.Time to go plain and simple.
What is the difference between an ALP Pollie Has Been and an LNP one ?? The ALP one has retired from the Front Bench.
Shorten's pharmacy comments were actually a bit bizarre - its like the ALP isn't doing focus group polling and Shorten's just grabbed the 'how we lost' section of last election and is turning it around.
I'm not sure that reminding everybody the ALP would disintegrate in an orgy of backstabbing on a moments notice is actually a wise idea.
Good spin there. Peta would be proud of you.
No need to do focus groups, they only have to talk to the local people down the shops/schools/universities/doctors surgeries etc to get all the information they require.
Correct Simon the ALP did disintegrate into an "orgy of backstabbing", what is worse the LNP are disintegrating into an orgy of stupidity and bumbling oafs.
I'll bet Shorten was stocking up on Panadol after reading Paul Kelly's excellent book on the completely dysfunctional Rudd/Gillard/Rudd governments in which he was a Minister and kingmaker. He will trying anything to distract attention away from that embarrassing expose.
I loved the backdrop photos of Shorten's visit to the pharmacy. There was a green packet at the end of one shelf offering a certain kind of relief for one affliction. Do you think it would work on the verbal type of that affliction for which Shorten has a chronic case?
That NBN report is rather damning. It's been obvious for years that the project was an overblown thought bubble, providing dubious value for a large price.
But my question is about the debt the NBN has amassed - is this reported in the national debt figures or is it held within the private NBN accounts ?
And how much has it borrowed to date, given revenue has been negligible ?
Hopefully Turnbull will unmask all the secrecy.
Hmm - can we also have details on what the LNP has spent in doubling the deficit in 12 months - how much on secretive activites with the word "Operation" in them ?? Billions on locking people upin hell holes and who knows what else
Yes @H amazing what comes out of a report when you get your mates to write it. But building infrastructure that doesn't have a white line down the middle was never the Libs strong suit, was it?
What is damning is that yet again it comes down to ripping the taxpayer off - $5k to connect it to the house. Perhaps "co-payment" is the new rule of the day - unless of course you can salary sacrifice it . . . . . or better still get someone to pay for it - a la trips to Melbourne
You can't possibly not have such a specific knowledge of government strategy and not know the answer to that question.
Having not implemented Labor's plan, NBNCo has not incurred a meaningful debt - its only cost is the 5% its done so far which is covered in the MTM anyway.
davemac, you've stumbled on the answer! All we need is lots of fibre with a white stripe painted down the middle. They're sure to fall for it. (Tell Tony and George it's something to do with interdata for the metaweb.)
How about they release the next 10 years given the economic life of fibre is 40 years (although Telstra thin it is 50) and the economic life of Telstra's copper is a maximum of 25 (average 10 according to Telstra)
Yes Hacka itd be good for an Abbott minister to start unmasking some secrecy.
How about we start with Morrison while we wait for Turnbull to enlighten us all?
@Really - If Labor didn't leave the Coalition billions of dollars of unfunded obligations (some tied to the Mining Tax which raised only $600K) then the Coalition would not have needed to borrow. Another way to look at it is if I gave you a maxed out credit card, and left you with future unfunded commitments - how can I possibly blame you for borrowing more to pay for my commitments! But that is exactly what you are blaming the Coalition for....
So where in this new report is the cost of maintaining the copper wire that is already valued by Telstra as $0 nationally? Where does it detail the cost of upgrading in 10 years when the bandwidth is not sufficient. Did anybody bother to extrapolate bandwidth usage from the past 10 years over the next 10 years, or is the plan to drag Australia back to 1950's usage rates?
Is there a section outlining the potential loss in revenues as we fail to keep up with our neighbouring countries technology?
Stop that Gigondas , theyre confused enough as it is.
They might bring in meatdata tracking whereby theyll keep a record of anyone who buys hal al steaks and chops for dinner.
Itll be embedded in the new version of the fridge magnets coming your way soon.
Just when you think things cannot get any worse we have Keating and Evans writing about well, Keating and Evans of course. No wonder Shorten was buying headache tablets. When will these ALP has beens leave us alone?
Good old EiE:
"Look over there! A distraction! Nobody look at how woeful the current government is!"
Only when the LNP has beens leave us alone. And that will not happen any time soon. After all, we've got Bronwyn Bishop as Speaker.
I am not so sure.
The Hawke Keating era lasted more than a decade and oversaw some of the most important reforms our country has ever seen. Evans post politics career as a highyl respected diplomat alone would be enough for a few books. Probably some interesting stuff in there if politics is your thing.
Books from the insiders of the Abbott gov with its 1 term if it's that lucky, will be all about how the Libs squandered a huge electoral advantage. There will be blood.
