Week in Review: 9 February

Resuming normal service:

• Youtube suspends Tony Abbott's account
• the Liberals raked in $13m in donations last cycle
• a question mark is raised over penalty rates
• Joe Hockey tells us to prepare for cuts
• No really he means it, too many tax dollars spent on handouts
• a lifeboat lands on the Indonesian coast
• Brandis v Human Rights Commission

Hockey says individuals, business sector must 'stand on own feet'

Treasurer Joe Hockey has given his strongest warning yet that the May budget will contain cuts to welfare, warning "too many tax dollars" have been spent on family payments as well as corporate handouts.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-06/hockey-economy-speech/5243310

Hockey lays ground for cuts

Treasurer Joe Hockey has signalled an early release of the Commission of Audit’s findings, and argued the public needs to understand the magnitude of the task facing the government if it is going to support the necessary budget cuts.

http://www.afr.com/p/national/hockey_lays_ground_for_cuts_KF85IKpfopp7oyN79jDn5H

Hockey reveals budget blowout

The Abbott Government's first budget statement has revealed an economy in dire trouble with historically deep deficits, more people out of work, slower wage growth and massive revenue write-downs.

Treasurer Joe Hockey has unveiled the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) in Canberra, warning that wasteful spending will have to be "eliminated" but that Australians will also wear some hip-pocket pain. ABC

Joe Hockey cuts deal with Greens to scrap debt ceiling

Strange bedfellows. Fairfax

Abbott Government: week 11 in review

• Chris Pyne washes his hands of Gonski
• The Indonesian President writes back to Tony Abbott
• The plug gets pulled from drug and alcohol assistance
• Julie Bishop annoys China
• Joe Hockey offers billions for states to sell off assets
• Nothing says I'm sorry like an old C-130
• Hockey decides the national interest coincides with the Nationals interest
• Someone got a hold of Abbott's Oxford grades
• Tony Abbott quibbles over what a promise really means

The National Interest

Treasurer Joe Hockey this morning announced the decision to reject Archer Daniels Midland's $3.4 billion bid for the eastern grain handle, saying he had to take the national interest into account. ABC

and Barnaby Joyce is going around like the cat that got the cream

Hockey offers States billions to sell off assets

States will receive billions in federal government tax incentives if they privatise assets to fast-track the construction of productivity-boosting infrastructure projects under a deal reached between state and Commonwealth treasurers. The arrangement will be of most benefit to NSW and Queensland which own billions in unsold assets, such as power utilities.  Financial Review

Abbott Government: Week 9 in review

• Liberal MPs and their families fly to Canberra on the government jet.
• Scott Morrison is very frustrated by Indonesia
• He reveals he has been thrice rebuffed by Jakarta
• Abbott says five percent is good enough
• The government shuts down parliamentary debate on boats
• Joe Hockey makes a bad comparison over debt
• Scott Morrison defends separating mother from sick newborn
• Julie Bishop rejects Australia is going soft on Sri Lanka
• Tony Abbott continues his No Apology tour by refusing to apologise to the asylum seeker mother
• Scott Morrison disses the Senate, says you're not the boss of me
• Tony Abbott praises Sri Lanka for addressing human rights, war crimes
• He had no ulterior motive whatsoever, oh except signing a deal on people smuggling

Joe cries Wolf over apples and oranges

The Federal Government's move to raise Australia's national debt limit from $300 billion to $500 billion does not signal a debt ceiling crisis in Australia, but it does signify that the current debt limit will be exceeded later this year. Allowing that to happen without prior legislative authority would create uncertainty.
However, Mr Hockey overreached when he compared that prospect with recent events in the United States. Given the fundamental differences in the two political systems, the "tremendous uncertainty" experienced in the US would not be mirrored here
ABC

Abbott Government: Week 8 in review

whatup T. Abbs?

• Business lobby urges the Commission of Audit to implement congestion charging
• Commission members get paid a cool $1500/day
• Joe Hockey blows out the budget by $3.1 bn
• Chris Pyne found to be talking out of his arse on independent public schools
• The ACCC claims to be running out of money, asks Hockey for more
• Greg Hunt claims scrapping the carbon tax will immediately lower electricity prices. Somehow.
• Joe sticks up for Tony, because action man Abbott is flat out running the country.
• Fairfax captures footage of Tony not answering questions from some mean journos. They obviously didn't get Joe's message. Also, this now qualifies as political journalism.
• George Brandis keeps a promise to Andrew Bolt, sticks up for white people's freedom of speech.
• A boat was almost turned back.
• Tony Abbott talks to journalists for long enough to say "it wasn't me" who cut funds for CSIRO.
• Indonesia declares itself unimpressed with turn back the boats.
• The boat that was almost turned back was not turned back after all.
• "But my wife is super well qualified" is heard after Tony tells MPs to boot family members off the payroll. 

Well that explains everything Joe

Treasurer Joe Hockey has defended Tony Abbott's low profile since the September election, saying the Prime Minister is "flat out" running the country. Fairfax

ACCC runs out of money

Surely as Treasurer its Joe s job to make sure the bills are paid

News

Hockey dumps tax measures

Treasurer Joe Hockey says the Government will ditch or change tax measures proposed by the previous Labor government at a cost of $3.1 billion to the budget, including a contentious cap on self-education expenses. ABC

Auditors paid $1500 a day

more on Tony's commission of audit..

Members of the team hand-picked by the Abbott government to rein in spending will be paid $1500 a day. SMH

Students burn Tony Abbott effigy, chase Joe Hockey

there may be hope for young people stilll

The protesters burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and threw shoes at Liberal Party headquarters in a rally against proposed federal funding cuts to higher education.

About 100 student protesters gathered outside parliament house in Spring St before the group marched into the city.

news.com.au

Centrelink is now your Post Office

because selling Medibank wasn't enough

Labor and the unions have leapt on reports the Abbott Government is considering a plan for Australia Post to take over Centrelink's front office operations.
Treasurer Joe Hockey is known to be in favour of consolidating service delivery and has put "everything on the table" for the Government's newly formed Commission of Audit. ABC

Abbott Government: Week 6 in review

Here we go again

• Abbott goes on photo op with RFS
• His gay sister gets engaged
• Joe Hockey increases the debt limit. National credit card something something
• The Government will challenge ACT gay marriage laws
• Flogging off assets starts with Medibank
• Climate change isn't a factor in bushfires, says Tony
• Anyone who thinks it is, is talking through their hat
• Possible DD trigger: Direct Action tied to supply
• Barnaby Joyce says that free range could cause a bird flu epidemic
• Tony unimpressed by some more hogwash about climate change\
• Wrap it up guys the boats have stopped in just 50 days
• Carbon tax = SOCIALISM.

previous weeks wrap ups here

Abbott to flog off Medibank

THE Abbott government will act within weeks to sell its first major asset as it hunts for deep cuts to public spending by launching an audit commission with unfettered scope to identify billions of dollars in budget savings.

The sale of health insurer Medibank Private will be under way before Christmas as the government appoints advisers to a scoping study to prepare it for a trade sale or public listing. Australian

Joe hockey increases the debt limit

It's now Five Hundred Billion Dollars