Will the real Julia Gillard please stand up

Real help for the unemployed

Now here’s a good idea-one to help people made redundant. You know individuals whose lives have been devastated by unemployment with mortgages to pay and kids to feed.
The current policy developed in prosperous times, is to assist employers with the wages for a new employee with a subsidy for six months. But it is not available for contractors and as the new industrial laws kick in, small businesses once again are scared of the unfair dismissal laws and the prospect of go away money.

They therefore decline to take up the subsidy and take on a new employee.
How about letting the subsidy apply to contractors who could then at least get back to work, keep their skills up to date and enhance their CV for future opportunities.
The Government had a lot to say about working families in opposition- How about a policy change and create a few.

Don’t miss the fine print

Hey, would you believe it, the Governments much trumpeted paid maternity leave will be financed by wait for it, mothers themselves.
How can this be so?

Well, the budget papers say paid maternity (paternal) leave will be available only if you don’t take the baby bonus (now means tested and taxed), and will cost the Government $731 million over 5 years.
However what you pick up on the swings you will loose on the roundabouts. The Family Tax Benefit Part A will have its indexation lowered which means the Government pays out $1 Billion less over four years and mothers therefore will receive a reduced benefit compared to what they would have got and thus pay for their own maternity leave.

Clever isn’t it. The Government in the Budget papers calls it “rebalancing of the family payment system”. You can say that again. It always pays to read the fine print before you get too carried away with Rudd largess.

Will they survive?

Censorship is a curious thing. We can self sensor-that is we don’t speak out when perhaps we could. The Government censors as it should, against child pornography and advertising tobacco. It also censors speaking out against people on the basis of race or sexuality with Racial Vilification and other laws and these can result in criminal charges.
Now, while we may enjoy the cleverness of the chaser team, lampooning sick and dying children is not on. Me thinks the ABC should have had a closer look at self-censoring and told the Chasers War On Everything that there are ethical standards to be met and they just failed miserably.

A good question to ask

Latham’s outburst against Australian defence personnel was bitter and nasty. And to think this man was putting his hand up to be PM. Would Latham pass the necessary tests, both psychological and physical to be accepted into the Australian Defence Force? A good question!

This is a man who allegedly broke the arm of a taxi driver and smashed a journalist’s camera- who’s the meathead?
It makes you wonder…

In my time as Minister for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel, I had the good fortune to meet many serving men and women. I can say these people are smart, switched on and represent Australia with pride and commitment and we in turn should be very proud of them.

Mark Latham get over your defeat and move on!