Major issues for Australians seem to be having limited focus in the media
over this past week.
The Asylum Seeker issue is a key topic of discussion on the radio, in
print and online today. The issue is expected to be the key media
topic in the coming days and we'll keep you in the loop on specific
stories. In short, The Greens support a compassionate and human
response to asylum seekers and on-shore processing.
Some new media stories are below on the Mining Tax. The Greens
support the tax in principle but Senator Brown believes that the
full cost of the backdown needs to be explained to Australians. Senator
Brown also states small businesses who employ up to 5 million Australians
will be worse off and jobs will now be at risk.
Senator Brown has been in QLD since the weekend. He is talking about Abbot
Point coal facility in Mackay today and the coal seam gas moratorium
tomorrow. Larissa Waters, Sentate Candidate, is accompanying Senator Brown
and working closely with him on these issues as they affect Queensland.
Is this being reported in your local media? If yes, post a comment and let us know.
***
Mining levy to impact taxpayers: Greens (AAP / 7 News)
The government's backdown on the mining tax will cost the Australian
taxpayer up to $4 billion a year, the Greens say. Australian Greens leader
Bob Brown says the sting will come in the form of higher taxes or loss of
services. The government has scrapped the controversial 40 per cent tax on
the resources industry, replacing it with a 30 per cent levy on a fewer
number of miners. The compromise means $1.5 billion less in revenues than
earlier projected - a total $10.5 billion in its first two years of
implementation starting July 1, 2012. Senator Brown, who is calling for
details of the tax from federal treasury as well as a Senate inquiry into
the tax, says the new deal is all about secret deals with big
corporations. It should have been about the environment, climate change
and local communities, he said. "It was nothing to do with climate change,
or better environmental outcomes or a better social outcome. "It was
simply to do with maintaining the profitability of these big corporations
and a lot of that flows overseas. "There's a lot more than meets the eye
on this ... all I do know is the Australian public is the big loser here."
Small corporations employ about five million Australians compared to the
mining industry, that employs less than one tenth of that, he said. "The
flow on will be a loss of thousands of potential jobs. All we're hearing
about is jobs in the mining industry, not those in small businesses."
***
Greens Want More Info on Tax Deal (AAP / The Epoch Times)
CANBERRA—The Australian Greens are demanding the federal government reveal
the exact cost its compromised mining tax deal will have on the public
purse. The government has scrapped the controversial 40 per cent tax on
the resources industry, replacing it with a 30 per cent levy on a fewer
number of miners. It will also extend the existing petroleum resource rent
tax to all Australian onshore and offshore oil and gas projects. The
compromise means $1.5 billion less in revenues than earlier projected—a
total $10.5 billion in its first two years of implementation starting July
1, 2012. It also means a company tax cut of one per cent instead of two.
Greens leader Bob Brown wants to know what the difference in revenues will
be up to 2020. He has written to Treasury secretary Ken Henry seeking that
information, but says "the public has the right to know before the
election". Senator Brown says the difference could be worth up to $25
billion a decade. "Billions unavailable for health and education," he said
in a statement. The Greens have said they support the tax in principle,
but say it can be improved. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is spending the
day in the coal-mining hub of Mackay, Northern Queensland, to discuss the
deal. Senator Brown is also in Queensland and will visit Mackay on Monday.
***
Mental health needs $5b boost: Greens (AAP / 7 News)
The federal government needs to spend an extra $5 billion over five years
on mental health, the Greens say. Greens senator and health spokeswoman
Rachel Siewert says the resignation of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's top
mental health adviser is indicative of the "tokenistic" approach the
federal government has taken on a problem affecting millions of
Australians. National Advisory Council on Mental Health chairman John
Mendoza quit on Friday, after accusing the federal government of a lack of
vision and commitment. Just $175 million was allocated to new funding for
mental health in last month's $7.2 billion federal health budget. Speaking
to AAP in Perth on Sunday, Senator Siewert said she was not surprised by
Prof Mendoza's resignation. "We're disappointed, but not surprised at John
Mendoza's resignation given that it's well known that he's extremely
disappointed with the government's lack of response to calls for greater
investment in mental health," she said. "It's a recognition of the fact
that the government has been underperforming in this area." Senator
Siewert said the government had missed a "golden opportunity" to increase
mental health spending in its proposed health reforms. In Melbourne,
psychiatrist and Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry said Prof
Mendoza's resignation appeared "almost inevitable" due to delays in
government action. "He's put his heart and soul into mental health
reform," Professor McGorry told reporters. "We've seen both sides of
politics not stepping up to the plate and not dealing with an issue of
national importance.
***
Greens slam asylum plan (AAP / Sydney Morning Herald)
"A change in border security policy that sends asylum seekers back to
Afghanistan will be deadly, the Australian Greens warn. The government is
reportedly working on a pact with Afghanistan to return asylum seekers,
whose applications for asylum have been frozen. The agreement will involve
assurances from Kabul guaranteeing the safety of unsuccessful asylum
seekers, The Australian reports. But it is unlikely to be announced this
week under Labor's revised border security policy. Labor frontbencher Mark
Butler refused to deny the report, telling Sky News only that "the
situation in Afghanistan is fluid". But the Greens disagree, noting that
10 ethnic Hazaras were beheaded in Afghanistan the day Julia Gillard
became prime minister less than two weeks ago. "A deal struck between
Julia Gillard and the Afghan government is not going to secure their
safety," Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC
Television. "It's just Labor Party spin ... to continue down that low road
of politics, chasing (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott in a tussle to beat
up on refugees. "Julia Gillard should know better."
***
Greens MP Lower House bid fails (ABC)
New South Wales Greens MP Sylvia Hale has been unsuccessful in her bid to
switch to the lower house of State Parliament. Sylvia Hale and
Marrickville's Deputy Mayor Fiona Byrne were both vying to be preselected
as the Greens candidate for the inner-Sydney seat of Marrickville. The
vote yesterday was close at 14 to 13 but Fiona Byrne was the victor.
Sylvia Hale has been in parliament since 2003 and is retiring from her
Upper House spot at the election. Some in the Greens saw yesterday's
pre-selection battle as a contest between the old guard and the new. The
Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt holds Marrickville but the Greens are
hopeful they can win the seat along with the nearby seat of Balmain.
1 comment:
looking at a bigger picture rather than the current personalities in politics, i see the rapid changes in our political leaders as a part of the transition from the industrial age to the sustainability age. the two old parties are just not able to adapt to our new 21st century world, and we'll see them come and go as they become less and less relevant.
the future belongs to the greens and those who take on the values of respect for our environment, a truly sustainable society with new industries based on recycling, reusing, reducing and repairing as we face a world with less and more expensive oil, climate change, pollution and over-population.
As posted on http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=114&m=96307&ps=50&dm=2
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