Thursday 25th of April 2024
Home » Blogs » John Richardson's blog

crazy joe .....

crazy joe .....

from politicoz …..

In Rolf de Heer's new film, Charlie's Country, David Gulpilil's Charlie faces a dilemma. His health deteriorating, Charlie is told by doctors to eat better food. Spending his weekly welfare income on the junk food sold at his community's only shop isn't working, so he resolves to hunt for his food, "the old way". But police confiscate first his gun (unlicensed) and then his spear (a "dangerous weapon"), consigning him to a life that's effectively unliveable. 

It's the kind of dilemma familiar to many Aboriginal people living in remote communities. Now Treasurer Joe Hockey seemingly intends to extend a similar dilemma to all Australians out of work, however temporarily. Newstart recipients would be forced to complete more than one job application every day while participating in "work for the dole" activities, in an environment where there are between five and ten job seekers for every vacancy, and where available evidence suggests that "work for the dole" programs are among the least effective means of transitioning people into work. And job seekers under 30 would not receive any income at all for the first six months, raising obvious questions about how they are to eat and house themselves legally. Government sources confirmed yesterday that job seekers who "spam" prospective employers with unwarranted applications would be penalised.

Hockey is using parliament's winter recess to try to win over at least six of the eight senate cross-benchers. He sees them as recalcitrant, so his preferred tactic remains to cajole and threaten.  But the real problem with the policy is that it's driven entirely by ideology without, seemingly, any thought to its calamitous social effects and the practical nuisance for employers who would field millions of extra applications every month. Prime Minister Tony Abbott, committed to "consultative and collegial" government, has invited comment (though not from the general public) on an exposure draft until August 25.

 

not happy, joe...

Treasurer Joe Hockey admits to a New Zealand audience there never was any Australian budget emergency, yet the ABC don't think it's newsworthy. Managing editor David Donovan reports.

DO YOU REMEMBER the "budget emergency"? Also sometimes known as the "debt crisis" and "debt and deficit disaster"?

You may have heard Tony Abbott use that last one ten times in a single five minute reply in Parliamentary question time. It has been used relentlessly by the Government – from PM, to Treasurer, to the lowliest backbencher – to justify a Budget of savage spending cuts, largely directed at low-income, disadvantaged Australians.

Well, funny thing about that — turns out the budget emergency doesn't exist.


There never was any budget emergency, obviously. 
Of course, if you had been reading IA – or simply possess average intelligence – you would have known the truth long ago.

However, on the weekend, dim, gormless Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey blurted out the truth to a New Zealand audience. Maybe he thought Australians couldn't understand Kiwi?

So, that means not only did the Government lie about why they needed to bring in their horrific and unfair budget — they have now admitted they lied.Wow! Embarrassing much?

Speaking to New Zealand political current affairs show The Nation on Saturday, here's what Hockey said:

"The Australian economy is not in trouble....

"There's no crisis at all in the Australian economy."


Glad you cleared that up, Joe.

What? You've been watching the news all weekend and this is the first you'd heard about it?

Well, don't feel bad, our national public broadcaster, the ABC – which is receiving severe budget cuts as a result of this fictitious emergency – hasn't reported on Hockey's confession at all, as far as we can tell.  And most other mainstream media – rather than running this happy news on the front page or breathlessly at the top of the bulletin – seem to have relegated coverage to the inside pages or online only stories.


In other words, running dead on one of the biggest stories of the year — one that exposes the Government for the ideological and openly deceitful bunch of hucksters they truly are.

It's almost enough to make you think the mainstream media are working to polish and burnish the Abbott Government's record as much as possible to keep them in the hunt for re-election. That they are not truly trying to hold them to account.


But that couldn't be right, could it? That would indicate our mainstream media are corruptly trying to manipulate public opinion...

Well, not to worry. Back to another press conference by Tony Abbott about the MH17 crash site.

see more, pictures and videos at: http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/shocking-joe-hockey-admits-the-budget-emergency-was-a-lie,6711