Burnsy, its more economical to give up defending the indefensible.
I agree - no room for has beens - goodbye Govt Front Bench
Of course, and also no mention of feather boas, recessions we had to have or getting one of the biggest electoral smashings ever in 1996. Some memories are more recollectable than others in the Keating and Evans bathtime stories.
Good post EiE. Plenty of books but not a single lessons learned from three failed Labor Prime Minister's.
Hawkie must be laughing at the Evans book - if Keating endorses it it must bag Hawkie.
I'd rather hear from a has been like Keating than some of the never-weres and never-will-bes in the current federal parliament (on both sides)
Three failed PMs? So no value out of the Hawke/Keating years? Thought you'd have a bit more perspective than that @H.
It must be too much for a Liberal to bear?
At least they will be readable not huh, ah ah aha - shit happens
The intellect of Keating and Evans outshines the whole of the LNP front bench.
Again short on the facts EiE.. Kettering is launching the book and, no doubt mentioned in it. He didn't write it.
I guess at the same time that the LNP "has beens" Peter Reith and Amanda Vanstone stop opining in the SMH?
Worse for this detested Government! Spot on - in comparing probably the best governance this country has had post WW2 this will yet again show Team Tony up for being the incompetent clowns they are. Bring on the DD.
EiE - it does get worse. The creatively titled "My Story" is about to be released.
QB will do a good job, but does her acceptance mean Tinkerbell wasn't available ?
Hacka, I'm particularly looking forward to the section where Gillard's ministry was sworn in by Bryce and the 'disclaimer' about a certain conflict of interest between a Son in law and a Mother in law. Apparently Tinkerbell was tied up at a climate change group think meeting at Milne's Hobart waterfront electoral office. Something about impending sea level rises. Got to sprinkle that fairy dust around good and proper.
What will be more interesting is what electorates get FttP and which ones are doomed to get FttN and have to pay to upgrade to fibre.
What is the bet the mortgage belt get FttN while the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs get FttP.
Gareth Gareth tell me more.
Will Scotty show as much ticker over Ice as he has about lockin up innocent children?
"Operation Ice Bucket"
It will be an under water matter.
We don't need a cost analysis to work out that the Coalition NBN is cheaper than Labor's NBN. The fact is the Coalition NBN is cheaper because it is not so efficient, it uses existing copper wiring instead of fibre optic technology. Over long distances the carrying capacity of copper wire decreases until the speed of down loads etc are not worth the time.
Basically one pays for what one gets, So why spend millions on a cost analysis that obviously can only state the obvious? But then there is the political dimension to consider: the Coalition model is better because it is cheaper, right, I don't think so.
Joseph Stiglitz suggested that democracy is about a genuine choice and a genuine differentiation between parties in order for the population to steer the country the way they believe it should head. My biggest concern is regarless of the party we choose at the moment we will get roughly the same outcome. If someone could please reply something about 'first world problems' that would be great - I can lose interest forever then.
If our ex-PM Julia Gillard had consistently rorted like Abbott - he'd jump up and down, whipping up the public & media into fury.
Abbotts in the lolly shop and just can't help himself.
tick tock tick tock
Hide thicker than an elephant.
What's the bet he was with Roskam, Kroger et al helping with his bid for pre selection in Hawthorn.
It's not how much money you save, it's whether you are getting value for money with what you are spending. With the Liberal NBN, they are going to be providing us with a lemon that still needs to be upgraded eventually. The cost of that upgrade is going to be at least $30 billion plus inflation. So are we getting value for money with that $16 billion "saving"? Nope. It shows an outrageous lack of foresight and economic incompetence from a government that claims otherwise.
Operation Lollybag - The PM has been caught with his hand in the Lollybag (again), taking advantage of the generosity of the Australian tax payer to fund travel for a Liberal Fund Raiser. This is not what Politicians should be doing at a time when we have "Budget Emergency". This is mean behavior from the mean PM who should be thinking about resigning as heis not the leader we need.
I hope Bill picked up some No-Doze for the Government while he was at the Pharmacy.
Maybe he can wake them up to the disaster their leader has become.
The odds on a leadership spill are shortening.
So - Malcolm is claiming his offering is cheaper ??? It is a bit like the proposed $7 Medicare co-payment - "we" will provide the structure of a service but YOU need to pay to actually use it . . . . $5K connection fee to the house is the NBN "copayment". Guess that counts most of us out. And again the Top End of Town get a huge taxpayer subsidy for personal consumption.
It has to be made a tough sell. Call it 'cost/benefit' if you like - but at least be clear on what you define as a cost and a benefit compared to what the last team did. Otherwise you can just switch the Excel spreadsheet columns, insert into a press release - job done....
