http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/joe-hockey/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/middle-class-welfare-will-test-australias-means/ When Tony Abbott went to London last year, he talked up the Australian economy against that of Britain, other European economies, and the US, noting our low level of public debt as a proportion of GDP. “On the face of this comparative performance, Australia has serious bragging rights,” he said in a major speech. “Compared with most developed countries, our economic circumstances are enviable.’’ penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/middle-class-welfare-will-test-australias-means/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/middle-class-welfare-will-test-australias-means/#item8289 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/where-do-we-stand-on-the-rich-for-or-against/ Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/where-do-we-stand-on-the-rich-for-or-against/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/where-do-we-stand-on-the-rich-for-or-against/#item7924 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-parliaments-found-the-art-of-trouble-in-spades/ Wayne Swan has a lot of fun in parliament comparing the opposition’s economic team to The Three Stooges. He casts leader Tony Abbott as Moe, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey as Larry, and finance spokesman Andrew Robb as Curly. And it is true that, at times in recent weeks, the trio has turned presentation of coalition economic policy into stapstick comedy-tripping over each other’s statements, slip-sliding on budget figures as though they are banana skins, turning parliamentary questions into pratfalls. But members of the Government have shown themselves to be dab hands at slapstick, too. If Abbott and Co. are the Stooges, the Government is the Marx Brothers. Even some of Groucho’s best one-liners fit. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-parliaments-found-the-art-of-trouble-in-spades/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-parliaments-found-the-art-of-trouble-in-spades/#item7798 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hockey-is-pucking-around-with-dollars-and-sense/ Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has been whacked around the head this week for denying he ever admitted a Coalition government would have to slash existing programs by $70 billion to meet its own spending commitments. This figure, of course, is the basis of claims by Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan of “a $70 billion Budget black hole” if Tony Abbott’s team wins the next election. It has been repeated so often it is widely regarded as fact. How the figure got into the public domain and became an albatross around Hockey’s neck is an interesting story - one that shows vividly what a devious game politics can be. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hockey-is-pucking-around-with-dollars-and-sense/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hockey-is-pucking-around-with-dollars-and-sense/#item7739 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-sun-is-shining-but-storms-lay-ahead-for-the-surplus/ The Reserve Bank has decided the economy is ticking along for the moment, and airline passengers lists confirm that many Australians have had a bit of cash to spare. On the day the central bank left official interest rates untouched, the Bureau of Statistics revealed millions of Australians have been in a position to take advantage of the dollar’s golden powers abroad. Last year, short-term departures by Australians reached a new record of 7.8 million overseas visits, up from 7.1 million in 2010. Back in 2001 there were just 3.4 million visits. Some 57 per cent of those who left the country for a short time last year did so for a vacation and a further 22 per cent said it was to catch up with relatives. That amounts to a lot of people with the dough to put to travel, a relative luxury. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-sun-is-shining-but-storms-lay-ahead-for-the-surplus/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-sun-is-shining-but-storms-lay-ahead-for-the-surplus/#item7706 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-this-the-end-of-the-aussie-family-farm/ Foreign investors have been snapping at the heels of Aussie farms. In spite of Cyclone Yasi, fires, floods, supermarket wars, the carbon tax and the coal seam gas industry, more than $180m worth of blue-chip farming land has been sold in south-eastern Australia since last spring, with continued interest reported from Europe, United States and China. In other words, the world is hungry. According to the UN, the planet has 80 million new mouths to feed and by 2050, 70 per cent of people will live in urban areas. It’s no big surprise then that everyone wants a bit of Australia. Aussie farms are a sound investment. Of the 135,996 farms in Australia, 120,941 operate as agricultural producers. The cattle, wheat and milk industries generate 12 per cent of the national GDP, a rate that’s growing. But if we sell it all off to the highest bidder, what will that mean for the future of Australian farming? penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-this-the-end-of-the-aussie-family-farm/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-this-the-end-of-the-aussie-family-farm/#item7496 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sure-keep-Swan-honest-but-dont-talk-down-the-economy/ The political no-holds-barred clashes Australia is used to, are now being blamed for adding to our economic jitters. This has raised the critical question of whether pulling apart the economic record of a government could damage the economic performance of the entire nation. “I remain very confident about Australia’s medium term economic prospects,” shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said yesterday, using words Treasurer Wayne Swan would endorse. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sure-keep-Swan-honest-but-dont-talk-down-the-economy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sure-keep-Swan-honest-but-dont-talk-down-the-economy/#item6506 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-next-federal-election-is-Abbotts-to-lose/ On Tuesday, Tony Abbott implored his troops not to blow it. But some in the Coalition worry that it’s not their ill-discipline that could derail them so much as his unflinching faith in populism. Dragged to Canberra for an unwelcome interruption to his barnstorming “stop the carbon tax” tour, Abbott is solidly on track to become the country’s next prime minister. If there is an “embuggerance” to the plan, as military types say, it is that the next election is more than two full years away. Still, his success is remarkable given how improbable it seemed when he emerged as the wild-card winner of his party’s late 2009 leadership conniptions. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-next-federal-election-is-Abbotts-to-lose/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-next-federal-election-is-Abbotts-to-lose/#item5947 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liberal-asylum-seeker-spat-sparks-ugly-politics-all-round/ Whatever flapping around there might be in public as the Liberals sort out their lines on boat people funerals, the activity beneath the surface is a lot more manic. The ``insensitive’’—his word—comments by Scott Morrison and the implied rejection by colleague Joe Hockey on Tuesday picked the stitches from some old Liberal Party wounds. It’s not a matter of policy debate. The Opposition will be united in questioning the $300,000 charter bill for getting the 21 mourners from Christmas Island to Sydney. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liberal-asylum-seeker-spat-sparks-ugly-politics-all-round/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/liberal-asylum-seeker-spat-sparks-ugly-politics-all-round/#item5147 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/did-someone-say-canberra-is-full-of-blow-hards/ Leaf-blowers are often thought of as the bane of the suburbs but harried voters can take some comfort from the fact that even the mighty can be shouted down by these infernal devices. In what some might unkindly dub, ``the battle of the blow-hards,’’ Opposition economic spokesman, Joe Hockey has used the Parliament to complain that he can’t be heard when on the ``blower,’’ because of well, another blower nearby. Perhaps it’s best if he be allowed to speak for himself: penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/did-someone-say-canberra-is-full-of-blow-hards/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/did-someone-say-canberra-is-full-of-blow-hards/#item4481 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Wayne Swan has discovered his voice. After telling us in no uncertain terms what he really thought of Kevin Rudd the week before last. Now Swannie has set his sights on our mining magnates. In an essay in The Monthly, and in a speech due at lunch time today to the National Press Club, the Treasurer makes the argument that democracy is under threat from vested interests - and takes aim in particular at Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Gina Rinehart. But his argument is not just limited to those who make their millions by digging things out of the ground. Swan is worried about our middle-class society being under “mortal threat”, essentially since the “Reagan-Thatcher revolutions”.