I got a Credit in Cost/Benefit Analysis at Uni - we all know who is paying the costs - and no doubt the benefits are accruing to those "Entitled". But that is not what the acadenic theory is all about.
so the hand picked old men who found ways to nobble the NBN are using that trusty old 'cost benefit analysis' club to put it out of its misery ... this project is the most important bit of infrastructure the country is going to get this century and Murdochs minion's are determined to kill it off before it breathes and shows us all how extraordinary it will be ... it's damned lucky the Opera House wasn't subject to a rigged 'cost benefit analysis' before it was too late to stop it.
All Murdoch's hard work is paying off.
FoxTel's monopoly is safe once again.
Err, excuse dear old Pen from stating the bleeding obvious, but when any Australian PM flies down to Melbourne and stays over night to participate in a fund raiser guess who pays?
Exactly - it is as if the PM is doing his job on pro bono.
They can hold the fundraiser in Sydney where he lives - but that wouldn't suit all the LNP Suits that attend
Yes Pen we all know who pays but when Tones was opposition leader he was critical of this behaviour for his own political end. Well lets call him out. Step down tones do what captain Australia would do. The right and honourable thing. Not likely not in his DNA.
Tony doing something for nothing ??? He even finds a way of funding his bike riding. The only "nothing" is what the electorate is getting.
True, ALL prime minesterial travel is taken under entitlement but I think the issue is that someone within the Libs party room sought to make it into a bad look for TA. Trouble in Paradise.
BTD no not in Sydney has to be Melb, Pump up Roskam's chances of preselection in Hawthorn.
That's where my bet lays.
Nobody seems to talk about how previous PM's except Howard resided in Canberra that's where he should be living instead of running back and forth to sydney.
Great to see the Libs still having reviews to get told exactly what they want to hear. Especially love the bit about 'future proofed' NBN.
So...we can either build it properly now and catch up to most other western countries, or save a few bob now, and when we actually have to upgrade, pay double. Brilliant spin and deception. Malcolm, I expected better, I don't love you any more.
South Korea must be looking at us and laughing - they have the smart economy in SE Asia all to themselves. Ahh well, plenty of jobs down mine by gum.
Tony you love slogans and that seems to be all you do understand here is a blast from the past. Mal Colston.
Every day and another clanger . . . . I thought the Adults were in charge ? Oh and I enjoyed the article about what is theft in the workplace.
Tony's fiscally driven early morning visit to the cancer clinic simply shows us that, while the age of entitlement may be over, the age of entitlements isn't.
Very dispiriting even by Tony's standards.
Scratch any cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist
Obviously, Lambie has her eyes and heart set on becoming Defence Minister in the fullness of time and when the PUP rules the Australian universe. No doubt she is already planning the annihilation of the Chinese from the face of the earth for having the effrontery of being Chinese. Clearly she will support the additional purchase of more F35 flying lemons, and more Australian made sinkable by leaking submarines to deliver a menacing blow upon the yellow peril. No doubt she will arm our latest purchases of drones with the most advanced military weaponry known to man and put an end to the Chinese crusade of invasion of Australia that plagues her over fertile mind.
Err, may I suggest that Lambie is in dire need to be a candidate for the next ice bucket?
Makes you wonder why both the Greens and the ALP gave their preferences to Palmer so he could get elected in the electorate of Palmer. When will Milne and Shorten explain that great piece of political logic?
Makes me wonder how the LNP select thier candidates - just look at the Front Bench - Really ? Skilled at claiming Entitlements perhaps . . .
@eieio - it's been a brilliant strategy and thank you for noting! This detested government has been well and truly stymied and shown to be the sham it is!
Seems to be working well for both Labor and the Greens.
All the attention is on Palmer while SHY and Shorten get to sit back and laugh at how inept these guys are.
Given the self-satisfied look on Julie Bishop's face all day yesterday, it can't be long before the leadership ballot is held.
Did Shorten use a Commcar to visit the pharmacy at our expense?? What about all the other Shorten "visits" in recent times - all at our expense all over the country
I think that would be appropriate for the PM or Leader of the Oppostion to have a car deliver them to such a venue - after all I didn't see him hoiking a donations bucket with him . . . . .
Straws, clutching.
Desperation, Shreiking and clutching
No wonder Abbott was late if he had a Com Car drive him back from Melbourne!
Wow Andie do I hear an echo? You made that comment earlier. Did you think that it was such a zinger you'd repeat it three minutes later? I hope you used cut and paste rather than type it out. I don't think Spin & Delfect HQ would be happy to pay on a per word basis for using the same wet lettuce twice.
I think he most likely did but I don't think he stopped off at a labor party fund raised.
@tasch2, thanks for the belly laugh, they are few and far between these days as I watch our country's potential being wasted by the (so called) Adults.
tasch, that is the problem with the Abbott haters it has affected their senses and they need reiteration over and over and over!!
So Fairfax and Nine are in a $100 million joint venture. How times change. More to come, apparently.
Anything to counter LNP propaganda centre, Limited News, is most welcome.
So Peta has fallen back on the old favourite of distraction.
Quickly now eie, distract as many as you can and people might not notice that Tony has been a fool again.
10:18am. Looks like there are going to be more LNP pollies willing to speak out against their colleagues. Rumblings, rumblings. How much longer will that much-celebrated Coalition "discipline" of recent time, last?
Good to see our Greens Senator wasting one this planets scarce resources for a bit of publicity! Why not just donate to the charity I think the public awareness of MND has been well and truely raised. All these people are doing it for now is to pump up their own egos!!!
Just no limit to how low you guys will go...eh? Exactly!
But when Pyne did it, it was just good fun and proof of his caring nature, wasn't it?
Perhaps you should do a cost analysis of the deliberate destruction of the Green industry by Abbott, and the loss of thousands of jobs, before writing a rant of idiocy.
Scarce resource? Water covers 2/3 of the planet and has been falling out of the sky in Sydney for the past week. I think calling water a scarce resource is a bit of an exaggeration. As usual.
What a dumb comment. OK for Pyne, no good for the rest of the mob huh? Good on them for doing this for a good cause - and not claiming dodgy expenses.
So you and Sharron will obviously be writing to Christopher Pyne to admonish him for similar waste. I didn't realise you guys were so Green.
Personally, I don't care who it is doing it or from what party they are all doing it for their own publicity.
Mr Bombay, nice try but how much of the water that covers the earth is drinkable?? Try telling drought affected areas across the world that water is not a scarce resource!
I just would have thought that a GREEN senator would know better.
Assuming I made the comment because I am biased one way or another just shows your our biased views!!
Good grief, so we'll also expect to hear that you've written to PH and told them to turn the heating down to stop all the emissions created via their coal fired electricity.
Well done, what a champion.
@ Point Piper:
['Abbott haters are slow to point out that all politicians do this.']
So, in your view that makes it right(?).
But in any event, the real issue is what he said the following morning at the PC Cancer Institute: "...his Government's commitment to science and research."
Did Shorten use a Commcar to visit the pharmacy at our expense?? What about all the other Shorten "visits" in recent times - all at our expense all over the country
I think that attending Party Fundraising events is a bit different to a work related appearance. The Party or Donors should pay for Tony if they want him there.
@ andie:
Yet another who obviously can't see the forest for the trees: we don't have science minister and your man has taken the razor to such iconic institutions such as the CSIRO.
Did Gillard use a commcar to get from Rooty hill the Labor Enterprise fundraiser by Sydney harbour in 2010?
The point I was making which has gone completely over the heads as it usually does of those blinded by Abbott hatred .is that all politicians do it.
Next time Shorten uses our money to travel to a fund raiser we expect similar comments from the Haters.
@ andie:
Please stop restating; it's tedious.
In lieu, check those trees.
@Andie. It's not about use of comm cars, that's just deflection. It's all about being two faced, going to visit the cancer clinic just so he can claim expenses for being in Melbourne. Can't you see the difference?
was she wearing a T shirt?
Expect lots of "visits" to well deserving causes over the next two years - in fact al least once to every electorate and several times to marginal LNP ones - even then that won't be enough to overcome the stink of the first twelve months. Even if Truthless tony was MIA somewhere every day the LNP fundraising event each morning/afternoon/evening in the same location would not raise enough money to brainwash the population.
Good to see Shorten's spin doctors have kept him away from the local pie shop. Could have got ugly.
Pity Tony's minders didin't have enough sense to keep him away from fundraisers that the LNP or donors did not pay for him to attend.
Desperation setting in?
Hanson-Young's biggest contribution. What a legacy. Yes folks, that's as good as it gets. Meanwhile thousands of Christians, Muslims and other minority groups are murdered, beheaded, sold as slaves whilst caged in markets and Hanson-Young's priorities are having a cold shower. Go figure.
But Christopher Pyne is ok???
Your ignorance is astounding but doesnt surprise me in the least given your comments on these threads.
For your enlightenment the ice bucket challenge is an international fund raising activity which is to raise monies for awareness regarding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
But then again your side of politics has never been shy of using illness for poltiical gain.
Remember Abbotts treatment of Bernie Banton in his fight with mesothelomia ?
And Bishop was a lawyer in the defence of the asbestos companies .
So your callous disregard for peoples well being is interesting to say the least but as I said, not at all surprising.
I am struggling to understand the point of your post.
The personal dislike of Ms Hanson is clear to see but chucking in the stuff about ISIS is just odd. Especially as you seem to forget that the Greens were the only major party to object to our involvement in Iraq.....
You really do leave in an alternate universe dont you @EiE?
Have a go a parties and women you obviously don't like, but just try to raise a coherent argument??
Mirrors of smoke, don't you care about thousands of Iraqi's being murdered? And you call me callous about a bucket of water?
No, we call you callous because you don't have any pity for the thousands of refugees who fled people like ISIS, but you feign concern for the people who we have shut the door on.
Hanson-Young raising money for a charity has absolutely nothing to do with Iraq.
You were the one who raised that furphy and totally ridiculous subject in an abject attempt to make a political slur .
And you failed.
All you succeeded in doing is make yourself look inane,insensitive and irrelevant.
Gutter politics really is your forte isnt it?
No @mirrorofsmoke
I won't have it.
That's out of line.
@EiE has been looking inane, insensitive and irrelevant for quite some time now.
eie, give up now, your posts are becoming more and more embarassing!
B.S, looks very comfortable among the potions of false promises, and faux cures. He like the false potions and faux cures does nothing to cure our common ills. B.S. needs to come up with a remedy that works to cure our ills like an alternative budget.
What? Doesn't Shorten read your blogs Pen? He just doesn't get it does he?
EiE, Shorten isn't the one desperately seeking a policy any policy for gods sake can't someone give me a policy Abbott!
Get Real
I thought the government was supposed o have policies and the opposition was there to oppose.
Isn't that what Tony said for years?
Don't tell me that was another one of his lies.
Did Shorten go to a Pharmacy to remind us all of the PBS co-payment introduced by the ALP and increased by the ALP in government
2007 co-payment $4.90 for pensioners $274.40 cap
all others $30,.70 cap $1059.00
2013 Pensioners $5.90 $354
All others $36.10 cap $1,390.60
So much for ALP and co-payments
Never seen an opposition produce an alternative budget before an election. Abbott didn't have a policy for four years prior to the last election. Oh apologies.. he had STOP THE BOATS. My bad...
Therein lies the problem @Steve. There is not supposed to be an opposition. There are the people who were voted into government and then there are those who weren't. They don't have an 'opposition' moniker just because they weren't voted in. Their job is to vote on what ever bill is brought before parliament. If it is idiotic, then vote no but if it is sensible and in our good interests, then they are not supposed to just vote no because they are sooking about not being the ministers. This is why we are in a continual mess with these buffoons on both sides. They spend all their time trying to be the leaders to the detriment of Australia.
I need a Panadol Rapid after listenng to Shorten and King
The goods on the shelf could have been much worse than panadol:-)
Just go and listen to Tony for a couple of minutes, I find that can anaesthetise just about any pain.
I need some of that Gastro-Stop (10:02AM) as a remedy for the effects of the Abbott government.
More likely you are still getting over the celebrations at Tony's taxpayer subsidised fund raiser on Monday night.
SHY could have cleaned up her own mess or stepped on the driveway instead of doing it in front of the doors. I suppose she just made mess like she and the ALP did in Govt and left it for someone else to clean it up
It's good we have people like you to nail the "important" issues of the day.
Here we are almost 12 months into a new government and you are still focused on the past. There are many here who yearn for the past too. No matter how dysfunctional Labor was, it still looks to be an improvement on the current mob who has provided a new benchmark on political messes.
Brownie. Sharron already made that comment. You guys at Spin & Deflect HQ really ought to talk to each other more.
Yes great analogy...the two things are exactly the same.
What a con - dodgy up a "visit" to be able to jutify a trip somewhere. Does the LNP ever put their hand in their pocket ? Why should the taxpayer pay for LNP pollies to attend LNP fundraising events - sorry - forgot that they are amongst the lowest paid in the country. Entitled much.
Why would you be dressed up to do an ice bucket challenge?
Is there any other way to do it than properly?Good on the girl, SHY is the best performer yet by a mile. A typical Green.
Dress up? Don't you know that rich people like politicians haven't got any working class gear.
"SHY is the best performer yet by a mile. A typical Green."
And her glowing list of achievements since she has been a senator, are..........?
She's dressed up to go to work - clearly she's not afraid of a bit of water on her clothes.
Why not?
Good on her. Big hero Triathlon, Stuntman, Surf-lifesaver is to precious and vain to do it. He's more concentrated on milking the system rather than genuinely donating to a good cause.
S.H.Y.'s chilling experience is nothing compared to the endless hours of cold the poor have to endure in winter because they cannot afford to turn their heating appliances on at home. The so called $550 savings promised by Abbott on my best case scenario, that is based on my winter electricity bill, amounts to a saving of 29 cents per day or $105.85 a year; so much for the economy breaking carbon tax. However the saving does not take into account the rise in peak use electricity tariff from 30.60 cents per kwh to 32.12 per kwh and the increase in the service charge from $95.64 to $119.78 over the past year.
So tell me that dear old Pen is paranoid by stating the carbon tax saving as promised by Abbott is exactly the same amount as the increases. Perhaps Abbott needs a thorough soaking by ice to stop him indulging in nefarious games against pensioners.
Far from paranod,I think you are being optimistic dear old Pen. The savings from the removal of the CT won't meet any of the cost of living increases we are likely to experience. The government is hinting at increasing taxes to make for the revenue shortfall due to not being able to have some of its key budget measures passed.
Good morning.
Maybe you can get the Greens and ALP to get rid of RET, CEFC all which are feel good mirages that by this Australia is doing something relevant to fight global warming.
The logical cost effective strategy for Australia is to do NOTHING in Australia but spend a few dollars in joint R&D in nuclear energy and renewable energies with the Asian giants China to moderate theirCO2 emission.
Why didn't Sarah Hanson-Young clean up her own mess she made? Or does Ms Hanson-Young think she is too good to pick up a mop?
Meh, accidents happen, tragedies happen, someone else and someone else's money can fix it.
errrr, because it's water?
Could be that she didn't want to antagonise the domestic staff union.
Sharron, after pooring ice cold water on herself early morning in Canberra, she should then stand there shivering & clean it up?
Pouring water over yourself on a Canberra morning is nothing but a publicity stunt.
Sarah Hanson-Young should have cleaned her now mess and not left it up to the security guards who are paid to do another job. They are NOT Sarah Hanson-Young's personnel cleaning staff.
Spilt water on a public walkway on an icy Canberra morning is a hazard that creates risk.
The ice bucket challenge is stupid and donations should simply be given to the charity of choice.
Or better still, maybe the politicians can do the Dirt Bucket Challenge as they do in the Gaza!
"Pouring water over yourself on a Canberra morning is nothing but a publicity stunt." It's actually a fund raising exercise Sharron, but please, don't let the facts get in the way...
Ok Sharron, Pass me the mop, I'll clean up the pitiful remnants of your argument for you. No demarcation dispute - just a community service :)
Sharrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrron. Apart from raising money for a very good cause, It was a media stunt!
Gee Sharon I feel sorry for you lighten up dear , I thought Sarah Hanson Young was pretty good all dressed up you wouldn't see any LNP women doing it might mess up their hair and makeup.
@Amro, what LNP women?!?
Tony Abbott should stop the junkets and junk his budget instead
I listened to the fair work bill debate yesterday on the radio. This is just another Liberal attack on unions in Australia. it was so obvious from listening to the speak and the coverage.
9:02am. Judith, have you been writing "Days of our Lives" scripts on the side? This sounds suspiciously like it.
9.11am:Still reckon Stumbles* budget holds the *ice bucket* trophy - the Senate has dumped plenty of cold water on that one...
Please, please, please can we have Uncle Clive dumped on?
This proves Young is a modern day hero of the Greens. Good on ya mate!!!!
Just like the co-payment, the *age of entitlement* wasn*t dead, just sleeping. Mumbles managed to wake it up for his little Sunday Fund Day in generous ole Melbourne. How nice.
It is your eh honor for eh me to run in triathlons, eh to attend weddings, eh to be in my eh presence so eh eh stop complaining and eh eh enjoy the ride of eh your eh captain.
There's something a little odd about the report into Abbott's Melbourne trip.
Perhaps he did say what the article suggested, but when i read the words: "Several government sources told Fairfax Media", well we don't really have a confirmed source on record.
The comments in a public forum (a party room meeting) also seem a little out of character for Abbott.
Perhaps we'll learn more during the day, but could this be about stirring up internal tensions ?
So you didn't read the comment from Malcolm Turnbull:
"He said he was in Melbourne and he did go to a private function...I think Tony was quite upfront, he said he had been in Melbourne and he had been to a fund-raiser the night before," he said.
Private function, public money. Dodgiest government ever.
Come on Hacka; he*s not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy
Sounds exactly like the kind of thing Abbot would say to me...... at least when he hasnt consulted his speech writer!
Hacka, yeah cos generally people who share these tidbits with the media wan't their names all over the news don't they? You didn't seem to have an issue with that when Rudd and Hartcher were doing their tagteam to haul down Gillard.
On your point about stirring up tensions, I think you've nailed that one; there must be rumblings given the unbelievably poor performance of the leader and his front-row.
Come on Hacka, let go of Tony Abbott.
Of course there are internal tensions and that's because the LNP members are sick of Tony Abbott's egocentric behaviour. And he is getting worse, you can see it in his comments, his lame excuses and his Zoolander camera poses.
There are major cracks appearing in the Tony Abbott government's party room.
@H Did you hear MT on AM this morning? Let's just say he chose his words wisely to protect his leader. As he should. Although must say, there's bigger fish to fry than this eh?
@Hacka: You said: "Perhaps we'll learn more during the day, but could this be about stirring up internal tensions?"
It looks as though some destabilization may be taking place from within the Coalition. I wonder if we'll see more and more leaks occurring.as time goes on.
What do you think Hacka?
@Hacka. I love how Fairfax and all the Abbott haters are slow to point out that all politicians do this. It's not right but to make it out as if only Abbott does it is lazy journalism.
Trying to excuse an arrogant abuse of power is beneath you.
The age of entitlement is meant to be over, but perhaps some are more entitled than others.
Oh no! The horror of it all.
nothing odd at all - I presume that Truthless won't be making a claim then ?? Can understand that on his "package" that the Captain cannot afford to buy a bus ticket.
Hacka, why on earth would they be 'stirring up internal tensions', when no lesser judge than yours truly, was handing out a credit on the performance up til now?
Paid Piper
Hang on a minute. It was the Libs who started throwing mud over the amount of travel that the Labor Party used.
Now that they Libs are spending double, you still want to point the finger at Labor?
Piped Piper - yes McDonald is still fuming that he didn't make the front bench, so maybe he's up to no good. But the suggestion that others would leak this seems a litte fanciful.
Tone - been a while - so are you suggesting that if Abbott attends something political which is combined with something else, he shouldn't be able to use the VIP jet ? I seem to remember a wedding in Byron Bay a couple of years ago ....
Turnbull seems pretty specific davemac:
"No he didn't say that to the party room."
So Peta and her team knew again in advance that a bad story was coming.
The brief seems to be falling apart. Turnbull didn't keep to your script and the "Labor do it too" line is just getting tired.
After all, Tony is supposed to be in government now. It is about time he started governing.
Steve - this issue is quickly becoming exposed as a pure beat up.
Time to move along, some real issues to deal with.
Malcolm being a lawyer and all, and very careful with his words, I assume the truth is that Tony said it IN the party room
Real Issues?
Like removing entitlements from the poor, the sick, young unemployed and pensioners?
Like working out more ways to rort MP entitlements?
Or is it that Peta's plan didn't work?
Ah Hacka, yes, the noise the Liberals made about that Byron Bay junket should be the same noise we should now be hearing about Abbott's Melbourne junket.
Oh, and yes, it's been a while. I'm not paid for my commenting and have a real job. As a result I am not here every single day to respond to your daily Coalition Advisory Service comments.
Tone - what other business did Jules have in Byron Bay that weekend ?
Hacka, so she should have found a token drop-in to justify the trip and you would have been fine with it. You don't appreciate your hypocrisy do you?
Another own goal? So what you are saying is that Abbott is truly duplicitous in saying one thing internally and the opposite publicly. No wonder we have had suc an avalanche of lies form the government as they just get confused with what they said to who and what.
The other thing is that according to your own words they government is starting to implode as the level of incompetence keeps growing. They are looking more and more like last mob every day.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Spring doesn't just mean flowers and pollen, green grass and warmer weather. Every spring, all of us take a quick look around our homes and realize that perhaps we have collected a bit more than calories during the winter months.
Somehow, our clothes and the kids' toys have multiplied like rabbits, and we begin with a determined mindset to clear out the clutter.
Perhaps you are ready to simplify. Why not take the opportunity to also make a few bucks in the process? From online selling to garage sale strategies, it's wise to consider your best path before just tossing your excess to the curb.
Use Social media
Your most immediate course of action doesn't require borrowing the card table from the neighbors to have a yard sale. Instead, begin snapping pictures with your phone and posting them online.
A number of Facebook groups have sprung up with their sole purpose to help sell used items. While you can choose to use the Marketplace, you can also search for groups within your county or even city with the words "Garage Sale" attached and find many others looking to sell or purchase items. Not only can you begin the selling process immediately, but you usually can net a higher price.
Go online
Have a large ticket item or a valuable collection? Craigslist or eBay might be a better fit for you. If you've never used either before, find an experienced person to help you.
An experienced friend, a book from the library or even a YouTube tutorial will give you better selling strategies than trying to navigate that on your own.
Know neighborhood
If you choose to have a traditional garage sale, be sure you know when your neighborhood (or the neighborhoods around you) is having its annual spring sale.
Buyers are drawn in by the potential of visiting more than one sale. If you've already missed your opportunity, see if you can't band together three or four other families to bring in a bigger crowd.
Whether it's an ad in the local paper, a listing on Craigslist, a posting on the Indianapolis Yard Sales' website, or detailing your sale on Yard Sale Treasure Map, be sure you advertise. Set a budget (be sure you don't spend more than you think you can make at the sale).
Use traditional signs in your yard. Make lettering legible and noticeable. Or do all of the above.
Organize stock
Individual pricing can wear you out! Consider pricing your stock by a specific amount with a $1, $5, $10 or more table. Try to make your display look as attractive as possible. Place large items that will catch the eye nearest to the road.
Large toys for children, gym equipment and furniture typically bring in browsers who might not have known about your sale.
Open early, have cash
The early bird gets the worm. Hard-core garage sale shoppers head out at the break of dawn.
Be sure to "open your doors" as soon as you can in the morning. Also, be sure to have plenty of change on hand. You don't want to miss out on a sale because you can't break a $50 bill.
Having a garage sale can be a great source of unexpected income. Here are just a few more tips to maximize your experience:
Don't get offended if someone offers you less than the listed price. Be prepared to make a counter offer.
Invite interested parties to return later in the day and give them a discount if the item hasn't sold.
Be welcoming and kind to your shoppers. A cheerful attitude may cause them to linger longer (plus it's just the right thing to do).
One man's trash is another's treasure. Best of luck with your selling ventures this spring.
Greenwood resident Cherie Lowe and her husband paid off $127,000 in debt in four years and now live debt-free every day with their two kids. Send questions, column ideas and comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and you don't need a mind reader to know how miserable people are on commercial flights these days. "Oh my God! Please, I don't even want to think about it," says The Amazing Kreskin, a performer who is in fact described as a mind reader, when asked about airline travel.
September 27, 2015
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Charter operators, in concert with catering companies and select restaurants, are enhancing their food service to distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace and meet customers' growing expectations. "We see catering not as an additional cost someone will have to pay, but as another way we can encapsulate our brand and positively affect the customer experience," says Ian Moore, chief commercial officer at VistaJet, an international charter service that operates Bombardier Challenger and Global jets. VistaJet recently announced that customers who sign up for at least 100 flight hours annually for three years will receive gourmet meals from leading restaurants at no extra charge.
September 1, 2015
BJT's travel writers seem to barely unpack before they're off again to another far-flung destination; and over the years, they've been just about everywhere. We wondered which places rank as the all-time favorites for such seasoned travelers—so we asked. Here's what they told us.
August 30, 2015
Five and eight may be small numbers, but Airbus is betting they'll represent a big difference for its new A350-900 XWB (extra wide body). The model is five inches wider and, claims the manufacturer, 8 percent more fuel-efficient than Boeing's 787, with which it will compete in the long-haul, twinjet market. In 2018, Airbus expects to introduce a stretched version of the aircraft, the A350-1000, to go head-to-head with Boeing's even larger 777 twinjet.
August 20, 2015
The latest products for your aircraft can mean faster Internet connections…and clean dinnerware.
August 20, 2015
As soon as its first owner departs from the manufacturer's delivery center, a new airplane technically becomes used (or preowned). For various reasons, however, 10 years after an aircraft's final production date is generally considered the milestone separating "newer" used business aircraft from "older" ones.
August 20, 2015
As soon as its first owner departs from the manufacturer's delivery center, a new airplane technically becomes used (or preowned). For various reasons, however, 10 years after an aircraft's final production date is generally considered the milestone separating "newer" used business aircraft from "older" ones.
August 9, 2015
Since Gulfstream introduced the G550 in 2003, it has sold close to 500 of them for two big reasons: range and cabin comfort. Although the larger, faster and slightly longer-legged G650 has replaced the G550 as the manufacturer's flagship in recent years, the earlier aircraft remains in production and popular.
July 29, 2015
If you updated your cabin electronics more than a few weeks ago, it's probably already on the way to becoming outdated. That's how fast the technology is changing. For the latest in cabin-management systems, Internet connectivity and more, consult the manufacturers in this directory.
July 29, 2015
January 1, 2020—that's the deadline set by the U.S. FAA for most aircraft to be equipped with position-locating equipment known as ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance—Broadcast Out). ADS-B lets an aircraft determine its position using GPS signals, then broadcasts this data periodically to air traffic control.
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